The requirement is the same as in 9-ball, namely that you hit the lowest numbered ball first, with the addition that the ball must be designated and its pocket must be called. This depends on the player's skill level. In general, the corner balls roll the farthest, balls along the sides and the rear of the rack tend to stay together, and the three balls in the middle usually don't roll very far. On the break shot, you want a good spread of the balls to minimize the number of clusters, but not so much scatter that the nearby balls are widely separated. Experiment with both ball position in the rack and various break shots to see what works best for you.
Every match needs to be completed during the week it is scheduled.
If you are having trouble with email, you can submit the scores by phone. To be fair to all involved, please set aside a specific time to play your tournament match. It is allowed to warmup prior to playing your match. It is recommended that you use the straightpool scoresheet for keeping score. You can use the top box for your random score for that inning, and the bottom box for your rotation score for that inning.