Objects and Functions
  Board Structure
  Members
  Committee
  Events
  International
  Results
  Ranking List
  Manufacturers
/Testers
  Artificial Surfaces
  Development
  The Sport of Bowls
  Strategic Plan
  Laws of the Sport
  Memorandum
  Articles of Association
  Regulations
  Umpire Development
 
   
  Links
  WADA
  TUE Application
  WB 2012
  CMSB



Quick Link
<< Section 5

Section 6 - Movement of bowls

 

24

Touchers
 
1 A bowl in its original course which touches the jack, even though it comes to rest in the ditch within the boundaries of the rink of play, is a live bowl and is called a toucher. If a bowl in its original course does not touch the jack, it is called a
non-toucher.
2

A bowl is also a toucher if, after having come to rest:

  • it falls and touches the jack before the next bowl is delivered; or
  • in the case of the last bowl of an end, it falls and touches the jack within the period of 30 seconds that applies under law 40.1.
3

No bowl will be a toucher if it plays onto, or comes into contact with, the jack when the jack is in the ditch.
4 The position of a toucher in the ditch should be marked by a brightly coloured indicator not more than 50 millimetres wide and not more than 100 millimetres high, and which is fixed vertically either against the face of the bank or on top of the bank, immediately in line with the toucher. As well as the indicator, if the surface of the ditch is sand, lines can be drawn in the sand around the toucher. If the surface of the ditch is vegetation or synthetic, the lines can be drawn with chalk.
   

25

Marking a toucher
 
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.
2

If, in the opinion of either skip or opponent or the marker, a toucher comes to rest in a position in which marking it would be likely to move the bowl or alter the head, the bowl should not be marked but nominated as a toucher instead.
3

If, before the next delivered bowl comes to rest or, in the case of the last bowl of an end, before a period of 30 seconds that applies under law 40.1, a bowl is neither marked nor nominated, it is no longer a toucher.
4 If a bowl has been nominated as either a toucher or a non-toucher, and both skips or the opponents in Singles agree that further movement of the bowl means it should no longer be nominated, the bowl should be marked or have its mark removed as appropriate.
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.
6 If, in the opinion of either skip or opponent or the marker, a wrongly marked bowl comes to rest in such a position that removing the mark would be likely to move the bowl or alter the head, the mark should not be removed and the bowl should instead be nominated as a non-toucher.
   

26

Movement of touchers
 
1

The position of a toucher in the ditch will be validly altered if the toucher is moved by:

  • a jack in play;
  • another toucher in play; or
  • a non-toucher while it is partly on the rink and partly overhanging the ditch, as long as part of the non-toucher is still on the rink when it comes to rest after it has moved the toucher.
2

If a toucher in the ditch is moved by a non-toucher entering the ditch, law 28.7 will apply.
3

If, once its position has been marked, there is further valid movement of a toucher in the ditch as described in paragraph 1 above, its new position should be marked as described in law 24.4 by moving the indicators and removing and redrawing the lines as appropriate.
   

27

Dead bowl

 
1

A bowl is a dead bowl if:

  • it is not a toucher and comes to rest in the ditch;
  • it is not a toucher and rebounds onto the rink after contact with the face of the bank or with the jack or a toucher in the ditch;
  • after completing its original course or after being moved as a result of play, it comes to rest less than 14 metres as measured in a straight line from the mat line;
  • it passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink of play after being moved as a result of play;
  • in its original course, it passes outside a side boundary of the rink on a bias which would prevent it from re-entering the rink of play; or
  • in its original course, it comes to rest outside a side boundary of the rink even though it may have come to rest in contact with the outside edge of a line jack.
2

A bowl is not a dead bowl if:

  • it is carried by a player while inspecting the head;
  • in its original course, it comes to rest within the boundaries of the rink even though it may have passed outside a side boundary of the rink during its course;
  • it is a toucher which rebounds from the face of the bank onto the rink of play;
  • it is a toucher which comes to rest on top of the jack or another toucher at rest in the ditch; or
  • it comes to rest on top of the jack or any bowls that are at rest within the boundaries of the rink.
3

The skips or opponents in Singles should decide whether a bowl is dead or not as soon as they realise it is necessary. (If the players do not realise that a decision is necessary as soon as the bowl comes to rest, the decision can still be made even if a number of bowls have been played after the bowl in question came to rest.) If they cannot reach agreement, they should ask the umpire to make a decision.
4 A dead bowl should be removed from the rink of play as soon as it has been declared dead.
   

