Rules Governing all National Championships and County Competitions – (Version 11.0) (11/19)

NOTE: NATIONAL COMPETITIONS ARE ADMINISTERED DIRECTLY BY BOWLS ENGLAND AND DO NOT FORM PART OF THESE RULES.
Bowls England Regulation 52 and the Regulation for each specific discipline, refers.

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ALL ENTRANTS TO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS AND COUNTY COMPETITIONS FAMILIARIZE THEMSELVES WITH THESE RULES. THE CHAMPIONSHIP/COMPETITION COMMITTEE SHALL APPLY AND ENFORCE THEM RIGOROUSLY.

1) Administration

The National Championships and County Competitions of the Somerset Bowls Association (SBA) shall be administered in accordance with these Rules by the Championship/Competition Secretariat, comprising the Championship/Competition Secretary and any and all assistants appointed by the Championship/Competition Secretary and ratified by the Executive Board in accordance with SBA Constitution Rule 7(c).

2) Rules of Play

a) The Rules of play for National Championships shall be in accordance with Bowls England Regulations 50 – 51 together with the Appendices thereof and the current Laws of the Sport of Bowls.

1. b) The rules of play of County Competitions shall be in accordance with these rules and the current Laws of the Sport of Bowls

3) Championships and Competitions

The Championship/Competition Secretariat shall administer the following National Championships and County Competitions

1. a) National Championships to determine those to go forward to the finals of the Bowls England’s National Championships:

For Men and women:

(1) Singles (four bowls, 21 shots)
(2) Pairs (four bowls each player, 21 ends)
(3) Triples (three bowls each player, 18 ends)
(4) Fours (two bowls each player, 21 ends)
(5) Two Wood Singles (two bowls each, 21 ends)
(6) Junior Singles (four bowls, 21 shots)
(7) Junior Pairs (four bowls each player, 18 ends)
(8) Senior Fours (two bowls each player, 18 ends)

1. b) County Competitions to determine SBA Champions:

For Men and Women:

• Open Champions (singles, four bowls, 21 shots)
• Mixed Pairs (four bowls each player, 21 ends)
• Honorary Secretaries (singles, four bowls, 21 shots)
• Unbadged Singles (four bowls, 21 shots)

And for Men:

• Inter-Club Competition (Turnbull Cup) and for first match losers (not conceders and see also Rule 5 I (iv)) the Wedmore plate competition (four rinks of four players each)

And for Women:

• Inter-Club Competition (Fear Cup) and for first match losers (not conceders and see also Rule 5 I (iv)) the Fear plate competition (three rinks of four players each)
• Southey Trophy (Inter-Club Competition using the Top Club format) (ten players arranged to play simultaneously singles (four bowls, 21 shots), pairs (four bowls each, 21 ends), triples (three bowls each, 18 ends) and Fours (two bowls each, 21 ends). IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS COMPETITION IS DESIGNED TO ENCOURAGE THE LESS STRONG CLUBS TO COMPETE IN A COUNTYWIDE KNOCKOUT COMPETITION AND TO GIVE THE STRONGER CLUBS A CHANCE TO INTRODUCE LESS EXPERIENCED PLAYERS INTO THEIR COMPETITIVE TEAMS. AS A RESULT, NO CONCESSIONS WILL BE ALLOWED FOR PLAYERS, OFFICERS OR OFFICIALS ON INTERNATIONAL DUTIES OR PLAYERS PARTICIPATING IN THE FINALS OF NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS/COMPETITIONS (RULE 8 b(iii) REFERS).
• Benevolent Triples (two bowls each player, 15 ends, all ends played)

4) Entry Fees

Entry fees for all National Championships and County Competitions shall be determined by the Executive Board of the SBA, taking into account Bowls England entry fees for National Championships.

