Table Tennis Rule - Out of Order Serving and Receiving
What’s your verdict?
What happens when points have been played with the wrong person serving or receiving or both or if players haven’t changed ends when they were supposed to? What happens to the points that have already been played?
The first thing is that as soon as the umpires realises the mistake has been made, they need to interrupt the match and rectify the situation. This could be in the middle of a point. The umpire will call a let straight away and sort things out.
However the points that have already been completed still count. Did you have that one right?
This is all covered in the ITTF rule 2.14. Take a read…
2.14.01 If a player serves or receives out of turn, play shall be interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with those players serving and receiving who should be server and receiver respectively at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match and, in doubles, to the order of serving chosen by the pair having the right to serve first in the game during which the error is discovered.
2.14.02 If the players have not changed ends when they should have done so, play shall be interrupted by the umpire as soon as the error is discovered and shall resume with the players at the ends at which they should be at the score that has been reached, according to the sequence established at the beginning of the match.
2.14.03 In any circumstances, all points scored before the discovery of an error shall be reckoned.
Ji-Soo
commented on December 17th, 2008 at 5:54 am
Thanks for the clarification! I didn’t even think to ask this question…but it happens occasionally in pennant competition and there is always uncertainty over this very point.