TO THE POINT (10) Issue 10 December/January 2005

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1 Page----1 of 8 BOWLS SOUTH AFRICA TECHNICAL OFFICIALS TO THE POINT (10) Issue 10 December/January A WARM WISH FOR THE NEW YEAR AND MAY 2005 BE A GREAT YEAR I trust that we all had a wonderful holiday and festive season, and have all come back rejuvenated and ready for the challenges of Let me share the inserts of Christmas crackers with you: Good people don t need laws to act responsively, while bad people will find a way around the law. And Success is a journey, not a destination Some people dream of success While others work hard at it For the year ahead let s work at success, it will happen with a positive outlook we don t always have to find what s wrong LEVEL 3 TECHNICAL OFFICIALS Congratulations to the following officials who have been awarded their level 3 (National technical officials) badge Elbert De Koch Eastern Prov Rex Cane Eastern Gauteng Horace Pizer Eastern Gauteng Carel Smit Eastern Gauteng Robert Standen Eastern Gauteng Chris Serfontein Griqualand West Denise West Griqualand West Bernard Wenzel Kingfisher Dajon Kuhn Northern Free State Fred Kruis North West Clive Kempson Port Natal Margo Watson Port Natal Ansie Combrink Southern Free State Koos Combrink Southern Free State Andre Nel Southern Free State Charmaine Maritz Southern Free State Jimmy Wright Southern Free State Doreen de Power Western Province Well done to all of you and trust that your districts will use you and at national level we will definitely be using you. Your dedication and commitment to get to this level is appreciated by Bowls SA MPUMALANGA TECHNICAL OFFICIAL S COURSE In the first week of this year I was invited to Ermelo to present a Level 1 course for the district. If I look at the cracker insert then this district is working at Success as no effort was spared, and candidates travelled many kilometers every day to attend the course, and then travelled home late at night to study and came back the next day well prepared. For a new district it was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and effort put into getting it right and a few districts could set up camp in this area. To Jerry, Gussie and Anria well done. It was a privilege. OTHER COURSES Congratulations to Port Natal and Southern Free State, well done on the large number of technical officials you qualified in the holiday season. IMPORTANT PRINTING ERRORS IN THE ENGLISH LAW BOOK----LAWS OF THE SPORT OF BOWLS. SOUTH AFRICAN VERSION PLEASE NOTE THESE ARE PRINTING ERRORS AND NOT AMENDMENTS AS WE AS A BOWLS PLAYING NATION MAY NOT WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM WORLD BOWLS MAKE ANY CHANGE OR ALTERATION PAGE 36:Top line ----ditch,and another bowl or jack on the green,whenever should be deleted as it has been duplicated. PAGE 43:Second lineof law 60(vii) o rest, should be to rest. PAGE 49: last four lines If a boundary peg is found to be out of its correct position, it shall not be moved until the end is completed, on its own rink and the adjoining rink. The peg shall then be correctly placed by mutual agreement

2 Page----2 of 8 ---should be deleted as it is reprinted printed at the top of page 50. PAGE 50; law 9A(v) first line The Controlling Body may or at its discretion allow, supply and require players to temporarily affix a single adhesive marking to each side of their bowls in any competition game. Any marking under this Law shall be regarded as part of the bowl for all purposes under these Laws. If adhesive markings are to be applied then all members of the team or side shall apply similar adhesive markings should read Controlling Body may allow or at its discretion, supply and require players to temporarily affix a single adhesive marking. PAGE 52:law Playing to a Boundary Jack If the jack has been moved by the bowl it shall be restored to its former position add in after Jack remove the last sentence it should then read Playing to a Boundary Jack remove last section of law 38(ii) if the jack has been moved by the bowl it shall be restored to its former position. PAGE 54:diagram change width of standard rink from 5m to 5.8 m to 4.3 to 5.8m I WISH TO DRAW ATTENTION TO CORRECTIONS THIS COMMITTEE HAS MADE TO OTHER NEWS LETTERS CIRCULATED TO ELIMINATE ANY MISUNDERSTANDING PAGE 52: LAW 57 (x)in the appendix is correct as it is -----as should no eligible substitute be available in a team game if a player should leave the green owing to illness then 56(i) shall be observed which is it(the game) shall be resumed with the scores as they were when the game stopped. Law 57(x) page 52 is correct and may not be changed PAGE 23 AND 28: Law 31(ii) and 36(iii)are correct and no word has been left out. A bowl(non toucher) that enters the ditch at any time is a dead bowl whether it enters the ditch before,during or after the next bowl is delivered it s a dead bowl and it should be removed. PAGE 50: Law 10 Footwear Players, umpires and markers shall wear heelless footwear which has either a smooth or ribbed sole while playing on the green or acting as umpires or markers. World Bowls and National Authorities reserve the right to allow the use of specific colours of footwear the word ribbed has been accepted by World Bowls and Bowls SA has put out a circular stating that no rib deeper than 2mm will be allowed.