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F.A.Q.

I Don’t Use A Tape Measure As A Rule

Short Mat Bowling is a fun sport and, with a little initial guidance, it is easy to start playing. You don’t even need your own bowls, just a pair of flat-soled shoes or your stocking-feet. Try a selection of different bowls before buying your own, as they all perform differently. You are now fully equipped and, as the addiction takes hold, you will become more proficient and want to play more competitively. There are competitions and leagues to enter but the most important things to know before you take this next step are – The Laws of the Game!

The English Short Mat Bowling Association issues a small A6 size booklet containing all you need to know about the game. Alright, you don’t need to know who the Association Officers are or how long the mat is in metric and imperial measurements, but you do need to know what the lines are for and the difference between a live bowl, a dead bowl and a toucher. Without this knowledge, mistakes, sometimes costly, will be made. For example, when measuring, the use of the hand or finger to prevent a bowl from moving is prohibited. Always mark or nominate touchers before the next bowl comes to rest, otherwise if that bowl is later forced into the ditch it will be removed from the mat. Although not stated in the laws, one is allowed to touch the bowl when marking, unless of course a ‘spray chalk’ is used.

This epistle is not going to cover all the rules, but there are a few situations that have caused lengthy arguments during league matches because players were not au fait with the laws.

1. Touchers.  A term given to bowls which touch a live jack before coming to rest.  After touching the jack this bowl must be marked with chalk, or nominated, before the next bowl comes to rest. There is no time limit on coming to rest, so that if a bowl falls and touches the jack before the next bowl has been delivered, it becomes a toucher. This happened in a recent game after the next player visited the head (the end where the bowls and jack have come to rest, not the toilet) and about two minutes elapsed during which time my bowl settled down on the jack. As long as it stays on the mat, a toucher may enter the ditch, move other bowls or the jack in the ditch, or make contact with any part of the fender, including the front corners of the fender.

2. The Live Area.  The live area is that section of the mat between the dead line and the ditch line, i.e. the green area. If a non-toucher, when it comes to rest, breaks any part of the ditch line, it is dead and must be removed from the mat. The key phrase is ‘when it comes to rest’, thus a bowl may enter the ditch and, provided it does not touch the fender or any other bowl or jack in the ditch, it can fall or return wholly back into the live area.

3. Touchers – Part 2.  The jack remains live as long as any portion of it is within the live area when it is breaking the ditch line. A bowl may make contact with any part of this jack and be marked as a toucher as long as it does not first touch the fender or other bowls in the ditch. In other words, a bowl may enter the ditch, make contact with the rear of a live jack and come to rest in the ditch. The bowl should then be marked as a toucher and its position in the ditch suitably marked so that it may be accurately replaced if later it is illegally disturbed.

4. Delivery and Foot-Faults.  At the moment of delivering a bowl, a player must have one foot entirely within the confines of the delivery mat, either in contact or directly above. The other foot may be placed anywhere within the delivery mat or the delivery area or partially within both. The delivery area is that area bounded by the delivery lines and the ditch line. At the point of delivering a bowl, no part of a player’s body shall be in contact with the ditch area or any part of the rink mat outside the delivery area. Failure to observe this law constitutes foot-faulting. This law is broken many times, even by league players, when their heel overhangs the edge of the delivery mat. It is the duty of the players at the delivery end to call foot-faults and the opposing player who is in charge of the head shall stop and remove the offending bowl. In practise, though not in the rules, the player is usually given a warning for the first foot-fault offence.

5. The Last Word.  No code of laws and rules can govern every situation, and it is hoped that, in the absence of any express rule, good sportsmanship and commonsense will prevail.  Enjoy your bowling.
Phil Giles