OK. Last year, we took a minute before the tournament to make sure we were all playing by the same rules. There were only a few differences between the local games, but some casued trouble enough to need debating, and here's what we came up with by consensus:

The Foot Down Rule (If you foot down, you may not be the next player to touch the ball, and you have to cirlce out of the area of play.) prevents running starts. All games start with both teams on their goals lines, with both feet on the pedals (balance on your mallet). "3-2-1-go" and the joust, game is on.

The Mallet Rule (The mallet may only touch the ball and other mallets, not bikes or players) prevents people form playing the ball with your foot. No standing on the ball, no kicking the ball. If you do, your foot becomes a mallet, and we can all whack at it with ours.

The Goal. Pretend there is a net around the goal, which is (for 3 on 3 games) 1 1/2 mallets wide (54 inches) and as high as your top tube (about 36 inches). The goal is not infinitely tall

There is absolutly no ghost riding of bikes or throwing of mallets. These are not goaltending strategies, they are dangerous, desperate moves by slow people. Get a lighter ratio.

I think that's it. All other rules are pretty standard accross the region for the grass game. Let me know if you play different, or if you want to argue one of these points. There will be another summit before the spring tourney.