Inaugural  Wobbler

You are playing skip and your lead bowls the first bowl of the end which touches the Jack and comes to rest 2 feet behind the Jack.  You go to mark the toucher when the other skip points out that his Lead is on the mat and about to bowl.

Question:    Can you continue to mark the Jack or must you wait until the other Lead has bowled?

Answer:    You may continue to mark the toucher and the other lead must not bowl until you have done so.

Law 25 - 1:    A toucher should be marked with chalk by a member of the team that delivered the bowl or the marker as soon as it comes to rest.

Law 35 - 2:    As soon as each bowl comes to rest, possession of the rink will transfer to the opposing player or team after allowing time for the marking of a toucher as soon as it comes to rest.

This is an occasion where 2 laws apply to the same situation and they must both be applied together.

 

7th October 2009

You are playing as number 2 in a triples and after the last bowl in the end has come to rest you are clearly holding shots.  The opposite number 2 says that you are holding 3 shots and asks if you agree.  However you feel that there could be  a fourth and ask for a measure.

The opposition number 2 asks if you will measure because they are unable to do so.  You oblige and whilst you are measuring you slightly move the jack with your box measure.  The opposition player points this out and says that you can only claim 3 shots as the Jack as been move and you cannot continue to measure.

Question:     Are they correct?

Answer:    No

Law 33 - 4

If the Jack is displaced by the equipment used by a player during measuring, an opponent should put it back to its former position.

 

14th October 2009

You are playing number two in a County rinks competition and have been handed the scorecard by the competition secretary.  Your skip asks you for the card and says that he will keep it and mark the scores.

Question:    Can he do this?

Answer:    No

Law 37-3:    The Second should:  Be responsible for the score card supplied by the Controlling Body while play is in progress; enter the names of both teams on the score card; record, on the score card, all shots scored for and against the team as each end is completed; compare the score card with that of the opposing second as each end is completed; and at the end of the game, hand the card to the skip who should record on it the time that the game finished and then sign it.

 

21st October 2009

You are playing as number 3 in a rinks competition.  The rink next to you is empty and not being used.  You bowl your second bowl which comes to rest at the head.  Before your opposing number 3 bowls their second bowl you decide to walk up the empty rink to the head.

Question:    Can you do this?

Answer:  No  

Law 36 - 2- 2, A player should neither go into nor walk along a neighbouring rink, even if it is not being used, while an opponent is about to deliver or is actually delivering a bowl. 

 

28th October 2009

You are marking in a singles competition and are asked to measure for a shot on a close head.  You measure and indicate that in your opinion player B has shot.  Player A does not agree and says that he wishes to measure the head for himself and asks you for your box measure.

Question:    Is he allowed to do this?

Answer:   No

Law 55 - 2, the marker should measure any disputed shot or shots when asked to do so by either player.  If the players are not satisfied with the markers decision, the marker should ask the umpire to do the measuring.  If the controlling body has not appointed an umpire, the marker should choose a competent neutral person to act as umpire.  The umpires decision is final.

 

4th November 2009

You are at the head when you see that a bowl from the neighbouring rink is going to collide with a bowl in your head.  You stop the bowl and return it to the rink it came from.  The players in that rink say that you should have lifted your bowl and not have stopped theirs as it was on a course that would have taken it into their head.

Question:  Was your action correct?

Answer:   Yes

Law 28 - 6 -1, If a bowl at rest on the rink is in danger of being moved by a bowl from a neighbouring rink, any player at the head can choose whether to:

11th November 2009

You are playing as number 2 in a triples game.  The leads have bowled all their bowls and are stood at the back of the rink.  You make your delivery and take a step forward off the mat.  However before your bowl, which is on its original course, comes to rest you turn and see that your opposing number 2 is standing on the mat ready to bowl.

Question

May they do this?

Answer:  No, Law 36-1-1  Players at the end of the rink who are not delivering a bowl should stand at least one metre behind the mat.

 

18th November 2009

You are the skip in a mixed rinks competition and the opposing number 3 who has possession of the rink is on the mat ready to bowl.  You are stood behind the head and your lead and number 2 are stood at the back of the rink.  However before the opposing number 3 makes her delivery the opposing skip takes up a position in front of and to the side of the head.  His lead and number 2 take up a position behind the head in front of you.  The delivery is made and the 3 opposing players do not move until the bowl comes to rest. 

