Nottingham Indoor Bowls Club – League Rules
It is a condition of league entry that all games shall be played as per the fixture list. Due to the busy bowling calendar we enjoy at Nottingham IBC, members are reminded that fixtures should only be postponed by participating teams and rearranged in extreme circumstances or in the event of severe weather conditions whereby members are unable to travel to the club or if it is unsafe to do so. All teams are encouraged to avoid postponing games where possible and make use of substitutes where they can. The ruling regarding substitutes has been amended to allow for greater flexibility and opportunity to facilitate fixture being played on the scheduled dates.
General Rules
1. All players must be fully paid-up members of the Nottingham Indoor Bowls Club at the commencement of the match and a member can only be a registered player for ONE team in any ONE league.
2. Each league team must have the following minimum number of registered players:-
Pairs / Open Pairs Any 2 from 4 or more registered players
Triples / Open Triples Any 3 from 5 or more registered players
Fours / Open Fours Any 4 from 6 or more registered players
3. Any player can be registered at any time during the season.
All new players will pay a registration fee of £3.00. A new player is ineligible to play until the appropriate form and fees are placed in the office.
4. All postponed games must be rearranged by the Team Captains within 14 days of the cancellation and must be played within 28 days of the original date.
Failure to play during the 28 day period will result in the team who caused the cancellation forfeiting the game 0 – 10 and being responsible for ALL Rink Fees.
Matches may also be rearranged by and at the discretion of the Reception Team depending on changing circumstances throughout the season.
5. Before the game commences, skips will be responsible for entering the correct details on the scorecards. They must indicate any use of a substitute or player shortage. At the end of the game, the score cards shall be placed in the box on the shelf by reception.
6.League games shall commence at the time stated in the fixture list even if there is a player shortage, unless they have been notified regarding a change of time by the Reception Team.
Rules re player shortage: –
Teams must attempt to find a substitute. If a team is short any fully paid-up member is eligible to play.
7. There are no limitations to the number of substitutes being used during the season. More than one substitute is allowed per game. However, there must be at least one person from the registered team playing.
To clarify the situation regarding substitutes, in extreme circumstances you are permitted 3 substitutes in a fours match and 2 substitutes in a triples match.
A substitute can play in any position except skip.
8. In a league match where a registered member/s of a team refuse to skip and the match goes ahead with a substitute acting as skip that team will forfeit the two points for the match and they will be awarded 0 shots with 10 shots going to the opposing team irrespective of whether they win or lose. If agreement is not reached to play the game on the basis of the offending team forfeiting the game, 2 points and 10 shots, then rule 11 is the overriding rule.
If no substitute is available, teams may play one player short in triples and fours and the order of play will be as follows:-
In the following examples of a fours and triples game Team 1 are a player short and have won the toss to cast the jack on the opening end. The sequence of play operates as follows:
Fours
Lead (Team 1) 1st Wood – Lead (Team 2)1st Wood – Two (Team 2) 1st Wood
Lead (Team 1) 2nd Wood – Lead (Team 2) 2nd Wood – Two (Team 2) 2nd Wood
This ensures all front end woods are played.
Threes and skips then play as normal.
Triples
Lead (Team 1) 1st Wood – Lead (Team 2)1st Wood – Two (Team 2) 1st Wood
Lead (Team 1) 2nd Wood – Lead (Team 2) 2nd Wood – Two (Team 2) 2nd Wood
Lead (Team 1) 3rd Wood – Lead (Team 2) 3rd Wood – Two (Team 2) 3rd Wood
This ensures all front end woods are played.
Skips then play as normal.
If a registered player, of the team playing one player short, arrives within 30 minutes of the scheduled start of the game, that player may join the play, but must do so at the beginning of the next end as number two.
9. If during a match a player is taken ill or for some other reason is unable to continue playing, the skip of that team can use a substitute player, provided that someone is available, but only with the agreement of the opposition skip.
The skipper using all the substitutes must provide the opposing skipper with an acceptable explanation as to why he has had to use all the substitutes for the game before it starts.
Rules of Play
10. All league games will last 2 hours with a maximum of 15 ends and will be played to the buzzer. Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
11. Where a team concedes a game the other team will be awarded two points for the match and also awarded 10 shots for and 0 against. The team that concedes the game will be responsible for paying the full rink fees.
12. Where a team fails to turn up for a league match at an allotted day and time the opposing team will automatically be awarded two points for the match and also awarded 10 shots for and 0 against. The team that fails to turn up will be required to pay the full rink fee for both teams in full.
13. Matches commence AFTER the sounding of the starter buzzer and shall finish after the sounding of the buzzer, 10 minutes from time. Provided the jack has been PROPERLY delivered before the sounding of the buzzer, the end shall be played to a finish. As in any other end, the opposing skip shall place the jack and mat in any chosen legal position, if the jack has been properly delivered but lost by default.
14. In the event of a “killed” end, the Jack will be placed on the nearest re-spot to where the jack left the rink.
15. Whenever the jack is lost by default, the opposing skip shall place the jack and mat in any chosen legal position.
16. Visits to the head during the course of the game are NOT PERMITTED.
17. In all ends subsequent to the first the winner of the preceding scoring end shall play first.
18. Dress for ALL play shall be white above the waist, a Club Shirt or a regulation bowls shirt obtained from a Bowls Retailer, with grey below the waist, Club Trousers or regulation bowls trousers obtained from a Bowls Retailer (see club rules).
Promotion & Relegation
19. Where leagues are comprised of more than one division, promotion and relegation between the divisions for the following season will be on a basis of 1 up & 1 down.
Any further promotion/relegation places will be at the discretion of the Bowls Executive Committee and depending on the balance of the leagues/divisions.
League Position – If two teams or more are equal on points at the end of the season, the champions and/or relegation team will be determined by shot difference, but if these are the same, the following criteria will be used.
a. The number of games won or lost against the other team during the course of the season.
b. If the situation is still not resolved, then shot difference in these matches will be the determining factor.
c. If teams are still level, then the team which has won the most number of league games during the season will be the winner unless these are also equal when a play-off between the two will be the final decider.
20. Where a team withdraws from a league during a season all results connected to that team will be removed in total from the league.
21. Except for the above rules, all games shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game, as adopted by the E.I.B.A.
Mushroom Leagues
22. Mushroom Leagues are for individual players. Members and non-members are eligible to play providing the relevant rink fees are paid.
Teams will be drawn from those players attending on the day. Triples will be the preferred format, however depending on the numbers attending and the number of rinks available it may be necessary for some rinks to be played as pairs or fours, and if an uneven number of players attend, then the final rink will be played as a three player singles game.
Each player will be awarded the number of points equivalent to the score of their respective team which will be added to the Mushroom Table. Where points are equal the higher position will be awarded to the player who has played the least number of games. If points and games are equal then the position will be shared.
23. Any objections, appeals or complaints should be in writing to The Secretary of the Bowls Executive Committee within 14 days of the incident which has caused the letter to be written.
Published by the NIBC Bowls Executive Committee (24 July 2023)