Bowls Etiquette

The Club Umpires have suggested we could all benefit from some regular reminders of good bowls etiquette, whether we are playing Competition or Social bowls.

Therefore on a regular basis an Etiquette point will be placed below.

The Etiquette point for this time is: The Third

The responsibility of the third is to control the head while the skip is on the mat. The third should however, wait for the skip to ask his opinion about the head and advice about the shot selection but ultimately, the final shot selection rests with the skip.
Always provide concise and accurate answers when the skip is on the mat.
Once all bowls have been delivered the thirds are required to measure to agree on the final score of each end.
Consider all the bowls which may be in the count, and confirm with your opponent third that all possibilities have been measured. Indicate using your hand, the number of shots won or lost on the end by displaying fingers up or down, and voice it clearly.
Retrieving any bowls from the ditch or wherever they finish and are not in play is also good etiquette.
Possession of the mat / Rink passes to the other side when your bowl comes to rest. You should then wait for your next turn on the mat before exchanging information with your skip.

DO’s and DON’T’s

If your Skip has first bowl, place his bowl on the mat before crossing over.
Listen to any comments offered by your Skip, and don’t give instructions to your Skip on the crossover. They have just left the head, and will have a plan of their own.
if the opposition has the mat (It’s their turn to bowl), Don’t speak to your skip, or step into the head until after their bowl has come to rest.
Call for an umpire to measure if an agreement cannot be reached with the opposition, and then stand back so that they can do their job.
'Dead bowls’ are removed by the opposition. (After agreement that the bowl is dead).
Remove chalk marks from touchers after the end has been completed. Remove chalk marks from opponents bowls if they have not been removed by them after the preceding end.
Signal the score clearly after confirmation with the opposition’s third, to the skip and scorers.
Anyone can measure, but usually the overseer of the potentially losing bowl goes first.
The losing third should pick up the jack and hand it to the winning lead.
Watch for bowls from adjacent rinks, that may disrupt the head on your own rink, and be ready to lift your bowl or stop the offending bowl.
Never go into the adjacent rink to lift or stop a bowl. That is the responsibility of the person overseeing the head on their rink. You must ask them to respond if they have not seen the potential disruption.

Previous etiquette snippets:

Etiquette includes knowing your own Role and Responsibilities, and should be led from the Skip
Cohesive teams often perform better and have greater success. The skip should lead the team with confidence by being clear with instructions and supportive of any special needs. Provide encouragement before, during and after the game. Everyone will play some bad bowls and no bowler is likely to deliver every bowl just how they want it; the skips role is to play the best bowls they can and refrain from showing any adverse emotions at bad bowls played by anyone. Body language can affect team confidence so remain focused on the game and your team. Remain still while standing at the head to avoid distracting your own team and opponents.

Bowling Greens should be treated with respect. Most Clubs have synthetic surfaces which are expensive and time consuming to be repaired or replaced.
Don’t Drop your bowl onto the green, stand in the ditches, or sit on the bank.
Don’t stand in the ditches, or sit on the bank edges.
Don’t “Dump”. There is no formal rule or finite definition for “Dumping”, but the general rule of thumb is that the bowl should not be delivered from a Knee height or above. (Apply common sense – ‘Casting a bowl in a looping trajectory’ or ‘driving the bowl into the ground on delivery’, could also damage a green and be deemed to be dumping)