----players should abide by this concession. I am aware of correspondence at the highest level which has been received on this issue. SA will not easily be going back on this amendment as Development and growth in the schools area has been tremendous. Clubs concerned about fungus/bacteria would be closer to the cause of spreading of the fungus if the mats were checked and tested to be free of fungus/bacteria. PAGE 39 and 41(reserves and substitutes) ----law 54,56 and 57(v) do make reference to certain conditions for reserves and substitutes but page The listed variations should be read in conjunction with the Laws of the Sport of Bowls----- These variations in the appendix override with the permission of World Bowls the laws as listed from 1 to 68. LAW 1B(ix) will then overrule any problems most people are experiencing with law 54,56 and especially 57(v) which states--- Such substitute shall be a member of the club to which the team belongs because 1B(ix) states 1B(ix)Substitute Means a player whose name has been drawn in the approved manner, to replace a player who fails to appear at the start or restart of a game or who is compelled to withdraw for any valid reason acceptable to both skips (or failing agreement by them, by the Controlling Body), during the course thereof.( this was taken word for word out of our old law

3 Page----3 of 8 book so we are familiar with the terminology ---- drawn in the approved manner acceptable to the Controlling Body The section above that is bold and underlined will take care of any problems you might have had with law 54. I have also stated that reserves and substitutes should be clarified in all conditions of play to avoid any misconceptions. A detailed copy of explanation and accepted norms regarding reserves and substitutes will be covered in the next issue. LAW 38:as above to delete the last sentence is perfectly valid and by deleting the last sentence definitely does not contradict law lets look at law DEAD BOWL (b) after completing its original course, or after being moved as a result of play, it passes wholly outside the confines of the rink, or comes to rest at a distance of less than 14 metres measured in a direct line from the centre of the mat line, or (c) in its original course, passes beyond a side boundary of the rink on a bias which would prevent it re-entering the rink. Nothing here tells me that because the bowl is dead, that the movement of the jack which may have been partially in the rink of play, is moved to a new position --- that this movement is invalid and that it should be restored back to its former position RECENT PROBLEM AND INCORRECT ANSWER GIVEN At a recent tournament this actually happened: During an end, the jack was moved and came to rest on the boundary cord and was regarded as still in play. A subsequent bowl touched the jack so that it moved outside the boundary cord, and then rolled back over the cord to finally rest partly within the confines of the rink. An inequality of the grass was considered the cause of the return. Is the jack in play or dead? Answer No the jack can never be live as its final resting place was within the boundary line as law 37(ii)states if it passes wholly beyond the boundary of the rink it is dead. So the minute the jack passed beyond the boundary of the rink it became dead and can never be condoned as a live jack. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR US THAT INTERPRETATION AND INTENTIONS OF THE LAWS ARE CORRECTLY QUOTED. Should you have any doubt, always feel free to contact your standing committee. AFRIKAANS LAWS As promised, the very first edition of the translated laws will be available by the end of the month. Well done to everybody who had any part of this work. They are Renee Venter, Martin van Zyl, Wilhelmien van Zyl, Nico van Blerk, Fred Kruis and Callie Smit. As South Africans and from Bowls South Africa, we are deeply indebted to these persons who made it possible. TO THE POINT When putting a newsletter together, we are dealing with a spectrum from absolute novices, to provincial players, even national managers and coaches. Once everybody has got a working knowledge of the new law book, it could happen that we would battle to get a page of information together, so bear with us as we deal with the relevant issues as requested by readers. When reading through our bumper issues we do not expect anyone to read or understand it in 1 hour, like a sermon. Take your time, digest what is written, there are seven days in a week and for the Districts/Clubs who, because of its length, will not pass it on, your members will be the losers as the content is very relevant. I agree that those with a computer have an advantage of the , as they need not print it, and I agree that having copies made are costing districts but how else can we communicate? Ask a firm for sponsorship.

