League Rules

BUCKS SINGLE SHORT MAT BOWLS LEAGUE

MEMBERSHIP AND MATCH RULES

League Membership

Membership of the Bucks Single Short Mat Bowls League (the League) is subject to approval of the Committee

The Committee shall consist of a representative from each club in the League with the following officials elected annually at the AGM; Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Fixtures Secretary.

If a club has two or more representatives at any meeting only one of those representatives shall vote.

Present clubs forming the League are:
Full Members: Amersham, Bellingdon Reds, Bellingdon Whites, Chesham A, Chesham B, Chinnor, Haddenham, Hardwick, High Wycombe, Holmer Green, Railway, Sands, Wendover A, Wendover B, Widmer End A, Widmer End B, Widmer End C.
Associate Members*(summer league): Beacon, Hawkslade,
*Associate Members may attend any Committee meeting or AGM but may only vote on matters affecting the Summer league

If a club enters two teams, each of the teams will, for the purposes of this League, be considered to be a club in its own rights.
There shall be no transfer or sharing of players between teams during the winter season (September to April)

The fee to join the League as a Full Member is a one off payment of £10 per team. In addition an Annual fee of £5 per team will be charged for each of the following competitions entered: Winter league; Triples KO Trophy; Hazells Challenge Shield; Summer league.
The proceeds from these fees will be used to provide the running expenses for the League and any trophies awarded.

To take part in the winter league and the two knock out tournaments, clubs must be accepted as members of the League prior to 31st August each year.

All players must register with the English Short Mat Bowling Association (ESMBA)

League Activities

The League presently runs 4 tournaments each year as follows:

a) The “winter league” (played between September and April)

b) The “triples knock out trophy” (played at the end of the first half of the winter league)

c) The”Hazells challenge shield” (played at the end of the winter league)

d) The “summer league” for those clubs wishing to play a “friendly” league in the summer months and includes the associate members of the League

League Requirements

1) Matches are to be played on weekday evenings, generally commencing at 19.30 Hrs (or as soon thereafter as possible) or on Sunday afternoons, generally commencing at 14.30hrs. Times may be varied by agreement of both competing teams.

2) Dress shall be greys and whites or club colours, in which case all team members shall be in club colours.

3) Matches shall be played on the dates notified by the Fixtures Secretary unless agreed otherwise by the two competing teams. If the teams agree an alternative date then the team that requested the change shall notify the Fixtures Secretary of the change as soon as possible. The revised date shall not significantly delay the completion of the tournament or half of the league. If the match is not played by the agreed date the team responsible for the failure to play shall forfeit the match and the other team receive 8 points & 3 shots. (Winter) & 6 points & 2 shots (Summer)

4) It is the responsibility of the home team to contact the visiting team approximately one week prior to a match to confirm arrangements.

5) At the end of each match the home team shall be responsible for completing the scorecard, making sure that it is signed by both teams captains and is forwarded to the Fixtures Secretary as soon as possible (within a day or two of the match being played). The Scorecard shall be completed using the Surname of each player.

6) The home team shall provide the marker/umpire for any singles game.

7) Players participating in a League match shall not play or practice at the match venue on the day of the match until after the match is complete or unless the player is playing a second game as result of Winter league rule 6

8) The team captains shall ensure that their players comply with the rules and observe the etiquette of the League. In particular, all players should be discouraged from walking on the mat and possibly disturbing the woods in the head; only one player should be giving instructions; no woods shall be removed from the head until the opposing team have agreed; players shall give a warning when they intend to “fire” at the head and are reminded of ESMBA Rules regarding penalties if a wood or the jack is driven over the fender.

9)   Visits to the head shall be restricted to the skipper and only on his/her last
wood of an end. Only one skipper shall visit at a time i.e. the one who holds
the mat. A skipper shall stand at the delivery end of the mat whenever his
     opposite number is delivering a wood.

10) Where more than one mat is made available for the match the visiting team shall choose whether to play on one mat or more.

