LOOSE BOWLS CLUB
RULES FOR THE CONDUCT OF CLUB COMPETITIONS
General Rules
- The competitions shall be played under the Laws of Bowls England.
- All entrants to the competitions must make their entries on the appropriate entry forms either circulated to members or posted on the Club’s notice board. The closing date for entries will be as shown on the entry form or posted lists and will be strictly adhered to.Entry forms circulated at the beginning of the season must be returned to the Treasurer together with the appropriate entry fee before the closing date in order to be valid. Only one entry form must be used for each member. The entry form contains a tear-off for the Ladies Section. Where there are entries for ‘ladies’ competitions the Treasurer will forward the tear-off section to the Ladies Competitions Secretary. The remainder will be passed to the Men’s Competition Secretary.The Competitions Secretaries should receive all entry forms 2 weeks prior to the Competitions draw date.Notification of the date and time of the draw will be posted on the Club noticeboard by the Competitions Secretaries.
- All members entering competitions must be available for the Finals Weekend. Any member subsequently finding that they are no longer available to play on Finals Weekend must withdraw from related competitions and inform the relevant Competition Secretary immediately.
- All competitions will be conducted on a knock out basis. Matches will be played by the nominated round completion date or on the dates pre-arranged by the Men’s / Ladies Competitions Secretary. The Whibley Plate may be run on a one or two league basis depending on the number of entries received with the winners of each league competing in the final. Where only one league is possible, it will be run on a “round robin” basis with points awarded for a win or draw. The team with the most points will be the winners. In the event of a tie, numbers of ends won in the competition will decide the winners.
- The dates fixed for the completion of each round shall be strictly adhered to unless otherwise directed by the respective Competitions Secretary. Set competition dates in the fixture card must be played on that date. Only in exceptional circumstances can this be altered and then only with the expressed permission of the Men’s Competitions Secretary.
- Each competition shall be governed by the initial draw, the winner of the number one match playing the winner of the number two match and so on until all the rounds are completed. The challenger is the first drawn of each match in order.
- The challenger(s) shall offer the opponent(s) at least three dates, one of which must be a weekend on which he or she is prepared to play the match. The winner of the match shall be responsible for recording the result on the appropriate competition sheet on the notice board in the pavilion.
- If a suitable date cannot be agreed upon within the timeframes of the competition the matter should be referred to the respective Competitions Secretary. In most cases the match could be expected to be awarded to the challenger.
- The challenger shall be responsible for booking a rink in advance for competitions not already set in the fixture card.
- If either competitor arrives more than 30 minutes after the time mutually agreed upon for the start of the match, the opponents will be awarded a ‘walk over’ unless there are mitigating circumstances. Valid reasons for absence from a match shall include sickness or injury, family bereavement and any other genuine mitigating circumstances, and should be communicated to the Competitions Secretary immediately.
- Greys shall be worn in all preliminary rounds and club shirts and whites for the Finals Weekend.
Playing Procedure.
- All matches in connection with these competitions shall be played as ‘singles’, ‘pairs’, ‘triples’, or ‘rinks’, as appropriate.
- The playing of matches will be decided as follows:-
Singles 4 bowls First to 21 shots
Singles (Handicap) 4 bowls The difference between the two handicaps will be awarded to the lower handicap player at the start of the game. Both players will then play to 21 shots.
2 Wood Singles 2 bowls 18 ends up to final, 21 ends in the final.
2 Wood Pairs 2 bowls 21 ends
Pairs 4 bowls 18 ends
Triples 3 bowls 18 ends
Whibley Plate 3 bowls In a single league, the team with the most points will be the winners.
Rinks 2 bowls 21 ends
100 Up (Singles) 4 bowls First to 100 points
Scoring:-
Nearest Jack – 4 points
Next – 3 points
Next – 2 points
Next – 1 point
If 2 woods tie, the points are divided.
e.g. 3+2 = 5, therefore 2½ points to each player.
If both players have scores in the 90’s, as the
woods are taken out, (measured for shot),
in the final end, the first player to reach 100
shall be declared the winner.
- Trial ends for all competitions will be at the discretion of the players and no hard and fast rules will be laid down in these rules. There will be no restrictions on the number of visits to the head.
- In the event of a match being tied a further end shall be played. On the toss of a coin the player choosing correctly can elect to take the mat or to give it to their opponent(s).
- For singles matches the challenger must arrange for a Marker for each game ( except in the 2 Wood Singles competition ). A Marker and Umpire will be provided in the singles final. The Marker, who should be a qualified Marker wherever possible, will adjudicate in situations where the players are unable to resolve an end and is at liberty to call for a second unbiased opinion if he or she feels the need. Relatives or partners are not permitted to mark for each other under any circumstances.