4 Page----4 of 8 We are all very passionate when it comes to laws, and yes, we could get carried away at times, but as long as we have a flow of queries coming in, we will reply to all. Sharing is our Motto! " BOWL ' EM OVER" Teen hierdie tyd het baie van ons rolbalspelers reeds hierdie publikasie onder oë gehad, nogtans verdien dit melding in "To the Point". Dié boekie het `n totale vars aanslag op ons sport en is `n heerlike mengsel van rolbalannekdotes, ségoed, spotprente en `n luimige aanbieding van sommige van die reëls. Alhoewel al die reëls nie heeltemal korrek aangestip is nie, kan dit nogtans as `n prikkel dien vir diegene wat dalk nog huiwer om `n skeidsregters kursus by te woon. Geluk van ons kant af aan Neville Odell vir `n oorspronklike publikasie. LAWS OF THE SPORT OF BOWLS Anyone with knowledge of the Game knows Laws were created in an attempt to make the game fair for every participant. As soon as one player does not adhere to the laws, some other player is disadvantaged in some manner. To see that this does not happen, an umpire is asked to enforce the Laws when officiating at the Match. The law book is there for all to read but not everyone does, so where possible, demonstrate as much as possible. Discuss the importance of Umpiring with fellow bowlers, remember the education of your Club mates depends on you! Laws are intended to show us how a game should be played, as well as how to interface with fellow players. An effective technical official not only knows the laws, but also understands them. HOW WE CAN HELP. Our aim as members of the T.O.S.C s is to provide all applicants with the knowledge and skills required to qualify as an Umpire, and then support them through their career. It may be that you only want to attend the course and not become an accredited umpire this benefits your club and fellow bowlers and you as an individual. It may be that you want to progress to the very top and be involved in International events our aim is to support you, no matter where you want to go. HOW TO BECOME AN UMPIRE. In order to apply for a Course, ask your Club Secretary for the booking form, if not available, then for her to forward your name to your District Technical Official Standing Committee. Once a candidate has qualified and becomes a Level 1 T.O, a refresher course will be necessary every 4 years, rather than requalification To obtain a Level 2 status, the procedure is repeated, but this time the candidate must produce a log book of hours, not only duties done as a technical official, but also those of attending meetings, workshops and assisting with courses. A Technical Official who has not attended a requisite number of meetings, or has not kept a record of his duties, may attend a refresher workshop but will not be recognised as having been upgraded. Improve your skills the best New Years resolution you can make for 2005! WE AREN'T YET PART OF THE SOLUTION, MANY OF US ARE STILL PART OF THE PROBLEM. ETIQUETTE The spirit of sportsmanship is etiquette. It is not only against the laws of the game, but is contrary to etiquette, to attempt to distract the attention of the player on the mat, as he is about to bowl. Stop your mutter ing and moving around behind me O.K.? The distraction can also result from deliberate (or an unintentional) movement

