Laws of the Sport of Bowls – Crystal Mark Edition

A formal vote is the only remaining obstacle preventing some of the sport’s most contentious laws from being overturned.

At the behest of Bowls Australia, the Laws of the Sport of Bowls – Crystal Mark Second Edition, will feature the following rule changes provided they are voted in at the biennial World Bowls council meeting in October in Delhi:

• The introduction of a domestic regulation which will allow national bodies to approve the minimum distance a jack can be rolled from 23 to 21 metres
• The winner of a previous end will no longer have the choice to give the mat away, but will be compelled to take it
• The reference system used to outline the laws will alter from dot point to decimal
• A skip’s duties will now include marking the scorecard

Late last year, Bowls Australia finalised its submission to the game’s governing body concerning the Laws of the Sport of Bowls – Crystal Mark Edition after canvassing the opinions of all registered members during a five month consultation process commencing from the bottom up.

The process included engaging clubs, districts, zones, groups, state and territory associations and the National Officiating Committee.

Click here to see Bowls Australia’s submission to World Bowls.

With many well constructed proposals submitted, BA gave preference to those laws which were raised by the majority of STAs, as well as minor issues that were debated by the NOC before being included where appropriate.

As was the edict of the review, rule changes were only submitted with the provision they would benefit all bowlers, not just Australians.

"There’s still a hurdle to clear, but at this stage, we are very happy with the proposed rule changes," Bowls Australia chief executive officer Neil Dalrymple said.

"An enormous amount of time and effort was put into this project by the National Officiating Committee and its head, Mark Cowan, and they should be commended for the work they have done.

"But I need to stress that these rule changes must still be approved and an implementation date established by World Bowls, if successful, so until then the status quo remains."

As a result, a formal vote will be held on October 14 at the biennial World Bowls council meeting, with the recommendations now resting in the hands of the respective national organisations.

Click here to see the proposed Laws of the Sport of Bowls – Crystal Mark Second Edition.