bowls europe - European Championships 2022
Conditions of Play
2022 Championships, 9 to 14 July 2022
Ayr, Scotland
CONTROLLING BODY – Bowls Europe Ltd.
Tournament Director
Organising Committee
Jock Halliday, Event Director, Bowls Europe Ltd
Bowls Europe Board of Directors
Bowls Scotland Competition & Events Team
1. ENTRY CONDITIONS
a. Players must be affiliated to their National Authority and that Authority a member of Bowls Europe Ltd. All athletes must meet the requirements of the World Bowls regulations for international play.
2. FORMATS OF PLAY
Traditional Play (Maximum 5 athletes per team)
a. SINGLES: Four bowls, 21 shots up, in excess of 21 shots shall not count, with a time limit of two hours 15 minutes per match (not including trial ends).
b. PAIRS: Three bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of two hours 15 minutes per match (not including trial ends).
c. TRIPLES: Two bowls per athlete, 18 ends, with a time limit of two hours 15 minutes per match (not including trial ends).
d. FOURS: Two bowls per athlete, 15 ends, with a time limit of two hours 15 minutes per match (not including trial ends).
3. Teams will be divided into sections in each discipline.
4. The Pairs and Triples will take place between Saturday 9th to Monday 11th July 2022.
5. The Singles and Fours will take place between Tuesday 12th and Thursday 14th July 2022.
6. The presentation of medals will take place immediately following the finals.
7. The section winners and runners up will progress to the semi-finals.
8. The semi-final matches will be drawn, once the qualifiers are known.
9. The remaining teams will play off to decide ranking positions in each discipline i.e., 3rd place in section A will play 3rd place in section B to decide ranking place 5 and 6 in that discipline and so on.
10. Time limits will apply to all games for all disciplines in sectional play only. All finals will have no time limit. Should a match be stopped due to extreme weather, the time limit will be extended by the equivalent amount of the time for the delay.
11. A signal will be given five minutes before the time fixed for starting each session. Any player/team arriving after the official start time, shall lose the right to play trial ends. Any player/team arriving at the green more than 15 minutes after the official starting time shall forfeit the game and the points for that game/or not progress through to the next round.
12. The singles, pairs, triples and fours competitions shall be played throughout by the competitors, whose names appear on the scorecard of the first game, and in their nominated discipline.
13. During the playing of the competition, changes in the player positions within each discipline, i.e. pairs, triples or fours shall be permitted before the commencement of each game and the tournament director notified.
14. SCORING
Sectional play
a. 3 points will be awarded for a game won and 1 point for a drawn game.
b. The player or team with the greatest number of points is the winner of the section. All other players or teams will be ranked accordingly.
c. If points are equal, then the player or team with the highest net total of shots (‘shots for’ minus ‘shots against’) will be ranked higher.
d. If points and net total of shots are all equal, then the player or team with the lowest number of ‘shots against’ will be ranked higher.
e. If there is still equality having applied the criteria described in points b to d above, then the player or team that won the game between the players or teams that are equal will be ranked higher.
f. If the game between the players or teams that are equal is drawn, then the first player or team in the drawn game to win an end will be ranked higher.
Post Sectional
All games will be played in knockout format.
15. OVERALL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The overall team winner in both the men’s and women’s championships will be declared as the country gaining the most points in the Eight competitions. In determining the winners, points shall be awarded on the following basis:
a. The winner in each discipline shall score points equivalent to the total number of teams competing in their section
b. Subsequent placings in each event shall be reduced by one point for each placing within the section.
c. Additional points will be awarded to those countries that compete in the finals of each
discipline:”
1. 3 points for gold medal
2. 2 points for silver medal
3. 1 point for bronze medal
d. If points are equal, then the country with the highest net total of shots will rank higher.
e. If positions are still equal, the Controlling Body will divide the total of shots scored against each country into the total shots it has scored. The country with the highest result will be declared the winner.
16. ALTERATIONS TO THE FORMAT & LENGTH OF GAMES
a. The Controlling Body reserves the right to alter the format, times of play and greens to suit local unforeseen circumstances, giving as much notice as practical.
b. Covid restrictions may also have an impact on the competition and require the Controlling body to amend the format etc.”
c. Where a program is interrupted or cannot be completed due to inclement weather or local conditions, the Controlling Body may amend the format and length of games to achieve a result or postpone the event where an outcome cannot be achieved.