5 Page----5 of 8 by a player at the head. Sometimes the object is to interrupt the bowler's concentration, but gentlemen players do not wilfully do this sort of thing, do they? INTERPRETATION, SECTION 2 PARA 2 A reader queried if only male umpires were considered efficient. Not at all, ladies are every bit as good as the men, and the Law would not slander the ladies, hence on Page 1 it clearly states Wherever the male gender is mentioned it shall be equally applicable to the female gender As a new player, we are pleased that you took the time to write us. How many of our seasoned players would know where this explanation can be found in the law book? Keep making your observations. Humor As jy die wysheid het van Salomo, die geduld van Job, die leierskap van Moses, die goedhartigheid van n Samaritaan, die vegkuns van Alexander, die geloof van David, die diplomasie van Abraham Lincoln, die slagspreuke van Confucios, en n volkome kennis het van die reels van die spel van Rolbal dan is jy n goeie Skipper. PROBLEMS IN THE WORKPLACE LAW 36(ii) Above Reader also stated she could not find mention of the situation hereunder in Law 29 N.B. above is the place to look i.e.. Live Jack in the ditch. A bowl on the green resting against a jack or toucher in the ditch, is not a dead bowl by any stretch of the imagination and even if we do agree, had the Jack/toucher not been there it would have fallen into the ditch - the fact is, IT DID NOT and the bowl must be left where it has come to rest.. Putting another myth to rest in no circumstance can a bowl become a toucher by touching the jack when the jack is in the ditch. It should be emphasised that the position of both the toucher in the ditch, and the jack in the ditch, must be noted. Any movement of the jack in the ditch by the impact of a toucher or of a bowl which remains in play before, during, and after impact, is valid, and its new position noted. LET S LOOK AT THE CLASSIC OF THE MONTH One Umpire had the following situation. A player fired and his bowl hit the jack, which flew up into the air. His bowl continued on its way and was out of the boundary of the rink when the jack bounced on top of the bowl and came back into the green in a live position. According to the old law, the jack had come to rest in the boundary of play so it was live. Under the new rule, since the jack had gone out of play it was dead. If the Umpire had been asked to make a ruling and he was told that the bowl was out of play when the jack connected the bowl out of play even though he had not seen the jack go out of play, he would have to have said it was dead as it made contact out of play. Correct decision as what is the intention of Law 37(ii) the jack had left the rink of play, so the jack is dead. 18 VS 21 ENDS This goes on and on and I hope will one day die down. Rest assured, games will never be 21 ends again. What cannot be understood is that we have in 100 years never queried Championship and international events and the wording has not changed. Now all of a sudden it is said 18 ends is not for domestic play. How wrong they are. JACK MOVED BY WIND There are two scenarios. 1. jack/bowl while end is in progress should the jack/bowl be moved by the wind 41B and law 59 Law 59 states, UNFORESEEN INCIDENTS If, during the course of play, the position of the jack or bowls be disturbed by wind, storm, or any neutral object, the end shall be declared dead, unless the skips are agreed to the replacement of jack or bowls.

