The Lawman – Sept 16 2016
Each fortnight in Heads Up and on the Bowls Victoria website during the season, we’ll feature an umpiring and rules section called The Lawman.
It’s in response to your calls to Bowls Victoria to provide more information about rules and guidance via Heads Up.
We’ll be asking our leading umpires and officials to provide rules advice for those playing the game, and also those who officiate.
In our first column, Bowls Victoria’s Umpiring Committee Chairman John Roberts offers some pre-season preparation advice for umpires and markers:
Well, no doubt numbers of players around Bowls clubs across Victoria are polishing their bowls, cleaning their shoes and practising regularly in readiness for the Pennant season ahead.
And our umpires and officials should be dusting down their law books, flexing their feeler gauges, stretching their tapes and getting out their trusty trammels.
Here’s a checklist for our umpires and officials, and what they could be doing to prepare for the Pennant season ahead:
1. Check the umpires kits and equipment, in particular rusted feeler gauges and callipers.
2. Are the 30 metre tapes working?
3. Have you checked with the greenkeeper that all the greens markings are accurate and in place? Does your club have BOTH jack and bowls indicators?
4. Does your umpires kit have a current law book ( 3rd edition) and a Challenge To Bowls Form?
5. Do you have enough chocks?
6. Is there any equipment missing?
7. Do you have a copy of the 2016- 2017 Rules for Competition? Are you familiar with this year’s changes?
8. Do you need to reaccredit this year?
9. Do you need to recruit within your club for other members to join you as club umpires, markers or measurers?
Have a great season and thanks for the great work you do.
– John Roberts, Bowls Victoria Umpiring Committee Chairman
You’ll find more in our Umpiring section of the website here
