The Role of the Marker.

    What the rule book says

•              Rule 19 Duties of a Marker 
•              Guideline G18 MARKER'S Guidelines
•              Appendix 3.1 Marker's Calls

 

    What's so special about these?

      The correct calls are both quite clear and very concise.
      Think of the environment we are operating in:

•                Acoustics are bad
•                Lots of noise around
•               The players are not all that close to the marker - there is plenty of scope to not hear calls properly
•        By using the correct calls, you are:
•                limiting the choices the players need to make in interpreting your call
•                giving the players the chance to continue play with a minimum of stress
•                saving time by enabling the game to keep going

 

     So, What do we say?

Out	not	Out of court; High; High ball
(Not Up/Down) 3-2;	not	Point. 3-2
8-6 game ball	not	8 game ball 6; Game ball 6
9-8 match ball	not	9-8 game ball, match ball
4 all	not	4 - 4; 4 together; 4 apiece; 4 each
(Not Up/Down) 2-4	not	Point 2-4

   (call Not Up or Down when the result is not obvious, to stop the players continuing the rally unnecessarily)

8 all, set two	not	Playing to 10; long game
8 all, set one	not	Playing to 9; short game.
Game ball	not	Game point; Set point
Match ball	not	Match Point; Game and match ball.

    Not up or Down?

    Many markers seem to be confused about which of these to call. It is really quite simple:
       If the ball is hit legally, but does not make it to the front wall above the board (tin), it is Down.
       If the ball is not hit legally it is Not Up. Examples of the ball not being hit legally include:

the ball bounces a second time before being hit

the ball is hit twice

the ball is in contact with the racket for a prolonged time

the ball hits the striker or anything worn or carried

the ball is missed by the striker after attempting to hit the ball

    When do I call Fault?

    When the serve would have been a correct return if it was not a serve, but is not a valid serve
       There are two situations:

The server did not have at least one foot grounded within the service box and not touching the line.

The correct call is Foot-Fault

the ball does not hit the wall directly, or

the ball hits the front wall on or below the service line or

the ball does not hit the floor within the opposite quarter (unless volleyed by the receiver).

The correct call is Fault

    Stop

    This is used rarely by the marker, but should be used in two situations:
          The players did not hear a call made by the marker or referee, and therefore continued the rally.
          Any object is thrown or dropped on to the court (other than a player dropping a racket).