Competition Rules

  1. A sub-committee consisting of the competition secretary and the men’s and ladies’ captains (hereafter called the “competitions sub-committee”) shall control the competitions. In the event of any dispute their decision shall be final.
  2. The type of competitions shall be at the discretion of the club committee, who shall decide the entry fee for each event.
  3. The first named in each tie will be the challenger(s) and he/she/they will be responsible for mutually arranging the tie, booking a rink for the match and arranging a marker for a singles match.
  4. The second named shall become the challenger if no contact has been made 7 days prior to the closing date, but the original challenger has to supply the marker.
  5. Any competitor failing to arrive within 30 minutes of the arranged time shall be liable to disqualification.
  6. A substitute may be allowed in the pairs and triples subject to the approval of the competitions sub-committee. The substitute shall not have previously played in the event, and shall not be permitted to skip.
  7. Any match not finished owing to adverse weather conditions, shall be restarted at the point at which play ceased. An end not completed will be replayed. If practicable the game shall restart on the original rink.
  8. With the exception of the Australian Pairs competition and the Bob Sawyer Memorial Trophy, all finals will be played on Finals Weekend as shown on the fixture list. In the case of inclement weather, finals will be re-scheduled as decided by the competitions sub-committee.
  9. Any person entering competitions who cannot play on Finals Weekend must notify the sub-committee immediately they are aware of this situation.
  10. The dress code for all matches will be greys with white tops, with the exception of finals played on Finals Weekend, when the dress code will be whites.
  11. In the event of any dispute the decision of the competitions sub-committee shall be final.

 

Australian Pairs

  1. The competition will be played as a mixed or single sex pairs as determined by the number of entries. The competition will be played in accordance with the laws of the game as published by Bowls England but with the following exceptions –
  2. The competition will be played on one day, including the final. The list of players will be closed once the draw has been made, except for “making up the numbers”.
  3. Entrants will be seeded then made up into pairs. The pairs will be divided into groups, with the number of entries determining the number of pairs per group and games played by each pair.  The competitions sub-committee will be responsible for determining the number of games played by each pair and the schedule for the games.
  4. Play commences with ‘Player A’ of each pair delivering 2 bowls alternately with the other ‘lead’. ‘Player A’ then changes ends with ‘Player B’, who then deliver 4 bowls each.  Players change ends again, and ‘Player A’ delivers their remaining 2 bowls.  ‘Player B’ then starts the next end, and so on until the end of the game.
  5. Opposing players must leave the heads together, and may not revisit it.
  6. All games will normally consist of 7 ends or 55 minutes, whichever is the shorter, with no trial ends. After 55 minutes a whistle/bell will be sounded.  If the jack has not been centred then the game is finished. To aid scheduling of the competition, it may be agreed to play games of fewer than 7 ends.
  7. Two points are awarded for each game won, one for a draw. Points won, shot difference, then shots scored, shall decide group positions.  The winners of each group will progress to the knock-out stage.  In the event of a tie, the result(s) of the game(s) between the team(s) will decide the winner. If still a tie, the teams concerned will play an extra end, with a draw being made for the rink on which it is played.
  8. At the knock-out stage the result of a drawn match will be decided by playing one extra end.
  9. Any team not in attendance at the start of a game will concede the game by 7 shots.

 

Bob Sawyer Memorial Trophy

  1. The competition will be played in pairs, triples or fours depending upon the number of entrants.  The competition will be played in accordance with the Laws of the game as published by Bowls England.
  2. The competition will be played on the afternoon of the August Bank Holiday Monday. All competitors must register 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the competition.  In no circumstances will an additional entry be taken after the draw for teams has started.  The number of entrants will dictate whether the competition is played in pairs, triples or fours, with this decision being made by the competitions subcommittee.  The competitions sub-committee will determine the number of teams, the number of games to be played by each team, and the scheduling of the games.
  3. The competitions sub-committee will select Skips. All other players shall draw to determine with which skip they will play throughout the event.  Apart from the skip, the order of play in each team shall be made by mutual arrangement of those members.
  4. There will be no trial ends. Skips will toss for the jack at the start of each game.  Nobody may visit the head before they have delivered all their bowls.  At each end, the skips will leave the head together and may not revisit it.
  5. Skips will enter his/her team names on the left hand side of the scorecard and record shots for and against in the normal way.
  6. Two points will be awarded for each game won, with one point for a draw. The winning team will be decided by points won, then shot difference, then shots scored.  In the event of a tie, the teams concerned will play an extra end, with a draw being made for the rink on which it is played.