- The players named on the scorecard of the initial game shall constitute the official entry and should play together throughout the competition. Members of a team do not necessarily have to play in the order that they are drawn.
- No player shall be allowed to play, in one season, in more than one team in the same competition. This includes acting as a substitute.
- Only one substitute per team, who must be the same person, will be permitted in any competition. The substitute will be drawn from a pool of names held by the Competitions Secretaries. Any player who was originally drawn to play in a team (pairs, triples or rinks) but failed to play in the first game to be played, shall be entitled to be reinstated, either as the original player or placed in the pool of substitutes.
- Entrants who find they are unable to participate in a Club competition should inform the respective Competitions Secretaries as soon as they are aware. Competition Secretaries will endeavour to find a substitute. All substitutes should be of a similar standing to the person being replaced, i.e. in the case of the men, individual handicaps should be considered for this purpose. This rule does not apply to any singles competition where the draw has already been made.
- Under no circumstances will substitutes be allowed to skip.
- On completion of a match, both players, or skips, shall sign the scorecard. For Singles competitions the Marker shall verify the scores and also sign the scorecard.
- When a match is stopped either by mutual arrangement, or by the umpire after an appeal to him on account of darkness or the condition of the weather, or any other valid reason, it shall be resumed on a date agreed by mutual consent and agreed by the Competitions Secretary, or as directed by the Competitions Secretary. On the resumption the scores will be as they were when the match was stopped. A head commenced but not completed shall be declared void.
Disputes & Appeals Procedure
- The Competitions Sub Committee (comprising the Captain, Competitions Secretary and one other) shall determine all disputes and appeals that arise in the competitions and which do not come within the scope of Umpires jurisdiction. The Competitions Sub Committee will have regard to any relevant laws and rules laid down by Bowls England and The Laws of the Sport of Bowls. The decision of the Competitions Sub Committee shall be final.
- The ‘one other’ member appointed to the Competitions Sub Committee will be ‘as and when required’ and will be selected on the basis of being able to provide an impartial and qualified view on the matters at hand.
- Appeals and disputes shall be made to the respective Competitions Secretary (or in their absence the respective captains), in writing, and within 48 hours of the match being played. If the matter cannot be resolved swiftly it shall be referred to the Competitions Sub Committee. If re-instatement of a defeated player(s) is sought, the interested parties may be required to appear before the Competitions Sub Committee. On receipt of such notice the player(s) concerned must attend. Failure to do so may reflect any decision.
- Players should understand that when agreement to a particular course of action, which breaches these rules, is made with an opponent(s) and from which a subsequent appeal or dispute arises, then these rules will be strictly applied. Ignorance of these rules will not be a valid reason for such an agreement.
There is nothing that can be laid down in any set of rules to cover every interpretation, incident or circumstance. It is therefore expected that true sportsmanship and common sense will prevail at all times and all competitions will be played in the true spirit of the game.
Revised April 2019
Summarised Rules for the Conduct of Club Competitions
– all entries must be made on the appropriate form and the entry fee paid.
– all entries must be received by the published date.
– all entrants must be available for the Finals weekend.
– all matches to be played by the nominated completion date or on the set competition dates.
– the challenger shall offer the opponent 3 dates to play the match.
– the challenger is responsible for booking a rink in advance for competitions without a fixed date.
– players arriving over 30 minutes after the agreed time to play shall forfeit the game.
– greys to be worn for all preliminary matches, club shirts and whites for the Finals.
– trial ends will be at the discretion of the players.
– singles matches should be marked by a qualified marker wherever possible.
– relatives or partners are not permitted to mark for each other.
– players names on the scorecard for the initial game shall constitute the official entry.
– only one substitute, who must be the same person, will be permitted to play in any competition.
– substitutes will not be allowed to skip.
– trial ends will be at the discretion of the players.
– there will be no limit on the number of visits to the head.
– appeals and disputes must be made in writing, within 48 hours of the match being played, and
handed to the respective Competitions Secretaries.
– in cases of an appeal or dispute the decision of the Competitions Sub Committee shall be final.
– players should not agree to a course of action which breaches the published rules and might lead to
an appeal or dispute.
– ignorance of the official rules will not be accepted as a reason for breaching the official Competition rules .
– the official published Competition rules will be applied in all cases of an appeal or dispute.
All competitions to be played in the spirit of the game
These simple rules do NOT replace the official Competitions Rules which should be read and understood. A copy of the official Competitions Rules appears on the Club noticeboard in the Rose Pavilion and take precedent at all times.
Revised April 2019