5) Qualifications

All the playing members of the clubs affiliated to the SBA may enter and compete in as many of the National Championships and County Competitions they so choose, subject only to the following restrictions:

1. a) A player who is also a member of a Club affiliated to another County and who has entered either National Championships, National Competitions or County Competitions from that Club shall not be entitled to play in SBA County Competitions. (National Championships are covered by Bowls England Regulations 50 – 51)
   b) Competitors can compete only in National Championships and County Competitions open to their gender.
   c) Competitors shall not be entered more than once nor represent more than one club in any one year in any County Competition and in County Leagues. (National Championships are covered by Bowls England Regulations 50 – 51)
   d) Entrants for both National Championships and County Competitions shall be listed in the club’s list of members as at 30th June in the previous year and the Annual Subscription (Affiliation Fee) in accordance with Rule 6 of the SBA Constitution be paid by the club on their behalf. For members transferring from another club affiliated to the SBA after 30th June in the previous year, it shall be assumed that any affiliation fee paid on their behalf transfers with them from their previous club. Such members shall only be eligible to enter National and County Competitions from their new Club. The club of any player qualifying for National Championship finals or County finals for whom the appropriate fee has not been paid in one or other of these two ways shall be required to pay a supplementary fee.
   e) Entrants for the Hon. Secretaries competitions shall, for the duration of the competition, hold one of the following offices in an affiliated club, for the Club as a whole, or for its Men’s Section or its Women’s Section

(1) Secretary
(2) Match (or Fixtures) Secretary

1. f) Entrants for the Unbadged Singles competition shall not be badged by the County, nor shall have previously won the Unbadged Singles competition, nor shall have been badged by another county in the British Isles.
   g) Entrants for the Open Champions Competition shall be the previous year’s champion in one or more of the following non-handicapped four bowl singles competitions:

SBA-affiliated club’s men’s, women’s, junior (men’s or women’s) champion. SBA or Bowls England men’s, women’s, junior (men’s or women’s) open champion or champion of champions.
The entry must be made in the name of the winner. No replacements or substitutes are allowed.

1. h) In the County Mixed Pairs competition, players may come from different SBA affiliated clubs.
2. i) Players entered under one Club but changing to another club before the 1st of April in the year of the competitions cannot transfer their entries if:
3. i) It is the Hon. Secretaries Competition or the Open Championship. Their qualification is through their original club. Otherwise they can transfer their entries in County Competitions (but not National Championships), but only if:
4. ii) they are included in the membership list and the appropriate affiliation fee has been paid by one or other of the two clubs, and
   iii) if their new club is in a different area of the draw from that in which they have been drawn and they are the challenger(s) they play that game on a green within the area of the original draw.
   iv) Entries to the Inter-Club Competitions (including the Southey Trophy) are restricted to one per club per competition. Losers of their first game, does not include those conceding, shall automatically qualify for entry into the associated plate competition. Those Clubs who benefit as a result of their first game being conceded are defined as ‘winners’ and move forward to the next round as such. Should they lose the next game they do not qualify for entry into the associated Plate competition. N.B. There is no plate competition for the Southey Trophy.
5. j) Unqualified entrants and void entries shall be disqualified. Entry fees paid by or on behalf of such entrants shall not be refunded.

6) Entering National Championships and County Competitions

a) Entries shall be made on one of the forms provided (Form “SBA Comp 1”) and be in the possession of the entrants’ Club Secretary, together with the appropriate fees, prior to the last week in December of the preceding year.
b) Club Secretaries shall transfer details from the Forms “SBA Comp 1” onto “SBA Comp 2” and include the club’s own entries in County Competitions and League. Form “SBA Comp 2” should be EMAILED to the Championship/Competition Secretariat to arrive no later than 31st December. One cheque for the total amount should be posted to he Championship/Competition Secretariat to arrive no later than 1st January. Completed “SBA Comp 1s” should be retained by the Club Secretary in case of queries.
c) No late entries and no other entries shall be accepted, except for the Benevolent Triples. For this competition the Social Administrator of the Benevolent Fund, may accept late entries at her discretion.