17. PROCEDURE FOR APPLYING TIME LIMITS
a. Start of Play – Play will commence with the appointed official signalling the start time by a bell, horn, etc.
b. End of Play – At the completion of the allocated time, the appointed official will signal the end time of play by a bell, horn, etc. At this time players will complete the current end they are playing. (The start of an end is determined by the delivery of the jack by the first player in that end).
18. TRIAL ENDS
a. One trial end in each direction will be allowed for all games in accordance with World Bowls Laws of the Sport 5.1. In trial ends players can use any combination of bowls taken from different sets so long as all bowls carry a registered World Bowls stamp of either the current year or a future year.
b. Trial ends will commence fifteen minutes prior to the official starting time.
19. RE-SPOTTING THE JACK
a. If a jack in motion passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink of play, comes to rest in any hollow in the face of the bank, or rebounds to a distance of less than 20 metres from the mat line, the end should not be declared dead. Instead, the jack should be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at the central 2 metre spot.
b. If the spot is partly or completely covered by a bowl, the jack should be placed as close as possible to the covered spot, in line with that spot and the corresponding spot at the opposite end of the rink, without touching a bowl. World Bowls Laws of the Sport 56.5.4.
20. RESTRICTING MOVEMENT OF PLAYERS DURING PLAY
a. Prior to the start of each end, the following players will take their position at the mat- end of the green:
1. Pairs game: the leads
2. Triples game: the leads and the seconds
3. Fours game: the leads and the seconds. The thirds, however, may elect to take their position either at the mat end or alongside the skip at the head.
b. After delivering their first bowl, players will only be allowed to walk up to the head under the following circumstances.
1. Singles game
a. the opponents: after delivery of their third and fourth bowls.
2. Pairs game (each player playing three bowls)
a. the leads: after delivery of their third bowl; and
b. the skips: after delivery of their second and third bowls.
3. Triples game (each player playing two bowls)
a. the leads: after the second player in their team has delivered their second bowl;
b. the seconds: after delivery of their second bowl; and
c. the skips: after delivery of each of their bowls.
4. Fours game (each player playing two bowls)
a. the leads: after the second player in their team has delivered their second bowl;
b. the seconds: after delivery of their second bowl;
c. the thirds: after delivery of their second bowl; and
d. the skips: after delivery of each of their bowls
c. In exceptional and limited circumstances, a skip can ask that a player walks up to the head, or a Singles Player can ask the marker for permission to walk up to the head, earlier than described above. If a player does not meet the terms of this law, Law 13 will apply.
21. DELAYING (SLOW) PLAY
The Controlling Body are empowered to invoke regulations for dealing with slow play as it considers appropriate.
a. Players are required to play without undue delay and in a manner which does not prevent their opponents from being able to complete the requisite number of ends within the time limit prescribed by the Controlling Body. The following conditions will apply in cases where players fail to meet this requirement.
b. The umpire, on appeal by one of the skips or one of the team coaches that their team is being prevented from playing all their bowls within the two hours and fifteen minutes time limit due to the actions of their opponents, or on appeal by the Controlling Body as a result of its own observation, will notify the offending team that they are being ‘put on the stopwatch’ on completion of any end in progress.
c. When notification has been given, the offending team will be required to deliver all their bowls in each of the remaining ends within a two-minute time period (Singles, Pairs and Triples games) or a two-minutes-and-fifteen-seconds time period (Fours games). Timing will be undertaken by a technical official specifically allocated for that purpose.
d. In each end, timing will start as soon as the jack has been properly delivered and centred (if the offending team is the first to play in an end) or as soon as the non-offending team’s first bowl has come to rest (if the non-offending team is the first to play in an end). Thereafter, timing will start when each of the non-offending team’s bowls has come to rest and will stop when each of the offending team’s bowls has been delivered.
e. No timing will occur during any interventions by the umpire (for example, to check a short jack or a line bowl).
f. The timing official will advise the offending team when the time remaining in any end reaches one minute.
g. At the end of the two-minute time period (Singles, Pairs and Triples games) or the two-minutes-and-fifteen-seconds time period (Fours games) the offending team will forfeit any bowls remaining to be delivered in that end. The non-offending team will, however, deliver their remaining bowls to complete the end.
