Castle Order of Merit 2026–27
How the Order of Merit Works
Your best 10 event scores count towards your final position, so missing an event or having one bad result will not ruin your season.
Points are now based on matches won rather than simply which round you reach. BYEs do not count as wins.
ORDER OF MERIT POINTS
(BASED ON MAX. 32 PLAYERS)
0 MATCH WINS – 3 POINTS
1 MATCH WIN – 6 POINTS
3 MATCH WINS – 12 POINTS
4 MATCH WINS – 15 POINTS
LARGER DRAWS
The points above are based on events of up to 32 players. If an event has more than 32 entries, every additional match actually played and won earns 3 extra OOM points. BYEs do not count as wins.
In a full 64-player draw, a semi-finalist could score 15 points, runner-up 18 points, and winner 23 points — provided they actually played and won the additional match.
DOUBLE POINTS EVENTS
Double Points apply to the Order of Merit only — they do not change ELO, handicaps or match results.
PLAY YOUR JOKER!
The Joker must be declared before the tournament starts and doubles that player’s OOM points for the event.
It cannot be used in an event that is already a Double Points event.
THE MISS RULE
A miss can continue to be called until the ball on is hit, or snookers are required.
The first 3 misses concede the normal foul value.
Any further fouls concede 1 point per attempt.
Please use discretion — a miss should not be called where the shot is genuinely too difficult or impossible.
BEST 10 SCORES COUNT
The Order of Merit runs across the season, but only your best 10 event scores count towards your final position.
So missing an event or having a bad result won’t ruin your season.
TOP 16 FINALS
Your final OOM position determines your seeding.
ENTRY FEES
Under 18s: £10
For adult entries, the £17 is split as:
£10 — Event prize fund
£5 — Club / table lights
£2 — End-of-season fund
END-OF-SEASON PRIZE FUND
At the end of the season, that fund is split 50/50 between:
prizes for the Top 4 Order of Merit finishers
prizes for the Top 16 Finals
YOUR OOM HANDICAP
Your ELO and handicap are frozen at the start of the event, so they stay the same throughout the tournament.
The maximum start given in any match is 80 points.
NO AUTOMATIC HANDICAP CUTS
Your actual match results update your ELO after the tournament, and your handicap then adjusts naturally for future events.
NEW PLAYERS
All new players begin as Very Provisional, allowing their rating to adjust quickly as real match evidence builds. The first 5 rated matches have the greatest rating movement, matches 6–9 remain more responsive than normal, and from match 10 the standard rating movement applies.
While a player is Very Provisional, a temporary Competition Handicap safeguard may also apply in Castle handicap events. This is based on both the amount of rated match evidence available and our confidence in the player’s starting assessment. The safeguard is strongest during the first 0–2 rated matches, reduces after 3–4 matches, and normally ends once 5 rated matches have been completed. It affects only the handicap used in competition — it does not change the player’s underlying Elo Rating or Personal Handicap.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Matches are normally best of 5 frames throughout.
More than 16 players
Early rounds are normally best of 3 frames, with the semi-finals and final played best of 5.
Formats may occasionally be adjusted depending on entry numbers and available playing time.