Lawman – Bowls for Bowls
Bowls are a very important part of our great game, so in this edition of Lawman I will examine some of the laws and domestic regulations which refer to bowls.
A bit of bowls history
Originally bowls were made from timber, Lignum Vitae (Latin for “wood of life”), one of the world’s densest and hardest timbers. As it is self-lubricating and dense, lignum vitae timber has been used for a variety of objects such as; mallets, truncheons, mortar and pestles, bearings and gears in clocks, pulleys and a range of other maritime uses. Drakes Pride is probably the last of the bowls manufacturers to make brand new Lignum Vitae bowls. There are three species of Lignum Vitae and only one that is suitable for bowls, that being, “Guaiacum Officinale”. Lignum Vitae does not float in water, and these trees are now on the World Heritage list. In some countries they still refer to bowls as “woods”.
One of the reasons why composition bowls were first introduced was because of our climate; under Southern Hemisphere hot weather, bowls were prone to splitting. The Dunlop Company were one of the first companies to introduce a rubber compound as a replacement.
What are the laws of the sport around bowls?
The Law D3 covers all aspects of what constitutes a set of bowls. Other Laws covered below are clear about all aspects of bowls from composition, size, bias, damage to, displacement, testing, distinguishing marks, adhesive stickers, challenges and World Bowls requirements.
All bowls must have the registered World Bowls Stamp (Law 53.1) on the bias side of the bowl.
Bowls must be manufactured from materials approved by World Bowls (WB), the most likely being plastic resin and can be any colour or combinations of colours. The colours must be incorporated during the manufacturing process (Law 52.1.1).
Indentations like grooved rings or dimples can be incorporated during the same process (Law 52.1.2).
Can bowls have NO other distinguishing marks, apart from the serial number and World Bowls stamp?
The answer in Australia is NO. Domestic Regulation (DR 4.7) states that in domestic play in Australia, each set of bowls MUST carry a player’s individual emblem, logo or engraving as a distinguishing mark on both sides of every bowl. If individuals wish to colour grooved rings or dimples each bowl in the set must be coloured the same (DR 4.7.3) and (Law 52.3.4). You cannot paint or have markings on the running surface of your bowl.
For all events where Bowls Australia (BA), or World Bowls, is the Controlling Body, as a minimum, all bowls must carry the stamp of the current year in which the competition takes place. The Australian Open is the only exclusion to this domestic regulation (DR 4.9.1).
Domestic regulation (DR 4.9.2) allows where BA is not the Controlling Body, the stamp of a current or future year is not required unless part of the specified Conditions of Play for that event.
A player cannot alter the bias of their bowl. The bias can be altered by a Licensed Tester (Law 52.3.1). ANY player breaking Law 52.3.1 will be suspended from playing for as long as BA decides (Law 52.3.2).
If a player carries their bowl while they inspect the head, does it become dead?
NO, (Law 17.2.1) clearly states a bowl is NOT dead if it is carried by a player while inspecting the head. Of course, the player must be careful not to drop their bowl. If any bowl or jack is displaced, their opponent must put the bowl back to its former position, (Law 37.1.5) and/or the jack (Law 38.1.3).
Adhesive stickers
Adhesive stickers are covered by (Law 52.1.8). Under this law, stickers must:
- Be on both sides of the bowl (you cannot just use the dot)
- Stickers are considered part of the bowl
- Be only one layer, (you cannot put stickers over the top of other stickers)
- Singles player or players within a team or side using stickers must be the same design and colour
- The stickers must be the same design, however due to differences in the size of bowls the stickers can be different sizes
- Stickers must not be placed over the serial number or WB stamp. (Law 52.1.8.3).
Law 52.1.9 states that in the case where opponents in singles or opposing teams or sides have the same design or colour markings and an alternative is not available, the player, team or side listed second must remove their markings.
Damage to bowls
Damaged Bowls is covered under Law 31.
The umpire must decide if a replacement bowl is needed, (Law 31.1).
If a bowls splits because of a collision with another bowl the end must be declared dead, (Law 31.2).
Bowls used to replace damaged bowls must be from the same set, (Law31.3). If a damaged bowl cannot be replaced by another bowl from the same set, all bowls in the damaged set must be replaced with bowls from a different set, (Law 31.5).
Bowls moved by unforeseen circumstances
If, during play, the position of the bowl (or jack) is altered by the wind, a storm or any unforeseen incidents, the skip or opponent in singles must put the bowl (or jack) back to its former position. If they cannot agree, they must declare the end dead, (Law 35).
Can a player change their set of bowls during an uninterrupted game or during game that has been stopped because of darkness, weather conditions or any other valid reason as in Law 33?
Only in two circumstances:
- Where the player’s bowls have been damaged, (Law 29.3.1.1) OR
- When the game has been moved between a vegetation surface and synthetic surface or indoor surface, (Law 29.3.1.2).
The penalty in all other situations would be a forfeit to their opponent, (Law 29.3.1).
Lodging a challenge to a player’s bowls:
Any challenge to bowls must be based on the grounds of the bias of bowls (Law 52.2) and specifications, (Law 52.1). A challenge can be made only by a player, coach, the Controlling Body or the umpire, (Law 52.4.2).
If a player or coach challenges a bowl during trail ends or during a game the game will be forfeited to the opponent, (Law 52.4.3).
The process for following up a challenge to bowls is described in law 52.5.
The bias side of the bowl is the side of the bowl that is more rounded of the two sides, which is identified by the small, grooved rings surrounding its centre, (Law D.2). Remember, small ring always on the inside.
Happy bowls.
THE LAWMAN
John Roberts
Co-Chairman
Officiating and Laws Committee
