the warm up and start of match

Question 1

what will happen on arrival on court?

Answer 1

On arrival at court, one of the court officials will take two tins from the ball barrel to check the match balls

Question 2

what does the umpire then do?

Answer 2

The umpire will hand the tins containing six balls in total to one of the centres
Passing one tin to the other centre, the centres then place the tin on the floor and roll the balls out

Question 3

how do the centres then roll the balls out?

Answer 3

The LC rolls three balls to LB1 and the RC rolls three balls to RB1

Question 4

what is then done with the empty tins?

Answer 4

The empty tins are then placed to the left of the umpire’s chair (with the lids securely on)

Question 5

what do the bases do once they have the balls from the centres?

Answer 5

On receiving the match balls from the centres, all the bases then take a step forwards and pivot to face the other base (LB1-LB2 and RB1-RB2)
The timing of the step forward is achieved by a glance and nod
LB1 then rolls one ball to LB2 and RB1 rolls one ball to RB2
Both bases then nod at each other, pivot and step back into position

Question 6

how long is the warm up?

Answer 6

5 minuets generally

Question 7

what is your priority during warm up?

Answer 7

During the warm up, your priority is safety (i.e. not being hit by a ball!)

Question 8

what can happen in the warm up that can’t happen in normal play?

Answer 8

rolling can happen whilst play is happening

Question 9

what are all team members responsible for?

Answer 9

All team members are responsible for ensuring that the balls are evenly distributed to both ends of the court

Question 10

what happens in a coin toss up?

Answer 10

The coin toss will be conducted in the middle of the court. Once both players join the umpire, the centres should come into the umpire’s chair so that they are facing the coin toss and remain standing.

Question 11

what are the roles of bases during warm up?

Answer 11

Clear balls behind the baseline and to the sides of the tramlines when possible
Be ready to keep feeding the player or indicating ‘no balls’

Question 12

what happens when 2 minuets is called?

Answer 12

When “two minutes” is called, move to the corners of the court as players will generally start to serve at this point

Question 13

what happens when players start serving?

Answer 13

Be very careful when the players are practising their serves, never turn your back to the court and be alert to oncoming serves

Question 14

what position are centres in during warm up?

Answer 14

Centres will remain standing during the warm up but in the same locations they would normally kneel

Question 15

what should centres not do?

Answer 15

Do not go onto court, even if asked by the umpire, unless it is safe to do so (look both ways). Having collected any balls, get off court quickly and then feed the player if necessary

Question 16

what should centres do for even distribution?

Answer 16

If the player does not want the ball(s), roll them to either end of the court, ensuring even distribution
Never hold any balls at the centre during the warm up, always roll them to one end or the other

Question 17

what does the umpire do at the end of the warm up?

Answer 17

Towards the end of the warm up, the umpire will state which player won the toss and whether they elected to serve or receive; indicating which end of the court to send the balls when the match starts
When the umpire calls “time”, all the balls must go to the serving end as indicated. Make sure that all the players have finished serving practice

Question 18

where does everyone go at the end of the warm up?

Answer 18

The players will usually go back to their chairs before the game begins
Centres should return to their positions so that they can serve the player if needed. Once both players both go out to start the match, centres nod and sprint into the umpire’s chair (now kneeling).