Question

May they do this?

Answer: No, Law 36-1-2.  Players at the head-end of the rink who are not controlling play should stand:

Law 36-1-3.  As soon as a bowl is delivered, a player who is controlling play, if they are in front of the jack, should take their position as described in 36-1-2 above. 

 

25th November 2009

You are lead and your opposing lead places the mat and casts the Jack which the skip centres.  The opposing lead agrees that it is correctly centred and bowls the first bowl.  You go to the mat to bowl your first bowl and realise that the mat is 6" behind the 2 metre mat line.  You had watched your opponent on the mat and are quite sure that it was not displaced by their action whilst bowling.  You claim that the mat is not the correct distance from the rear ditch and challenge its position.

Question

Can you do this?

Answer: No, Law 19-1-4.  After the first player to play has delivered the first bowl, no-one has the right to challenge the legality of the original distance of the mat from the rear or front ditches.

 

2nd December 2009

During a triples game the 4th bowl to be bowled hits the Jack and knocks it on to an adjoining rink.  The skips declare a dead end and agree to replay the end in the same direction and bowl the Jack and the 4 bowls back up to the mat end of the rink.

Question

Answer: No, Law 31 - 3.  If the Jack and bowls need to be transferred to the opposite end of the rink before the end is replayed, they should be carried up the rink.

 

9th December 2009

You have just completed an end in a singles match when the weather deteriorates and you cannot continue to play.  You have agreed the score and you will have to play more ends to complete the match.  By agreement with your opponent and the marker you arrange to complete the game next morning.  When you resume next morning you notice that your opponent is going to play with a different set of bowls to those he played with the previous day.

Question

Can he do this? 

Answer: Yes, Law-47-3-2.  If a game has been stopped as described in Law 50, is continued on another day, a player can use a different set of bowls to the set they used during the game that was stopped.

 

16th December 2009

You are one of the finalists in the County Singles and you and your opponent put your bowls on the bank for the umpire to inspect.  Both sets of bowls are correctly stamped and the umpire passes them.  However you notice that your opponents bowls have the hand grip dimples painted alternately in red, white and blue.  You believe this is wrong and point this out to the umpire who says this is permissible.

Question

Is the umpire correct?

Answer:  Yes, Law 8 – 6 - 4.  Alteration of bias, players or owners who colour the grooved rings or dimples on a bowl for decoration are not breaking the law.

 

23rd December 2009

You are playing skip in an open triples competition.  In their rules the controlling body has stipulated that two trial ends will be played (one in each direction).  Your opponents win the toss and lead off the first trial end.  After you have bowled your second wood the opposing lead goes to the mat and bowls a third bowl.

Question

Is this correct?

Answer:  Yes.  As the controlling body has only stipulated the number of trial ends to be played and not the number of bowls the following law applies.  Law 18 – 1 – 4  Each player should not use more than the number of bowls being used in the game.

 

30th December 2009

You are at a bowling centre which has outdoor grass and indoor carpeted greens and you are going to play on an outdoor rink.  You ask the steward for a jack and he indicates 2 racks which have jacks in.  One rack has jacks in weighing 280 grams and the other contains jacks weighing 400 grams.

Question 

Which jack do you require for grass?

Answer:  The 280 gram jack

Law 7 - 2.  For outdoor non-synthetic greens, the jack should weigh between 225 and 285 grams.

 

13th January 2010

You are playing number 2 in a rinks competition. After 6 ends your skipper steps into the ditch twists his ankle and is unable to continue playing.  The opposing skip agrees that your team can continue the match with a substitute and you enlist an eligible club member.  Your number 3 does not wish to become the skip so you become the skip and the substitute becomes the number 2 in your place.  However the opposing skip objects and says that the substitute should play lead and the rest of your team move up a place.

  QUESTION

Is he correct?

  ANSWER  No:  Law 51 – 4

The substitute should play in any position other than skip, and the other members of the team can rearrange their positions as necessary.