28

Bowl displacement
   
28.1
Bowl displacement by another player
 
1

Displacement of a bowl in its original course that has not disturbed the head before it is displaced

  • If the bowl is displaced by a member of the team that delivered the bowl and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should declare the bowl dead.
  • If the bowl is displaced by a member of the team that delivered the bowl and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should:
    • replace the head; and
    • declare the bowl dead.
  • If the bowl is displaced by an opponent and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skip of the team that played the bowl should choose whether to:
    • have the bowl replayed;
    • place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest; or
    • leave the bowl where it came to rest.
  • If the bowl is displaced by an opponent and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skip of the team that played the bowl should choose whether to:
    • replace the head and have the bowl replayed;
    • replace the head and place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest; or
    • declare the end dead.
2

Displacement of a bowl in its original course that has disturbed the head before it is displaced

  • If a bowl has disturbed the head before it is displaced by a player, this disturbance is valid. (The opposing skip should not replace any part of the head that has been disturbed before the displacement.)
  • If the bowl is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should choose whether to:
    • place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest; or
    • leave the bowl where it came to rest.
  • If the bowl is displaced by a player and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement and choose whether to:
    • place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest; or
    • leave the bowl where it came to rest.
3

Displacement of a bowl in motion

  • If a bowl in motion is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should choose whether to:
    • place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest; or
    • declare the end dead.
  • If a bowl in motion is displaced by a player and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should choose whether to:
    • place the bowl where the skip believes it would have come to rest and replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement; or
    • declare the end dead.
4

Displacement of a bowl at rest

  • If a bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should put the bowl back to its former position.
  • If a bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opposing skip should put the bowl back to its former position and replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement.
   
28.2
Bowl displacement by a wheelchair
 

If a bowl is displaced by a wheelchair, the wheelchair should be treated as if it was the wheelchair player for all purposes under law 28.1.
28.3
Bowl displacement by a neutral person or neutral object
 
1

Displacement of a bowl in its original course that has not disturbed the head before it is displaced

  • If the bowl is displaced within the boundaries of the rink of play by a neutral person or neutral object and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the bowl should be replayed.
  • If the bowl is displaced within the boundaries of the rink of play by a neutral person or neutral object and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree how to replace the head and then have the bowl replayed. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
  • If the bowl, running on a bias that would have brought it back into the rink of play, is displaced outside the boundaries of the rink of play by a neutral person or neutral object and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the bowl should be replayed.
  • If the bowl, running on a bias that would have brought it back into the rink of play, is displaced outside the boundaries of the rink of play by a neutral person or neutral object and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree how to replace the head and then have the bowl replayed. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
2

Displacement of a bowl in its original course that has disturbed the head before it is displaced

  • If a bowl has disturbed the head before it is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object, this disturbance is valid. (The skips or opponents in Singles should not replace any part of the head that has been disturbed before the displacement.)
  • If the bowl is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree where the bowl would have come to rest. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
  • If the bowl is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree where the bowl would have come to rest and how to replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
3

Displacement of a bowl in motion

  • If a bowl in motion is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree where the bowl would have come to rest. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
  • If a bowl in motion is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree where the bowl would have come to rest and how to replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
4

Displacement of a bowl at rest

  • If a bowl at rest is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has not disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree on the position of the bowl. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
  • If a bowl at rest is displaced by a neutral person or neutral object and it has disturbed the head after it is displaced, the skips or opponents in Singles should agree on the position of the bowl and how to replace any part of the head disturbed after the displacement. If they cannot agree, they should declare the end dead.
28.4
Bowl displacement when being marked as a toucher or during measuring
 
1

If a bowl is displaced by a player when marking it as a toucher, or by the equipment being used by a player during measuring, an opponent should put it back to its former position.
2

If a bowl is displaced by the marker when marking it as a toucher, or by the equipment being used by the marker during measuring, the marker should put the bowl back to a position agreed by the opponents. If the opponents cannot agree, the marker should put the bowl back to its former position.

3

If a bowl is displaced by the equipment being used by the umpire during measuring, the umpire should put the bowl back to its former position.

28.5
Bowl displacement by a rebounding non-toucher
 
1

Displacement of a bowl in its original course

If a bowl in its original course is displaced by a non-toucher rebounding from the face of the bank, an opponent or the marker should place the displaced bowl where they believe it would have come to rest.
2

Displacement of a bowl in motion

If a bowl in motion is displaced by a non-toucher rebounding from the face of the bank, the skips or opponents in Singles should put the displaced bowl where they believe it would have come to rest. If they cannot agree on the bowl’s final position, the end should be declared dead.
3

Displacement of a bowl at rest

If a bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a non-toucher rebounding from the face of the bank, an opponent or the marker should put it back to its former position.
28.6
Bowl displacement by a bowl from a neighbouring rink
 
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:

  • lift the bowl at rest to allow the other bowl to pass and then replace it, as long as this action would not influence the outcome of the head; or
  • stop the bowl from the neighbouring rink.
2

If, during a Singles game, a bowl at rest on the rink is in danger of being moved by a bowl from a neighbouring rink, the marker should stop the bowl from the neighbouring rink.
3

If a bowl that has been stopped was in its original course and was delivered on a bias that would have taken it back into its own rink, it should be replayed.
28.7
Bowl displacement by a dead bowl
  If a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a dead bowl from the rink of play, an opponent or the marker should put it back to its former position.

<< Section 5