All internal club competitions shall be played under the current ‘Laws of the Sport of Bowls’ rules and in accordance with the Club Constitution and rules detailed below.

These rules shall apply to all internal club competitions (not including one day events – for which different rules may apply)

1. Management

a) Competitions shall take place for singles and pairs.

b) Full members of the club are eligible to take part in the Club Competitions in accordance with the entry criteria of the particular competition.

c) All entries shall be made on the appropriate form with the applicable fee paid, by the given cut-off date.

d) All Competitions shall be under the management of the Competitions working group (“CWG”), typically comprising:

e) Gents Captain & Vice Captain, Ladies Captain & Vice Captain and any additional members co-opted.

f) All appeals appertaining to the interpretation and operation of these rules, which may arise and do not come within the scope of the Umpire’s duties or the duties of the Green Manager in relation to the code of conduct of the Competition shall be considered by the CWG. Their decision shall be considered final and binding on all parties.

g) An open draw will be made for each Competition, under the supervision of no less than 3 members of the CWG.

2. Green

Any dispute relating to the condition and fitness of the green must be declared before the commencement of the game. The responsibility for confirming that the green is fit for play shall rest with the Green Manager. The decisions of the Green Manager relating to any protest under this rule shall be final and binding on all competitors concerned. If the green is considered unfit for play, the tie shall be rearranged, and the CWG shall be advised accordingly.

3. Competititions

a) The competitor appearing first in the draw shall be the Challenger, and the competitor appearing second shall be the Opponent.

b) The date by which the various rounds shall be played, shall be indicated on the Draw Sheet. To enable the competitions to proceed smoothly and to schedule, all ties must be completed by the dates specified on the applicable competition Draw Sheet.

c) In all opening rounds the Challenger(s) shall, within 21 days of the closing date of the round offer his/her Opponent(s) at least three dates, one of which must be a Saturday or Sunday. In subsequent rounds the Challenger(s) shall, within 3 days of the closing date of the previous round, offer his/her Opponent(s) at least three dates, one of which must be a Saturday or Sunday.

d) In unforeseen circumstances, and with the agreement of the CWG, an extension of 1 week may be granted to allow any match to be played.

e) The Opponent(s) shall, within 48 hours of receipt of the challenge, reply accepting one of the dates offered.

f) On receipt of acceptance of one of the dates offered, the Challenger shall make a booking in the on-line Rink Booking Diary to reserve a rink.

g) In singles competitions the Challenger is responsible for providing a suitable marker.

h )If either the Challenger(s) or the Opponents(s) fail to comply with the requirements of providing or accepting dates, the non-offending competitor(s) should contact the CWG, who will settle the matter and may result in the offending competitor(s) being eliminated.

i) No alteration of an accepted date shall be made unless mutually agreed. Failing such agreement, the competitor desiring such alterations must give their opponent a ‘walk over’.

4. Handicaps

The handicaps will be determined by the CWG in accordance with Appendix 1.

5. Playing and Substitution

a) Finals Day – All competitors must check the date of the finals which can be found on the website. If it is known that they will not be available on this date they should not enter the competition.

b) In Singles Competitions – Prior to the commencement of any round, if a competitor, for whatever reason, is unable to play even with a week extension, or becomes unavailable for Finals Day, they will be required to withdraw from the competition. In all cases the CWG shall be informed immediately of the game being conceded.

c) In Pairs Competitions – Prior to the commencement of any round, if a competitor, for whatever reason, is unable to play even with a week extension, or becomes unavailable for Finals Day, they must inform the CWG as soon as possible. The CWG will then confirm the position regarding a substitution and nominate a suitable substitute where applicable. One substitution shall be permitted at any stage of the competition provided that:

d) The substitute has not played in any previous round of the same competition.

e) The substitute should be of equal standing to the retiring player whenever possible.f) All completed score cards should be placed in the rack provided in the Clubhouse. Scorecards must bear correctly the names of all the competitors concerned and shall be signed by both players and/or both skips.

g) In the event of a Competition match result resulting in a tie, a further end shall be played and a coin will be tossed to decide who takes the mat.

h)  If for any reason, a game scheduled for Finals Day cannot be completed on the day due to inclement weather or time restraints, such games shall be re-arranged at the earliest mutually convenient opportunity and played before the end of the current season.

 

Appendix 1 – HBC Ladies and Gents Handicap

1. The handicap calculations will be based on a member’s current handicap score plus points accumulated in the qualifying competitions (Ladies & Gents Championship; Gents Handicap; Ladies Anniversary Handicap and Ladies & Gents 100 Up)
2. For members reaching at least the quarter final stage last season, the points will be awarded as follows:

Points awarded: Ladies & Gents Championship

8        Winner
6        Runner Up
3        Semi-Finalist
1        Quarter Finalist

Points awarded: Gents Handicap, Ladies Anniversary Handicap Cup, and 100 Up

6        Winner
4        Runner Up
2        Semi-Finalist
1        Quarter Finalist

3. At the end of the season, members’ handicap scores will be re-calculated on the following basis:

Scratch

Current handicap score, plus points accumulated in the previous season’s qualifying competitions.

Examples:

1. A member with a zero handicap that does not reach the QF stage of any of the qualifying competitions. New season handicap will remain unchanged. (0+0=0)
2. A member with a zero handicap that reaches the QF stage of all qualifying competitions. New season handicap will increase to three. (0+3=3)

Non-Scratch

Current handicap score, minus two, plus points accumulated in this season’s qualifying competitions.

Examples:

1. A member with a handicap score of two that does not reach the QF stage of any of the qualifying competitions. New season handicap will reduce to zero.

(2-2+0=0)

2. A member with a handicap score of four that reaches the QF stage of all qualifying competitions. New season handicap will increase to five. (4-2+3=5)

3. A member with a handicap score of six who is RU in the final of the Championship competition and reaches the SF stage of the two remaining qualifying competitions.

New season handicap will increase to eight. (6-2+10=14)

NOTE: The maximum handicap is eight.

  The minimum handicap is zero. (Scratch)

              The maximum reduction from last season’s handicap score is two.

4. Irrespective of their previous season’s handicap score, the Ladies and Gents Club Champion will automatically be assigned the maximum handicap score of eight for the following season.
5. New members will be assigned a handicap score commensurate with their experience at the discretion of the CWG. The following season, their handicap score will be re-calculated in line with the conditions listed in point 1 above.
6. The starting scores in all handicap matches will be determined by the difference in handicap scores between the two players.
   1. Bowler 1: Handicap score = 8, Starting score = 0
   2. Bowler 2: Handicap score = 4, Starting score = 4
   3. Bowler 3: Handicap score = 6, Starting score = 0
   4. Bowler 4: Handicap score = 4, Starting score = 2
   5. Bowler 5: Handicap score = 4, Starting score = 0
   6. Bowler 6: Handicap score = 4, Starting score = 0