h. When play has been underway for one hour and ten minutes, the umpire will advise teams which have either not completed nine ends or are not currently playing their ninth end (Singles, Pairs and Triples games) or not completed eight ends or are not currently playing their eighth end (Fours games) that they risk being unable to complete their game within the time limit. The umpire will also pass to the Controlling Body details of the games affected.
i. On being notified by the umpire as described in paragraph 8, the Controlling Body will decide whether any action needs to be taken. This may include, for example, putting the offending teams on the stopwatch during the game in progress and / or putting the offending teams on the stopwatch from the start of their succeeding game should all ends in the game in progress remain uncompleted.
j. If, during the end which is in progress immediately before the end time of play is signalled or on completion of that end and before the start of any subsequent end, the umpire as a result of their own observation or on appeal by one of the skips, one of the team coaches or the Controlling Body, decides that a team is being prevented from playing a further end due to the actions of their opponents, they will notify the teams that they must play one more end even though the end time of play may have been signalled when such notification is given.
22. LEAVING THE RINK OF PLAY
a. If a Player wishes to leave the rink of play, World Bowls laws of the Sport 33.1 will apply. However, if on more than one occasion, then on each occasion after the first they can do so only with their opponent’s and the Umpire’s permission. The umpire’s permission will be granted in consultation with the Player’s team Manager or Coach when they are present.
23. ARRANGEMENT FOR PRACTICE
a. As approved by the Tournament Director.
24. SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS
A substitute shall be utilised in the following manner:
a. The Coach (provided they are an eligible affiliated player) of the team shall herself/himself substitute or call upon an eligible affiliated player from her/his National Authority to substitute.
b. Where an accredited player in a Singles event is unable to play in any round subsequent to the first round in which they are accredited owing to illness, sudden indisposition, or reason acceptable to the Jury of Appeal, their place shall then be taken by an alternative player from the Side, playing in the same series. The replacement Singles player to be replaced in the team affected, by a substitute player as set out in a) or b) above.
c. The Singles player may resume in his/her original position when deemed fit.
d. If a competitor in a Singles game is unable to complete any game already commenced, their opponent shall be awarded maximum match points for that game. The opponent shall also be awarded the average net shots margin of all matches completed in that round of the competition in that section.
e. It is understood, however, that a substitute in terms of the foregoing, may only be utilised if the Jury of Appeal is satisfied that the player to be substituted is genuinely unable to play. The substitute player shall not be permitted to play in the position of Skip. The team/player receiving the points for the walk over shall also be awarded the average net shots margin of all matches completed in that round of the competition in that section.
25. COACHES
Only coaches appointed by their national authority to act in this capacity for this event will be accredited and they must be registered with Bowls Europe and the Tournament Director prior to the commencement of the event. A player selected for the event cannot also be appointed as a Coach for the event during the period of their involvement as a player in the event.
26. CODE OF CONDUCT
All competitors and coaches will be required to complete and sign the Bowls Europe Code of Conduct. Signed forms must be returned to the Tournament Director prior to the commencement of the event.
27. FOOTWEAR AND ATTIRE
As per World Bowls Laws of the Sport.
28. STAMP ON BOWLS
a. All bowls used during the event must carry a legible registered World Bowls stamp of either the current year or of a future year.
b. All bowls will be checked for compliance by Umpires ahead of the trial ends prior to the start of each session.
29. MARKING TOUCHERS
“Spray chalk” will be used to mark touchers for all singles matches and is the preferred method to be used in all team matches.
30. DRUG TESTING
Drug testing may take place in accordance with the World Bowls Anti-Doping Regulations.
31. JURY OF APPEAL
A jury of appeal will be appointed prior to the Event
32. ALCOHOL
Competing players, team managers and coaches are not permitted to consume alcohol within the parameters of the green during play.
33. SMOKING ON THE GREEN
Smoking on the green will not be allowed by any player during play, including vaping. If wishing to smoke a player must step off the green to do so.
The Controlling Body will adhere to any written legislation applied by the Local Authority if found to differ from the above.
Failure to adhere to the warning will be reported to the controlling body for consideration of what action to take, including the players disqualification.
34. OTHER LAWS, REGULATIONS & POLICIES
All other Laws, Regulations & Policies other than stated above shall conform to the Laws of the Sport of Bowls Crystal Mark Third Edition as approved by World Bowls.