6 Page----6 of 8 However If measuring has started, and two bowls have been adjudicated as the shots, and you are measuring for a third shot, and the wind moves the jack and or bowl, it is two shots, but you definitely don t replay the end. You as the umpire, will have a very red face as you should have wedged the bowl/jack. You cannot apply 41B (iii)(jack displacement by a non-player or neutral object of a jack at rest), that states if no agreement between the skips can be reached, the end shall be dead. Law 59(unforeseen incidents) also states that the end will be dead if agreement not reached Law 41C(ii) accidental displacement states If a jack is displaced by a marker or the umpire at the time of measuring, the displaced jack shall be replaced as near as possible to its former position by the marker, or umpire, of which he shall be the sole judge. By not wedging, you as the umpire will be responsible if the jack/bowl is moved even though it was the wind. As the umpire you can only allow the shots you had measured before the wind moved the jack/bowl. I am sure the player would rather have those shots than replay the end. You cannot apply 46(iii) but the important intention is that all previously agreed shots shall count. Interesting Be modest in victory and generous in defeat. A generous loser gains many new friends; a poor loser never has any. SPECTATORS LAW 63 Although their presence on our banks is necessary to encourage and support most players, it must be remembered that they must not become engaged in a game in any way. They have been known to signal to their spouse/friend which hand to play, and this causes embarrassment to the duty umpire, who has to ask the offender to move or refrain from this disturbing practice. Loud chatter whilst watching the game, especially when criticising the player on the mat s choice of hand, can be very irritating. Spectators enhance the game of bowls, empty seats around the green are most discouraging, but so is one sided support. ADHESIVE CLUB STICKERS 9(A) (v) This may be an old chestnut, but players and umpires alike, are confused about the use of stickers on bowls, and give conflicting answers, when it is queried. The law is self explanatory and quite clear as it allows ALL the players OF THE TEAM/SIDE to affix stickers to each side of their bowls, and this shall be regarded as part of the bowl. The purpose of stickers is purely for identification, for the marker in singles, the spectators, and for the umpire. Nowhere does it state both teams (team and opponent) are required to use these temporary stickers. If the Controlling Body does not sanction the use of stickers, then players would not be allowed to play with the personalised club stickers they have, but according to my knowledge these are allowed in all districts as at Nationals, Bowls SA would allow club stickers until they Bowls SA---controlling body supplied specific coloured stickers for the play off rounds. WHITE STRIPS WHEN MEASURING (Reflective material, not mentioned in new book) When two or three bowls are equidistant from the jack, and it is obvious that a feeler gauge is needed, then the white strips would be a help rather than a hindrance, especially where the bowls in contention are different colours. The argument was that when placing the strips between the bowls and jack, they might move one or the other. It is not logical to stop umpires from using the strips, just because they might move something. The strips are so light I fail to see how a bowl could be moved as suggested. This is just one of those stories that spread and

7 Page----7 of 8 usually start from an innocent comment being misunderstood. During courses, the umpires are being assessed using the strips, and, I believe, they use them a lot when on duty. Anything that can help an umpire to make a quick decision surely should be welcomed. BE PREPARED... The third lifted one of their bowls, which had been declared live by the umpire after coming to rest on the boundary between two rinks, to allow a bowl, running on it s correct bias from the adjacent rink, to pass. The bowl however, comes to rest in the same spot that was occupied by the bowl lifted, and is therefore also in play. Sure, the chance of this happening often is rather remote, but what if this did occur while you were the Umpire on Duty, you would have to make an immediate decision, after a large number of options have been expressed by the players. What ruling would you make if called upon to do so? The Umpire would allow the rink with the MOST number of bowls played, to complete that end. Remember that when lifting any bowl to exchange it for another, you must wedge the bowl first. Once exchanged, the wedges are to be removed and the umpire will mark, with chalk, the position of the bowl on the green, by drawing straight lines outwards N-S-E-W from where the bowl had come to rest. Why mark it s position? Because during play, this bowl could be moved or the end made dead and this spot is shared by another. The bowl from the team in waiting will then be replaced and the game continued. Have you heard that the Scots have given up golf for bowls? No. Why? They reckon bowls are too big to lose. MEASURING A small fortune awaits the inventor of a measuring device that is fool proof - and cheat proof Have you