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CONDITIONS OF PLAY FOR DDBA PENNANTS

  1. INTRODUCTION:

(a)These Conditions of Play shall operate and continue in force until rescinded or amended by the Council;

(b)The Controlling Body shall be the Match Committee and the Management Committee;

(c)The Match Committee shall manage and control Pennant Matches in accordance with these Conditions of Play;

(d)If circumstances prevent consultation with other members of the Match Committee, the Match Committee Chairman may act in an emergency requiring urgent action. He shall act in a manner consistent with these Conditions of Play;

(e)The Match Committee, through its Chairman, is required to report on all matters done by it, relating to Pennants, to each meeting of the Management Committee;

(f)The competition is subject to the Laws of the Sport of Bowls in Australia, Bowls Queensland By-laws, Bowls Australia Policies and these Conditions of Play, in force at the time of the conduct of the competition;

(g)The Bowls Queensland Mandatory Conditions of Play at District Level are integrated in these Conditions of Play and are indicated by italics. These cannot be amended;

(h)It is a condition of entry for this Competition that all players are familiar with and accept these Conditions of Play.

  1. ELIGIBILITY:

(a)The Pennant Competition is open to all financial Clubs or Men’s Section affiliated with the DDBA. To be eligible to play in the Competition, a player must be a financial Male member of an affiliated Club or Section on or before the time and date of commencement of the first match by that Club;

(b)To be eligible to play in finals or semi-finals a player must have been eligible to play in at least one (1) game during the current year’s competition;

(c)No player may play Pennants for more than one Club within the DDBA in any one calendar year;

(d)Any player who is under expulsion, suspension or unfinancial in any affiliated Club or Section, is not permitted to play in the competition. Should any side play a player as described, the offending side shall forfeit that match.

  1. NOMINATIONS and GROUPING:

(a)Nominations from Clubs, specifying the number of sides they wish to enter, shall close on July 15th each year. The entry fee for each side, set at the Annual General meeting, must accompany each nomination;

(b)Two or more Clubs or Sections may form a composite side.

(c)At the closing of nominations, the total number of sides shall be divided into two (2) Groups, based on their finishing positions the previous year;

(d)The Groups shall be designated as “Group A” and “Group B”;

(e)Commencing with the top side, each succeeding side is placed in a Group, according to a predetermined formula(see below), resulting where possible, in an equal number of sides in each Group.

(f)Minor adjustments may be made in side placement to ensure multiple sides from a Club are distributed in both Groups, and to allow for withdrawals, and any new nominations compared to the previous year.

Group A / Group B
Side--1 / Side--2
Side--4 / Side--3
Side--6 / Side--5
Side--7 / Side--8
Side--9 / Side--10
Side--12 / Side--11
Side--14 / Side--13
Side--15 / Side--16
  1. PRELIMINARY:

(a)Group play shall consist of a Round Robin with each side playing each other side in their Group once only on a home or away basis;

(b)The Match Committee shall arrange dates on which Pennant Matches shall be played;

(c)The home Club shall be responsible for ensuring that an official Umpire is on duty for all matches and his/her name shall be announced before play commences. If a National Umpire is not available, the home Club shall appoint a measurer;

(d)Each side shall have a Side Manager who must be at the venue in sufficient time to complete all pre-match formalities, including draw for opponents and a toss for opening play on behalf of his side. The Side Manager shall be responsible for all decisions on behalf of the side;

(e)All Round-robin games shall be played on Saturday, commencing at 12.30 p.m., or earlier, if all players are present.

(f)Green fees in accordance with the Home Club normal playing days shall be paid by each side to the Home Club;

(g)Side Managers shall decide before start of play when afternoon tea will be taken.

  1. DELAYS to PLAY:

(a)A genuine attempt must be made to play and complete matches irrespective of whether other matches are completed or abandoned;

(b)If commencement of play is delayed because of weather conditions, play for that day shall be abandoned if no play has taken place before 2.15 p.m. Sides are expected to remain at the playing venue till 2.15pm or until the green/s are declared unfit for play, whichever occurs first;

(c)If the Club Secretary, or his delegate, is of the opinion, from information available to him, that the weather is too wet, or threatens to be too wet for play, or that the green of his Club is likely to be unfit for play because of wetness, or any other reason, the Secretary or delegate of such Club shall contact, by phone or personally, the Chairman of the Match Committee by 10.30 a.m. and inform him of the circumstances.

(d)The same procedure shall be followed if road communication between opposing Clubs is known to be, or threatens to be interrupted by floods, or other cause and also if sudden or unforeseen emergencies arise.

(e)Should a Club Secretary, or his delegate, fail to take action to inform the Chairman of the Match Committee of the circumstances stated in Clauses 5 (c)and5 (d) above, and the opposing side turns up to play the match and are unable to do so, the Home Side shall forfeit the match.