 

Mixed Drawn Triples

  1. The competition will be played in triples with at least one lady and one man per team as far as possible.  The competition will be played in accordance with the Laws of the game as published by Bowls England.
  2. The competition will be played on one day, up to and including the semi-finals. The list of players will be closed once the draw has been made except for “making up the numbers”.
  3. Leads, two’s and skips will be selected by the competitions sub-committee so that there will be an equal number of each, and the draw then be made.
  4. The competition will be played on a “knock-out” basis. The number of entries will determine the number of games and ends played. Extra ends will be played as necessary to determine winning teams.
  5. Except for the final, there will be no trial ends.. Skips will toss for the jack. On the first end of any game, the winning team will score one shot. At each end, the skips will leave the head together and may not revisit it.
  6. The final will be played over 15 ends, with two trial ends, no time limit and skips allowed to visit the head.
  7. Skips will ensure that their team are present at the correct time.

 

 Two Wood Drawn Pairs

  1. The competition will be played in accordance with the Laws of the game as published by Bowls England.
  2. The competition will be played on one day, up to and including the semi-finals. The list will be closed once the draw has been made except for “making up the numbers”.
  3. Entrants will be divided into ‘skips’ and ‘leads’ by the competitions sub-committee, and teams then drawn with a ‘skip’ and a ‘lead’ in each.
  4. The team as drawn will play in the same order throughout.
  5. If a straight knockout system is used, each game will consist of a maximum of 16 ends (or 55minutes) whichever is the shorter.
  6. If a Double Defeat system is used, games in the bottom half of the draw may be reduced to 8 ends (27 minutes).
  7. Extra ends will be played as necessary to determine winning teams. After the allotted time a whistle/bell will sound. Only ends started with the jack centred will be allowed to finish.
  8. Except for the final, there will be no trial ends. Each end, the skips will leave the head together and may not revisit it.
  9. The final will be played over 18 ends, with two trial ends, no time limit and visits to the head allowed.
  10. Skips will ensure that their team is present at the correct time.

 

Men’s & Ladies’ Drawn Pairs

  1. The competitions will be played on a “knock-out basis” in accordance with the Laws of the game as published by Bowls England.
  2. Leads and skips will be selected by the competitions sub-committee so that there will be an equal number of each, and the draw then be made.
  3. The team as drawn need not play in the same order throughout.
  4. All games will be played over 18 ends, with two trial ends, no time limit and visits to the head permitted.
  5. An extra end will be played as necessary to determine the winning team if the score is level after 18 ends.

 

Singles Competitions

  1. There will be separate ladies’ and men’s competitions for –
    • Championship Singles
    • Handicap Singles
    • 2 Woods Singles
  2. There will be combined competitions for –
    • Veterans Singles, open to members of either sex aged 70 and over as at 30th April of the relevant season.
    • Junior Singles, open to members who have not previously won a singles competition at Oak Hill Bowls Club.
  3. All singles competitions will be organised on a “knock-out” basis.
  4. Two trial ends will be permitted in all singles matches.
  5. All games in the 2 Woods events are played over 21 ends. If the score is level after 21 ends, one extra end will be played to determine the winner, with the toss of a coin determining who should cast the jack.
  6. All other singles events are played as the first to 21 shots, plus or minus any relevant handicaps.
  7. The competitions sub-committee will be responsible for setting members’ handicaps. This will normally be based on an algorithm reflecting players’ achievement over previous seasons.
  8. In the handicap singles competitions the difference between the handicaps for the two players shall be calculated and the player with the lowest handicap shall start at zero, with the other player starting on the difference between the two handicaps, e.g. player A has handicap 3, player B has handicap 8, player A starts on 0, player B starts on 5 (i.e. 8-3). The winner is the first player to 21 shots.

Document revised –

March 2013

April 2019

November 2021

November 2022