Match Rules

Match rules shall be those issued by the ESMBA (issue current at the time of the match) except as specifically noted below.

Winter league

General
The winter league will be played in two divisions, “Red Division” and “Blue Division”. Before the start of each winter season the names of all clubs in the League will be drawn to establish the two divisions. The two divisions will, if possible, be of equal numbers but if the League has an unequal number of clubs the extra team will be placed in the Red Division.
At the end of each season the Winners of each Division will play each other at a Neutral Venue to establish the League Champion. The format of this play-off will be the normal, singles, pairs & triples with the winner being the team with the highest number of shots. In the event of a draw on shots the triples will play another end to decide the winner

Match format

1) Format and order of play:

1 Singles game 9 ends 4 woods each
1 Pairs game 9 ends 3 woods each
1 Triples game 9 ends 3 woods each

2) Scoring:

2 points per game win
2 points for overall shots win
Maximum 8 points

3) No trial ends. The first two ends in each game will score only 1 shot each

4) Toss a coin to decide which team will have the jack for the evening.

5) If the jack is knocked off the mat - 2 shots away except on the first two ends when it is 1 shot away.

6) In the event of a team turning up to a match with only five players, the names of the persons playing the Singles and Pairs of that team will go into the hat and one name will be drawn by a member of the other team to make up the Triple. That player will play lead in the Triples.

Team Triples Knock Out Trophy

General
This competition is open to all clubs in the League including the Associate (summer league) clubs.

Match format

1) Format:

The match shall consist of two triple games.
Each game shall be of 9 ends
Each player shall play with 3 woods.

The winner of the match will be the team with the highest total of shots from both games. In the event of a draw the last two teams to finish playing shall play a further end to determine the winning team.

2) No trial ends. The first two ends in each game will score only 1 shot each.

3) If the jack is knocked off the mat – 2 shots away except on the first two ends when it will be only 1 shot away.

4) A draw will be conducted at the commencement of the season to determine the fixture list. All matches, other than the final, will be played on a home and away basis. The shots from both legs shall be aggregated to decide the winner. The Final will be played at a neutral venue to be decided by the Fixtures Secretary.

5) Toss a coin to decide which team will have the jack for the evening.

6) In the event of a team turning up for a match with only five players the first triple shall be played and then the names of the players in that triple will be put into a hat and one name drawn. That player shall play the lead in the second triple

Hazells Challenge Shield

General
This competition is open to all teams in the league including the Associate (summer league) clubs.

Match Format

1) The names of the six players in each team shall be put into the hat on the night

The game and playing position will be the order of draw, i.e. the first name out

plays singles, the second plays lead in the Pairs, etc.

2) Format:

    1 Singles game 9 ends 4 woods each
    1 Pairs game   9 ends 3 woods each
    1 Triples game 9 ends               3 woods each

3) A draw will be conducted at the beginning of the season to determine the fixture list. All matches, other than the final, will be played on a home and away basis. The shots from both legs shall be aggregated to decide the winner. The Final will be played at a neutral venue to be decided by the Fixtures Secretary.

4) The shots scored in each game shall be added together and the team with the

highest total shall be the winner. In the advent of a draw the triples shall play another end to determine the winner.

7) No trial ends. The first two ends shall score only one shot each.

8) If the jack is knocked off the mat then 2 shots away except on the first two ends when it will be only 1 shot away.

9) Toss a coin to decide which team will have the jack of the evening.

10) It is not possible to play a match if one team only has five players.

Summer league (Played for the Peter Byrnes Memorial Shield)

1) 2 Triples games

2) 2 points per game and 2 points for most shots overall (6 max.)

3) 9 ends per game

4) 3 woods per player

5) No roll-ups, but only 1 shot to count on each of the first 2 ends

6) Jack off as the winter league.

7) Toss a coin to decide which team will have the jack for the evening.

8) In the event of a team turning up for a match with only five players the first triple shall be played and then the names of the players in that triple will be put into a hat and one name drawn. That player shall play the lead in the second triple.

Rules Amended July 10th 2011