 

20th January 2010

You are lead in a pairs competition and your opponents have the mat. You bowl your last bowl which touches the jack.  When it comes to rest it is marked by your skip.  As you are about to go up to the head when you realise that you have bowled one of your skips bowls.  You then pick up your own bowl and take it up to the head where the opposing skip replaces it in place of  the wrong bowl.  After he has replaced it your skip goes to chalk it as a toucher, however the opposing skip says that  he cannot do this as that bowl did not touch the jack and is not a toucher.

Question

Is he correct?

Answer: NO,  Law 47 – 2

  1. If a bowler plays another players bowl instead of his own, the other players bowl should be replaced with the players own bowl
  2. If the bowl which was replaced was marked as a toucher, the players own bowl should be marked or nominated as a toucher.

 

27th January 2010

You are playing in a 4 woods single and your opponent fires and strikes one of your woods which goes into the ditch. As it is a toucher the marker leaves it in the ditch.  At the completion of the end you go to get your bowl from the ditch and find that it has split in two.  As the match is not complete you tell your opponent that you have another set of bowls and that you will use these to complete the match.

Question  

Can you do this?

 Answer:  Yes  

Law 49 – 5.  If a damaged bowl cannot be replaced by another bowl from the same set, all bowls in the damaged set should be replaced from a different set.

 

3rd February 2010

You are playing skip and whilst at the head one of your players bowls a bowl which comes to rest without touching the jack. However you notice that it still has the chalk mark from the previous end when it was a toucher.  You tell the opposing skip that you are going to wipe the chalk off the bowl and he says that you cannot do this.  

Question

Is he correct?

Answer:  Yes,  Law 25 – 5

If a player fails to remove a mark from a bowl before delivery and that bowl does not become a toucher, a member of the opposing team or the marker should remove the mark as soon as the bowl comes to rest.

10th February 2010

You are playing number 2 and are on the mat which is about 10 yards up from 2 metre line.  You are about to bowl when you notice a bowl from the next rink, which is on its original course and is on a bias which will take it back into its own rink is about to run over your mat.  You lift your mat and allow it to run back into its own rink.  The opposition number 2 says that you should not have lifted the mat but should have stopped the bowl and returned it.

Question

Is he correct?

Answer:  No.     Law 19.2 – 5

If a bowl from a neighbouring rink,  moving on its original course and on a bias which will take it back into its own rink, is travelling on a path which will bring it into contact with the mat, any player on the rink on which the mat is being used can lift the mat so that the bowl can pass and then replace the mat in its original position.

 

17th February 2010

You are playing in a 4 wood single and your opponent has the mat. With your 3rd wood you had taken shot. Your opponent then fires with his last bowl which touches the jack moving it up the green. His wood however then carries on down the rink and rebounds off the bank and comes to rest near the jack taking shot. The marker then chalks the wood as a toucher.  

Question

Is the marker correct ?

 Answer: Yes.    Law 27.2

A bowl is not dead if  it is a toucher which rebounds from the face of the bank onto the rink of play.

 

24th February 2010

You are a skip and after the first end has started you notice that one of the rink boundary markers is not on the correct colour pin.  You stop your number 2, who has the mat, from bowling and go to put the marker on the correct pin.  The opposing skip says that you cannot do this whilst the end is in progress.

Question

Is She correct?

Answer:  Yes.   Law 5.8

If a player or the umpire finds a boundaries peg in the wrong position, they should not move until the end has been completed on any of the rinks affected. The peg should then be correctly positioned by the umpire or by agreement the skips or opponents in Singles on the rinks affected.

 

3rd March 2010

You are the marker for a singles match and before the game whilst you are checking the rink markers you notice that there are no bank markers indicating 2 metres from the end ditch on the side banks.  You ask the green steward to put some out and he tells you that they are not compulsory.

QUESTION

Is he correct?

Answer:   No.   Law  5.12

White or brightly coloured discs should be fixed vertically against the face of the side banks or on top of the side banks in the direction of play to mark distances of 2 metres and 25 metres from the end ditches ( see diagram 1 in appendix B4 ). Wherever possible, these should be the only pegs or discs visible on the side banks.

 

10th March 2010

Your team arrives early to play in an open competition and you are told that you may practice on a rink that will not be used during the competition.  It is the only rink available and when you go to it you find that another team using it.  The other team skip suggests that both teams practice together.

  Question

Can you do this ?

Answer:  Yes.   Law 13.4  

If two teams or players are entitled to practice