7) Organizing the Draws

a) Games shall be drawn on a geographical basis according to the number of entries received for that National Championship/County Competition. Such that, as far as possible, competitors shall be liable to play the same number of rounds with the same probability of a bye. A competitor may be in a different group for different National Championships/County Competitions. All games shall be hosted by the first named qualifier.
b) All rounds of National Championships and County Competitions, up to the semi finals shall be played on a home and away basis, with the exception of the men’s and women’s National Two Wood, Junior Singles and Junior Pairs Championships and the women’s Benevolent Triples. The semi finals and final of all National Championships and County Competitions shall be played on set greens and will not be changed other than for exceptional circumstances, eg. the green is unfit for play. In the event of a participant/participants or a participating Club winning through to play on its own set green, the venue will not be changed.
c) With the exception of the Two Wood and Benevolent Triples competitions, all draws shall be published on the SBA Web Site www.somersetbowls.org.uk The Web Site shall be updated throughout the course of the Championships/County Competitions.

8) Arrangements for Playing the National Championships and County Competitions 

a) National Championship and County Competition games shall be played in accordance with Rule 2 of these Rules and in addition:

i) the Code of Conduct as published under ‘Teams’ on the SBA website.
ii) Slow Play as set out in Rules 1 – 5 of Appendix D of Bowls England Regulations 50 – 70.

b) Games due on a set date shall be played on the date published on the SBA Web Site, to commence at 6:15pm unless a different time is published, subject only to the following exceptions:

i) Games not designated for set greens may be played where mutually agreed by both competitors, either:

(1) in advance of the set date (but not before 1st May) or time, or
(2) for singles play only, on the set date with a later start time (but no later than 7:15pm), or
(3) for Inter-Club Competitions only, at 10am on the Saturday morning immediately following the set date.

ii) Where on the SBA Web Site it is described as a “play by” date, competitors shall agree on a date and time for the game, prior to the play by date. The latest it can be played is 6:15pm on the play by date. In the event that no agreement is reached, the facts of the matter will be reported to the Championship/Competition Secretariat who will decide who will be disqualified. The decision of the Secretariat shall be final.
iii) No other variation is permitted, in particular no extensions whatsoever will be granted, other than:
(1) to accommodate players selected for Bowls England approved International duties.
(2) to accommodate officers and officials on duty with England teams.
(does not apply to Southey Trophy.
The re-scheduling of games as a result of 1 or 2 shall be the responsibility of the Championship/Competition Secretariat. Participants will be required to provide their availability and the date, time and venue shall be set by the Secretariat. The re-scheduled game may, or may not, take place on the initially scheduled venue.

c) For games prior to those designated for set greens, the home named competitor shall be responsible for all game arrangements. These arrangements include:

i) The draw for rink/s to be played on shall be made in accordance with the current Laws of the Sport (Law 3.1). For a match requiring one rink, a minimum of two rinks shall be offered to the opponent. For a match requiring more than one rink, the minimum number of rinks offered shall be at least equal to the number of rinks required and, where the rink is not on the green of the home named competitor, advising the opponent accordingly. Competitors should note that National Championship matches have first priority followed by National Competition matches then County Competition matches. These have priority over ALL other matches
ii) For all singles play, arranging a marker.
iii) For Inter-Club Competitions (including the Southey Trophy) appointing a qualified umpire or failing that a responsible person to act as umpire. Should an umpire or responsible person not be appointed, the away team may refuse to play and may claim the game.
d) Greys shall be worn, except on set greens or in Inter-Club competitions scheduled to start on or before 4:30pm, when whites shall be worn (see Appendix 1: Where we refer to grey or white clothing this includes SBA approved Club coloured clothing). Where confusion over stickers is likely to arise, hosts may require opponents to remove or change their stickers.

