Hurst Bowling Club

Competition Rules 2021

HURST BOWLS CLUB COMPETITIONS
Competition	Woods	Shots	Ends	Time (max)
Mens Championship	4	21	--	2hr- 2½hr
Mens Two Wood	2	--	21	1½hr – 2hr
Pairs	3	--	18	2½hr- 3hr
Whitfield Cup	3	21	--	2hr - 2½hr
Handicap	4	21+handicap	--	2hr - 2½hr
Trophy Winners	4	21	--	2hr - 2½hr
Novices	4	21	--	2hr - 2½hr
Ladies Championship	4	21	--	2hr - 2½hr
Ladies Two Wood	2	--	21	1½hr – 2hr

RULES FOR COMPETITIONS

These rules shall be binding upon all members and may not be altered except as stated in the Constitution

1. CONDITIONS
1.1 Competitions shall be played under the rules of the International Bowling Board.
1.2 All bowls used in competitions must have a valid stamp on them as defined by the governing bodies.
1.3 There shall be a Competitions Sub-Committee consisting of 3 (three) members elected at each Annual General Meeting, with at least one male and one female member.
1.4 All full members are to be entered into either the Ladies or Men’s 4 wood competitions.

2. THE DRAW

2.1 The draw for each competition, which shall be displayed in the clubhouse, shall be made by the Sub-Committee and shall contain the date by which each round should be played.

2.2 The challenger shall be the first name in each round.

3. ARRANGING FOR PLAY

3.1 The challenger(s) shall contact the opponent(s) and offer three dates and times for playing the match, one date of which must be a weekend. One of these must be accepted within forty-eight hours.

3.2 If a challenge has not been made prior to 7 days of the closing date of the round the opponent(s) shall contact the challenger(s) to offer two dates, one date of which must be a weekend. One of these dates must be accepted within forty-eight hours. The challenger(s) should also inform a member of the competition committee of such action.

3.3 Club, County or National duties will be the only excusable reasons for a challenge not to be accepted.

3.4 A claim for the game on default by either party shall be made to the Competition Committee on or after the closing date of each round.

3.5 If a game is not played by the closing date of the round the Sub-Committee will award the game to the non-defaulting player(

3.6 The finals shall be at a time decided by the Sub-Committee after consultation with the Fixtures Secretary.

4. THE MATCH

4.1 Any person(s) failing to appear within thirty minutes of the appointed time for a match (except for good reason) shall be deemed to have forfeited the game and the other(s) shall be automatically declared the winner.

4.2 There shall be a marker for singles matches. The marker shall be arranged by the challenger and must not be a family member, or partner, of either competitor in that match.

4.3 The marker shall at all times adhere to the guidelines given in “Duties of a marker” displayed in the clubhouse.

4.4 A coin should be tossed to decide who has the mat.

4.5 At the end of a game the scorecard must be annotated with the time and signed by both players in a singles match or by a player from each side in other matches and placed in the competition box provided in the clubhouse.

4.6 The result of the game shall be entered on the draw schedule displayed in the clubhouse by the scorer or winning skip.

4.7 Club competitions can only be played when Club matches are being played with the permission of the Club Captain

4.8 If 7 ends of a match have been played and play is stopped due to adverse weather conditions a later fixture should be arranged and the score carried forward. If fewer than 7 ends played the match must be replayed as soon as possible.

4.9 Results

Two wood singles and pairs – 21 ends played highest score wins. If at the completion of 21 ends the result is a draw a deciding end should be played.

Three and four wood singles – first to reach 21 shots is the winner.

Handicap – 21 shots. Where players have a handicap, the lower number should be subtracted from the higher number and the scoreboard should show the player with the lower number starting as if they had won that number of points.

4.10 Rinks for play during all rounds (except finals) shall be drawn (with the exception of those already in use, excluded by the Green keeper or if one competitor has played on the same rink on that day).

5. DISPUTES

All disputes shall be decided by the Competitions Sub-Committee after due enquiry, whose decision is final.

The Markers Duties

The marker should:

centre the jack; centre the mat
check that the jack is at least 23 metres from the mat line after it has been centred;
place a jack that comes to rest less than 2 metres from the front ditch as described in law 22.2;
stand to one side of the rink, behind the jack and away from the head;
answer any specific question about the state of the head which is asked by the player in possession of the rink;
when asked, tell or show the player in possession of the rink the position of the jack;
when asked, tell or show the player in possession of the rink which bowl or bowls the marker considers to be shot;
mark all touchers with chalk and remove the chalk marks from non-touchers as soon as they come to rest;
if both players agree, remove all dead bowls from the rink of play;
mark the position of a jack and any touchers which are in the ditch as described in laws 24.4 and 29.2;
not move, or cause to be moved, either the jack or any bowls until the players have agreed the number of shots scored; and
measure any disputed shot or shots when asked to do so by either player. If the players are not satisfied with the marker’s decision, the marker should choose a competent neutral person to act as the umpire. The umpire’s decision is final.

When each end has been completed, the marker should:

record the score on the score card;
tell the players the running totals of the scores; and
remove from the rink the mat used during the previous end, if necessary.

When the game has been completed, the marker should make sure that the score card:

contains the names and signatures of the players;
contains the time at which the game was completed; and
place the score card in the box and update the competition sheet.