  1. SIDE COMPOSITION:

(a)A side shall consist of three (3) teams each of four (4) players i.e. twelve (12) players, one of whom may act as Side Manager unless a non-playing Side Manager is appointed.

  1. INCOMPLETE SIDE:

(a)Sides shall be allowed 30 minutes’ grace. Should any side not be ready to play by 1.00 p.m. without a valid reason, that side shall forfeit the match;

(b)Exception; (Domestic Regulation 2.5.1) If, 30 minutes after the scheduled start time for the game, or sooner if the Controlling Body decides, one player is absent from one or more teams in a side, and no eligible substitute is available or allowed, the game must continue, however:

(2.5.1.1) A team with an absent player plays as though the second is the missing player;

(2.5.1.2) The order of play shall be maintained by the second of the complete team playing consecutive bowls:

(2.5.1.3) Each player must use the number of bowls specified in the Conditions of Play.

  1. PLAYER INTERCHANGE BETWEEN SIDES:

(a)Round-robin play inGroup A and Group B is considered to be two separate competitions;

(b)When a Club has more than one side participating, the sides shall be designated as “Side One”, “Side Two”, “Side Three” and so forth;

(c)Player interchange between sides is unrestricted;

(d)Clubs are expected to consistently regard Side One as their strongest side, Side Two as their next strongest side, and so forth;

(e)It is assumed that Clubs willrespect the privilege of unrestricted player interchange, and self-regulate player placement withintegrity.

  1. TRIAL ENDS:

(a)Trial ends shall be under the control of the venue Club's Games Controller or the Controlling Body. One (1) trial end each way is allowed. Trial ends must be completed one minute prior to the nominated start time;

(b)Practice shall cease one (1) hour prior to the scheduled starting time on the day of play.

  1. MATCH DURATION:

(a)Each team in a side shall play twenty-one (21) ends (Total 63 ends);

(b)If a match is not completed because of inclement weather, bad light or any other justifiable cause, then a total of fifty (50) ends shall constitute a match, and the results taken at the point where the match was interrupted;

(c)Should any match not have been played to at least of fifty (50) ends on the date it was commenced because of adverse weather conditions, or for some other cause, the match shall be abandoned and each side shall receive half the available points;

  1. PLAYER MOVEMENTS DURING PLAY:

Note: Players will only be allowed to walk up to the head as follows:

(a)The Leads & Seconds & Thirds: after both the Thirds have delivered their second bowl.

(b)The Skips: May go to the head after either Skip’s first bowl

(c)Restricting the movement of players does not prohibit a player being called to the head by the Skip; however care should be taken not to delay play;

(d)Delaying Play: No player, excluding Skips, is permitted to remain at the head whilst their opposite number is delivering their bowl. Any Skip who remains at the head shall stand behind the last bowl of the head or retire to the bank. Skips who remain at the head will return to the mat immediately their opponent’s bowl has come to rest;

(e)If the umpire, either by their own observation or on appeal from one of the Skips, decides that a player is playing in an unsportsmanlike manner by deliberately delaying play:

On the first occasion the umpire will warn the player;

If the player commits the same offence a second time the end will be regarded as completed and the opponents of the offender will score as many shots as there are bowls in use by such opponent; and

If the player offends the third time the game will be forfeited to the opponents.

  1. POSITION OF PLAYERS WHEN NOT PLAYING:

(a)(a) Players at the mat end not delivering a bowl should stand a minimum of one (1) metre behind the mat;

(b)Players at the head end not controlling the head should stand a minimum of two (2) metres behind the head, or on the surrounds of the green if the jack is in the ditch, or well clear of the head if it is not possible to stand on the surrounds;

(c)(b) At the start of each end only the Skip or Deputy will be at the head.

  1. SUBSTITUTES:

(a)Eligible substitutes are permitted throughout the Competition;

(b)Note: The Controlling Body and Umpire must be advised in every circumstance;

(c)Note: There will be no substitutes/replacement players allowed for ineligible players. Should any club or District allow a substitute/replacement player for an ineligible player the offending club or District will be forfeited from all State events for the current year.

  1. COACHING DURING MATCH:

(a)Players who intend to receive coaching during a match, must inform the respective Match Committee and Umpire of the Coach’s name as soon as practicable before the start of play but not less than 30 minutes prior to the match commencing and the Coach cannot be changed during each match. Any person who is nominated as a coach or manager shall strictly adhere to the conditions in Law 44. There shall be only one coach per side;

(b)Please note: Any person wishing to coach in this event must hold Bowls Australia coaching accreditation and must show it when registering.

  1. ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICES:

(a)All electronic communication devices located within six (6) metres of the green whilst a match is in progress SHALL BE SWITCHED OFF. These include mobile phones, pagers, iphone, ipads, radios etc. Special dispensation may be given to “on call” emergency personnel by the Controlling Body after consultation.