e)
i) Regarding the use of mobile phones Appendix C of Bowls England Regulations 50 – 70, shall apply.
ii) The rule regarding smoking, as set out in Appendix G of Bowls England Regulations 50 – 70, shall apply.
iii) The rules for players with disabilities, as set out in Appendix I of Bowls England Regulations 50 – 70, shall apply.
iv)The rules for floodlighting as set out at 1.14 of Bowls England Regulations 50, shall apply
v) The rules for the use of groundsheets, as set out at 1.15 of Bowls England Regulations 50, shall apply

f) It is emphasised that trial ends MUST be completed within 15 minutes of the start time (6.15pm, or as previously mutually agreed according to Rule 8 b) above)

i) Any individual, team or side not ready to deliver its first bowl on the first end of the game within 30 minutes of the start time shall be in default and may be disqualified. If follows that after the completion of the trial ends at 6.30pm or within 15 minutes of the time of games mutually agreed according to Rule 8b) above, should a team or side not be complete a further 15 minutes is allowed for players to turn up.
ii) Substitutions may be made in accordance with the Laws of The Sport of Bowls. The movement of players between rinks in an inter-club competition is not permitted after the draw for rinks has been made.

g) In the event of sickness or injury of a player the rules of the Laws of the Sport of Bowls shall apply.

h) In Inter-Club Competitions (for the Southey Trophy see Rule 8 i) below)

i) A club failing to provide a complete side (16 players for the men’s competitions, 12 players for the women’s competitions) at the commencement of a game (as defined in Rule 8 (f) i) shall forfeit the game to their opponents. In the event of sickness or injury to a player AFTER the commencement of the game the rules of the Laws of the Sport of Bowls shall apply.
ii) Each rink shall play 21 ends.
iii) In morning or afternoon play, in the event of a tie all rinks shall play an extra end or ends until a result is achieved. The toss for the choice of mat on the extra ends shall have been made before the start of the game, though the decision regarding its retention or otherwise shall be deferred until all rinks have completed the game.
iv) In evening play, in the event of a tie being possible one rink shall play an extra end, (being the first rink to finish (as determined by the umpire). The extra end should be played as soon as possible in anticipation of the result of the game.

i) In the Southey Trophy (Inter-Club Top Club Competition):

i) A club failing to provide a complete side (of 10 players) at the commencement of a game (as defined in Rule 8 (f) i) shall forfeit the game to their opponents. In the event of sickness or injury to a player AFTER the commencement of the game, the rules of the Laws of the Sport of Bowls shall apply. In this competition only, the singles player may be substituted.
ii) In each discipline, one point is awarded for a win, a ½ point for a draw. The winner is the team with the most points.
iii) In the event that a game is drawn 2-2, the winner is the team with the higher aggregate shots. (In the event that one of the disciplines was forfeited, then the other team wins.) If the aggregate shots are the same, then the pairs, triples and fours shall each play an extra end or ends until a result is achieved. (Shots scored are not added to the aggregate scores – only the result counts.) The toss for extra ends shall have been made before the start of the game, though the decision regarding retention of the mat may be deferred until all rinks have completed the game.

j) Where exceptional circumstances prevent the commencement or completion of a game it should be arranged to be played or completed within a maximum period of seven days or before the date of the next round, whichever is the sooner.

i) The Championship/Competition Secretariat should be informed of the circumstances and agreed arrangement, in accordance with the timetable for notification of results in Rule 9(b) below.
ii) Interrupted games must resume from where they left off. Upon resumption, trial ends are allowed, in accordance with Rule 8 (f) above.
iii) Where an inter-club championship (including the Southey Trophy) is to be resumed, the score cards should be lodged with the umpire for safe keeping. Upon resumption, no more than two substitutes per rink shall be permitted and players resuming from the interrupted game must resume on their original rink.
iv) In the event that due to further exceptional circumstances it proves impossible to complete the game within the Maximum Period, the scores of the game shall stand at the point of its last interruption. In the event of a tie, or where a game has not started, the result shall be determined by the toss of a coin.

