RULES OF INDOOR LEAGUE BOWLING

Issue 1^st November 2009

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

RINK RESERVATION

When booking a rink you are reserving a space on the green and committing yourself to the fees, as laid down by the Management Committee.

You are not allowed to book more than 2 weeks in advance for casual play.

CANCELLATION

If a rink is NOT required, then that rink must be cancelled.

In league and competition play it must be cancelled by the home team captain or the home player and in casual play by the person who made the booking.

In the event of non-cancellation the whole fee for a rink of 8 players is payable.

RINK FEES

The fees are required to be available to the steward or appointed person before play begins.

 The skips are responsible for collection of fees from their own team and the home skip is responsible for any shortfall of the total rink fees.

The steward or appointed person has the authority to suspend play on any rink where the full rink fees have not been paid.

PREFERENTIAL PLAY

Only National Competitions have preference. Club Competitions have NO preference.

Any rink changes can only be made with full discussion and agreement of the appointed Club

Co-ordinator. Any teams or person involved must be advised with as much notice as possible.

DRESS ON THE GREEN

 For all play except in matches and latter stages of competitions, the dress will be white above the waist and grey below.

Only white, brown or grey regulation bowling shoes may be worn.

Guests of members are expected to comply with these dress standards.

RULES FOR LEAGUE PLAY

 1.   LEAGUES

Ladies’ Tuesday Afternoon  - 2 Divisions

Ladies’ Friday Afternoon  - 2 Divisions

Ladies’ Evening

Men’s Sunday Morning  ( Handicap )

Men’s Monday Morning  - 2 Divisions

Men’s Tuesday Morning  - 2 Divisions

Men’s Friday Morning  - 2 Divisions

Men’s Early Evening  - 3 Divisions

Men’s Late Evening  - 2 Divisions  

Thursday Early Evening Open Rinks - 1 Division (2011/12)

Friday Evening Open Triples  - 2 Divisions

2.   ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION

All players must be paid-up members Wellingborough Bowling Club indoor section.

A minimum of 6 and a maximum of 8 players shall be registered for each team. The League

Administrator will however be empowered to relax this rule in certain circumstances.

Additional players may be registered / de-registered after the start of the season by informing

the League Administrator on the form provided.

A player may not be registered for more than one team in the same League, but reference is made to Rule 3 Substitutes below.

The prescribed entrance fee per team shall be payable before the start of the season.

3.   SUBSTITUTES

In all Leagues a team may play not more than two substitutes in a match. Substitutes may not be included in more than five matches per season. A team may use a substitute from the same division on two occasions within the five matches as stated. The substitute from the same division may only play as lead or No 2. In other matches, substitutes may play in any position except skip.

4.   THREE PLAYERS ONLY

A team fielding only 3 players instead of 4 will only bowl 6 woods.

Both leads will bowl their woods, followed by both No 2s. The No 3 from the full strength team will then bowl both their woods in succession. Both skips will then bowl their woods as normal. The total rink fees for 4 players will be paid in full by the 3 remaining players.

5.   ORDER OF PLAY

A team consists of four players in all Ladies’ and Men’s Leagues. In the Open Triples

a team consists of three players of any combination of Ladies and Men. No trial ends are permitted.

Matches will start at the sound of the starter bell. The winner of an end may not give the mat or jack to his/her opponent. Matches will end at the sound of the finish bell or after the completion of 18 ends, whichever comes soonest.

Where a jack is delivered out of bounds and the finish bell sounds before it is re-delivered, the jack will be placed on the two metre mark and the mat position will be determined by the opposing skip.

In all Leagues if the jack is driven out of bounds in the course of play, the jack will be re-spotted on the two metre mark and the match will continue as normal.

In fours play the No 3 will play up with the skip, but no player may follow his/her bowl to the head except in the normal course of changing ends. Nor will it be permissible for a No 3 or skip to remain at the head while his opposite number plays his/her first bowl. Players shall change ends at the same time as their opponents. In triples play the aforementioned rules apply to the No 2 and skip.

A properly completed scorecard showing players names and final score will be signed by both skips and placed in the box following every match.

6.   POSTPONEMENTS

A team may claim a postponement when four players are representing the Club in a National Competition, or if they are required to attend their Club or County General Meeting or Annual Dinner, or in any other exceptional circumstances with the prior permission of the League Administrator. In all such circumstances the team captain will give at least seven days notice to the League Administrator and the opposing team captain, cancel the rink and book a rink for the re-arranged match on an agreed date. Failure to do so will mean that the team will be in default.

No other reasons for postponement are acceptable except in the case of extreme bad weather. A league match re-booking form must be completed and submitted to the League Administrator by the team postponing the match, providing details of the re-arranged date and reason for postponement. Failure to comply may result in an invoice for green fees being submitted to offending teams. The team captain responsible for the postponement shall re-arrange the match and within seven days of the postponement book an available rink for a future date.

The League Administrator is empowered to re-arrange an unplayed league match by fixing the time and date and notifying both captains. In the event of a match being postponed by the League Administrator, he will re-arrange the match and notify both captains accordingly.

7.   DEFAULT

If a team is not present on the rink ten minutes after the sound of the start bell, or if a team plays an ineligible player or an ineligible substitute, it will be in default.

A team that is found to be in default it will be responsible for the entire green fee for the rink.

If the non-offending team uses the rink, any fees paid by them will be deducted from the entire total owing by the offending team.

The penalty for a team in default is that they lose the match by ten shots to nil and they have a further two points deducted from their existing points total.

8.   PROMOTION AND RELEGATION

Two points will be awarded for a win and one point for a tie.

League positions will be decided on (1) number of points, if equal (2) on shot difference, if still equal (3) on higher number of shots scored.

Promotion and relegation in league divisions will be based on two up and two down. Additional teams may be promoted from a lower division to fill vacancies in a higher division caused by teams dropping out. To maintain its status in a higher division for the following season a team must re-register at least three players from previous season’s team, otherwise it will be required to start anew in the lowest division.

The League Administrator is empowered to refuse to re-register a team continually in default, or having committed a breach of rules.