  1. SOCIAL MEDIA:

(a)No player shall use Social Media to make derogatory comments about any Club, District, Bowls Queensland, any official, the event or any other player for the duration of the competition. Any infringement of this Condition shall render the offender liable to disqualification from the event.

  1. LIGHTS:

(a)Games may be played or completed under lights if required;

  1. EXTREME WEATHER POLICY:

(a)All Bowls Queensland events are conducted under the Bowls Australia Extreme Weather Policy. All players and officials should make themselves aware of the requirements of this Policy.

  1. ATTIRE:

(a) Attire will be as per Bowls Queensland By-law 14.

(b)All attire must have BA logo as outlined in the BA National logo policy.

(c)Each player and the manager or coach in a side must be similarly attired. (approved Club Uniform)

(d)In the event of an emergency, the enforcing of the Clause regarding all players in a side having to wear Club Uniforms, may be relaxed.

  1. SCORING:

(a)The side scoring the highest number of shots in each match at the end of play, shall be the winner;

(b)Two (2) match points shall be awarded for each such win;

(c)In the event of a tied score, each side shall be awarded one (1) match point;

(d)Match points shall be recorded together with shots for and against and also the margin.

  1. RESULT SHEETS and CARDS:

(a)Side Managers shall complete results for each match on the Result Sheet provided by the DDBA, showing full particulars of the match, or part of a match;

(b)The Side Manager or other Official of the home Club, shall transmit the Result Sheet to the DDBA Secretary and the Match Committee Chairman, by phone or email, no later than 4.30pm on the day of the match. In the event of a delayed match, the Result Sheet must be sent no later than 30 minutes after the completion of that match;

(c)The Secretary shall collate the points and scores, and then provide the Match Committee Chairman with a copy of the computer printout for checking.The Chairman will then advise the Secretary if the printout is correct and ready for distribution. TheDDBA Secretary shall, each week, publish information showing points scored by all sides in the Pennant Competition;

(d)Side Managers shall keep in safe custody all score cards for all matches whether finished or unfinished until an official declaration of results for the season has been made by the Match committee.

  1. DETERMINING GROUP PLACINGS:

(a)The side scoring the highest number of match points in each Groupshall be declared the number one (1) placed side, and the side with the next highest match points shall be the number two (2) side, and so forth;

(b)In the event of two (2) or more sides scoring an equal number of match points, the side with the highest difference between “total shots for” and “total shots against” (margin) shall be declared the higher side;

(c)If there is still equality, the “total shots against" each side shall be divided into the “total shots for” each side.

(d)The team with the highest result shall be declared the higher side;

(e)In the event of a forfeit, the non-offending side shall be awarded two (2) match points and a net total of shots that is equal to the average net total of shots scored by the winners of all other games played in the same round of that section. The side conceding the forfeit shall receive no points;

(f)In the event of disqualification of a member of a side, the non-offending side shall be awarded two (2) match points and a net total of shots that is equal to the average net total of shots scored by the winners of all other games played in the same round of that section. The side playing the disqualified player shall receive no points.

  1. DETERMINING DIVISION PARTICIPANTS:

(a)At the completion of Round-robin games, the two top scoring sides from each Group will play off for Division One;

(b)The next two top scoring sides from each Group play off for Division Two;

(c)The next two top scoring sides from each Group play off for Division Three, and so on.

  1. FINALS PLAY:

(a)In each Division, the top side in Group A will play the runner-up in Group B in one semi-final with the top side in Group B playing the runner-up in Group A in the other semi-final;

(b)Play will be knock-out, and the final of each Division will then be played between the two (2) semi-final winners [possibly on the same weekend] to achieve an overall winner;

(c)The winning side in each Division shall be presented with an appropriate coloured Pennant Flag in Division one (1) Blue, Division two (2) Red, Division three (3) Gold and Division four (4) Green. Each player, in each winning side in each Division, shall be presented with an appropriate Pennant lapel badge.

  1. FINALS VENUE/S:

(a)Pennant Finals will be played on a rotational basis at all clubs with two greens;

(b)The Greens Committee shall, each year, inspect the greens of the Club at which Pennant Finals are scheduled to be played to ensure the greens are in acceptable condition;

(c)Should the greens be considered unsuitable for play the Club shall forfeit its right to host the Pennant Finals and the greens of the Club next scheduled shall be inspected.

  1. PROTESTS, DISPUTES and APPEALS:

(a)In the event that a Club decides to lodge a protest regarding a matter arising from a Pennant match, such protest must be in writing, and be delivered (preferably by email) to the Secretary of the DDBA prior to 12.00 noon on the Monday following the completion of the match on which the protest is based. The Match Committee must hear the protest and give a ruling before the next Pennant round commences.

(b)A Club shall have the right to appeal to the Management Committee on any decision of the Match Committee which it may consider to be not in accordance with these Conditions of Play. Provided also that should the Management Committee uphold an appeal, its decision shall be effective, but the Match Committee shall continue to exercise its delegated powers in all other respects.