9) Notification of Results

a) The winner of games shall immediately notify the appropriate Championship/Competition Team Member, as defined for the game on the Web Site, by e.mail on the completion of the game or on the game being conceded. The information required is (a) Competition (b) Round/Game number (c)Home Players (Home Club for Side Games) (d) Home score (e) Away Players (Away Club for Side Games) (f) away Score (g) Name and Telephone No of person notifying. RESULTS BY TELEPHONE ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE. THE PUBLISHED TELEPHONE NUMBERS AT APPENDIX 2 ARE SOLELY FOR EMERGENCY PURPOSES.
b) the score cards shall be signed by both players/skips and the winner shall immediately email the result to the appropriate Championship/Competition Team Member.

1. c) Failure to notify results unambiguously (particularly with regard to concessions), accurately, completely and on time may lead to disqualification.

10) Closing Stages

Arrangements for all games on set greens, in all National Championships/County Competitions, shall be made by the Championship/Competition Secretariat, to include the appointment of markers and umpires. In particular:

1. a) The County Finals shall be held on the same day at the same venue, preferably to be held in rotation, year by year, at Clubs within different regions of the County.
   b) The finals of the Inter-Club Competitions for Men shall be held on the same day at the same venue, preferably to be held in rotation, year by year, in different Regions of the County.
2. c) The finals of the Inter-Club Competitions for Women shall be held on the same day at the same venue, preferably at Ashcombe Park B.C.
   d) The finals of the remaining competitions shall be held alongside one or other of the three events above (Rules 10(a) to 10(c)) or as otherwise determined by the Championship/Competition Secretariat.
   e) The SBA expects clubs to provide greens for these events free of charge, and to cover their costs through charges for catering and other related activities, such as raffles.

11) Prizes and Awards

Prize money will be awarded as determined in advance by the Executive Board. It will be presented at the County Lunch. Prize cheques unpresented to the bank will not be reissued. In addition, the following prizes and awards will be made.

12) Disputes

a) In the case of any unresolved dispute over the arranging, conduct or result of a game, a clear statement of the circumstances and unresolved issues shall be made in writing to the Championship/Competition Secretariat within two days of the date on which the dispute arose.
b) Decisions of the Championship/Competition Secretariat are final and binding and must be accepted by all parties.

13) Changes to these Rules
Additions or amendments to all or any of the foregoing Rules shall be made only by either:

1. a) The Executive Board, or
   b) The Annual General Meeting of the SBA or at such Special General Meeting convened for the purpose by motion put in accordance with the SBA Constitution Rule 9(a).

Appendix 1. Dress Code for National Championships/County Competitions – Rule 8(d)

NOTE: Where we refer to grey or white clothing this includes SBA approved Club coloured clothing.

Appendix 2. Reporting of Competition Results

SBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS & COUNTY COMPETITIONS

Immediately after the completion of the game or the game being conceded, the winner will notify the appropriate Championship/Competition Team member, as indicated below, of the full result by e.mail.

The information required is;
(a) Competition
(b) Round/ Game number
(c) Home Players (Home Club for Side Games)
(d) Home score
(e) Away Players (Away Club for Side Games)
(f) Away score
(g) Name and Telephone Number .of the person notifying 

Results by telephone are not acceptable. the published telephone numbers are solely for Emergency Purposes

Ladies National Championships, Ladies Inter Club Competitions & all other County Competitions
Sandra Milliner
Tel: 01934 204302
Mobile: 07890 546569
e-mail: sbaladiesresults@gmail.com

Men’s National Championships & Turnbull/Wedmore Plate Inter Club Competitions
Don Dart
Tel: 01761 471019
e-mail: donalddart@hotmail.com

Championship/Competition Secretary
Brian Pocock
Tel: 01934 782899
Mobile: 07977 542615
email: sbacomps@gmail.com

Appendix 3. Consumption of Food

A number of Clubs will not allow food and drink, except for medical reasons, to be brought on to their property. This includes the clubhouse, green surrounds, car park etc. In order to be consistent and therefore avoiding possible embarrassment, the Board of the Somerset Bowls Association has decided to advise ALL Clubs to adopt this policy when they have made food available. This particularly applies at the neutral green venues for the late stages of competitions.