come across the Overhand Ploy? This ensures at no stage of the proceedings is your opponent able to catch the merest glimpse of either end of the measure!! We do not advocate that you try this when seen, inform your opponent that you wish to have the umpire called. MEASURING----MARKERS In the last while, we have on numerous occasions been asked why markers are not allowed to use a telescopic measure Well, it s simple. As a marker, if you use a telescopic measure and you are not sure or the players are not happy with your decision, you have to call the Umpire. The umpire has to find the shot. Should this differ from your decision as a marker, you would not feel good as the umpire has just shown you up. So let the umpire use the telescopic measure and the marker will use the string measure. CARRYING A BOWL TO THE HEAD LAW 32(ii) A bowl is not rendered dead by a player carrying it whilst inspecting the head. but beware, don t put that bowl down on the ground, in the head, as immediately whether intentionally or not, you have disturbed the head and the opposition could have the bowl declared dead no law can be quoted but 32(ii) if the inverse is applied -- A bowl is rendered dead by a player whilst inspecting the head, places a bowl in the head. This interpretation had to be taken, as more and more players walk to the head with a bowl and place it in the head and then pick up the wrong bowl, maybe intentionally (to gain advantage) or unintentionally ----the moral of the story: if you take your bowl to the head while inspecting the head, don t put it down in the head, better still get into a habit, if you inspect the head, leave your bowl at the mat end. What would

8 Page----8 of 8 happen if you dropped the bowl in the head??? PLAYING TO THE NEW LAWS -19E Will anything change in a tabs in game? It must be remembered that changes are tactics brought in to make the game more exciting, and we are talking about club, district, national and international games. It is an option the skip, after winning an end has he may not always feel the need to hand the mat over to his opposing player, but if he does, the social player should be aware of this change and be prepared. It is not only so that the Skip can have the last bowl in an end what if he has a lead who draws on the jack end after end and who places the opponent under pressure right from the start? During the Under 25 Tournament, many youngsters applied this and their opposition accepted the mat without any hesitation. Since this was introduced and now accepted, there has been very little objection other than the odd opposing player who still thinks that he had the option to refuse. Players need to adjust to the new laws, it must be brought to the attention of members at club level during a social game to inject some interest into the game and bring them up to date with present day changes. Bowlers who are participating at district and national level have adapted and those just starting out in the game and go through club coaching schemes should be made aware of the new changes to the laws. MERKERS - PROEFSKOFTE Dit is baie belangrik dat jy nie n bal keer wanneer jy as merker optree nie, of jou voet op die witte sit om te verhoed dat n afgestuurde bal dit verskuif nie. Laat die witte en enige bal toe om tot stilstand te kom of tot in die sloot te rol indien nodig. Die speler is geregtig om die volle uitwerking van sy afgestuurde bal te sien. Plaas die witte terug as dit verskuif is. Die witte moet altyd met jou hand verskuif word en nie met die voet nie. Sorg dat jy goed bekend is met die embleme op die twee stelle balle en kyk of die tekens eeners is aan albei kante. Indien daar enige afwyking in die verband is, stel die skeidsregter in kennis. Dit is sy plig om die Beheerliggaam hieroor in te lig. KICKING BOWLS OUT OF THE HEAD We cannot stress too strongly the danger of the front rankers kicking away bowls in the head and sadly it is becoming a cause for concern. A stop should be put to this practice at Club level. Before taking action, await the thirds instruction, be certain that you have understood what was said, before moving any bowl which may be in contention. If in doubt do nothing until further notice. TEASER During the course of play, a non-toucher ran into the ditch and was left there; another non-toucher on the green came to rest against the first non-toucher. One bowler expressed the opinion that as the bowl was left in the ditch it must have been condoned, therefore a live bowl, so he decided they both had to be left where they had came to rest! In another similar incident, the bowl on the green was wedged by a piece of chalk before the dead bowl was removed! Well Umpires, what would you have done if called? The bowl in the ditch must be carefully removed, and if the other bowl falls into the ditch, then that bowl is dead and must be removed from the green. Any comment preferably positive, or if negative, with the solution, may be ed to me Trevor tpdavis@mweb.co.za Let us have your address if you would like to get a copy of this newsletter sent directly to you. As a group of dedicated bowlers and administrator and very armature editors we do not profess to have got all the grammar or even all the spelling 100%correct----- enjoy it. The greater the challenge, the greater the reward