USE OF THE GREEN - AMENDED 2003

1. Laws of the Game:

The Laws of the Game prescribed by the World Bowls Board with Scottish Variations (SBA and SWBA) shall apply to all play on the Green.

2. Days and Hours of Play:

The Green is available for play during the season (late April to late September) from 10.00am until 1.30pm and from 2.00pm until dusk each day. However:

  1. No play may take place on the Green while the contract greenkeeper's staff and/or the Green Sub-Committee wish to work on it (usually on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings).
  2. Play may not take place on any part of the Green which the Green Ranger or any member of the Green Sub-Committee has intimated to be unavailable for play.
  3. On Monday and Wednesday evenings, at times when Club or Association events, or practice for them has been scheduled, on the occasions of the Ladies' and Men's Championship Finals, and on occasions when the courtesy of the Green has been granted to an Association by the Club Committee, no other play may take place.

3. Intimation Sheets:

An Intimation Sheet for each day, for several weeks ahead, is placed in a binder which must not be removed from the desk in the Pavilion foyer. The sheet for the current day is removed from the binder and displayed on the main Notice Board above the desk.

4. Priority for Association and Club events:

Association and Club events which have been entered on the Intimation Sheets by the Club Secretary, a Match Secretary or the Green Ranger have priority over all other play for the stated number of rinks.

5. Play between 2.00 and 4.00pm on Monday to Saturday:

Subject to variation on the occasion of Association and Club events, each day from Monday to Saturday, Ladies and Men are each allocated three rinks for the 2.00 to 4.00pm period. Members wishing to play during these periods should sign in personally no later than 1.55 pm when the draw for play will take place. If, at any time, the numbers of members wishing to play is such that some rinks allocated to Ladies or to Men are not required by them, the spare rink(s) may be used by members of the other gender. If the number who wish to play is more than can be accommodated on the six rinks the Green should be re-laid in seven rinks and/or one or more mixed rink(s) should be played.
Note: The conversion of the Green from six to seven rinks may be made quickly as follows: Take the spare rink markers and the rink number 7 from under the desk in the Pavilion foyer. At each end of the Green, starting from rink 6, place a marker on the bank opposite the junction of the third and fourth edging stones. Then move the outer rink 6 marker five stones further on, and so on at five stone intervals until the outer rink 1 marker is placed two stones from the far end. Then place the rink numbers at each mid point.

6. Precedence of play at other times:

Members may enter on the Intimation Sheets (but not later than 24 hours before the intended time of start) details of Competition Ties which they intend to play if a rink is available, during the following periods:
- 10,00am until 1.30 pm on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
- 2.00pm until 4.00pm on Sunday
- 4.00pm until 6.00pm each day
- 6.00pm until dusk each day subject to Rule 2 (c) above.
It is recommended that, where possible, participants in ties who are available to play outwith the 6.00pm until dusk period on Mondays to Fridays, should arrange their ties for other periods. If a planned tie is postponed, the entry should be erased from the Intimation Sheet with the later entries being made on a fresh line. Ties intimated under the first paragraph of this Rule have precedence for the period for which they are booked, after any events to which Rule 4 above applies, in the order in which the ties were/ intimated. If necessary, the Green Ranger, a member of his Sub-Committee or an Officer of the Club will enter, in the last column of the Intimation Sheet, the number of the rink on which the tie is to be played. In the 4.00pm until 6.00pm period on Mondays to Saturdays, if rinks have not been allocated, intimated ties should be played as follows: Ladies' and Men's ties on the rinks which had been allocated respectively to Ladies and Men for the 2.00 until 4.00pm period with mixed ties on any rinks remaining. A tie intimated for any other period, and not allocated a rink must not begin before the rinks to be used for any event intimated under Rule 4 above have been decided.

7. Rinks not taken up under Rules 4 to 6 above:

(a) For the purposes of the Rule, the playing periods are:
- 10.00am until 1.30pm
- 2.00pm until 4.00pm
- 4.00pm until 6.00pm
- 6.00pm until 7.00pm (6.00pm until 6.40pm from early August as advertised separately and
- 6.00pm until dusk from early September as advertised separately.
- 7.00pm until dusk (6.40pm until dusk for early August - 6.00pm until dust from early September as advertised separately).

(b) Members present at the beginning of any playing period who wish to play on rinks still available after priorities have been met, should decide among themselves how to play. However a singles, pairs or triples game may not start without the consent of all the others concerned if there are insufficient rinks available to enable all of them to play such a game. Members arriving during a playing period may play on a rink that is vacant and not allocated or they may join a game already started under this Rule, if those already playing agree (consent must not be withheld unreasonably). At the end of the playing period, play under this Rule must stop - the Rule then applies afresh.

8. Guests:

Full Members may introduce guests who must be "signed in" in the Visitors Book. A member introducing a guest is responsible for ensuring that the guest complies with the Rules and does not damage the Green. No formal charge is made for guests but the Member should place in the box below the telephone a donation (a rate of £1.00 per guest should be considered as the minimum donation). The Club Committee reserves the right to limit the introduction of guests at any time, either generally or in relation to any individual.

9. The Green:

(a) Normally the Green is laid out in six rinks. However, the Club Committee may decide that there are to be fewer rinks on the occasions of special activities or evening events involving other Clubs, or seven rinks on afternoons when large numbers are expected. Except as mentioned in Rule 5 above, the layout-out of the rinks is delegated to the Green Sub Committee.
(b) For the preservation of the Green, all players, markers and umpires must, when on it, wear smooth-soled, heel-less footwear. This footwear should not be worn in the street or elsewhere outwith the curtilage of this and any other Bowling Green.
(c) At the beginning and at the end of each game, and normally during the game also, those involved must enter and leave the Green at the corner. However, during a game, players may, except at the Pavilion end, leave the Green by stepping into the ditch and then over the bank, and return by stepping from the path over the bank into the ditch, in order to avoid undue pressure on the edges of the Green, stepping between the Green and the top of the bank, or on to the Green without first stepping into the ditch is strictly forbidden.
(d) Players must comply with any request by a Club Officer or Green Sub Committee member (either generally or in relation to particular rinks or ends) that groundsheets are to be used. A groundsheet in use must be placed with its nearest edge two metres from the ditch and, at every end, the mat must be placed with its front edge touching the groundsheet (two metres from the ditch).

BOUNCE GAMES - CLARIFICATION of the RULES FOR THE USE OF THE GREEN

To avoid misunderstanding, the Club Committee wish to remind members of two provisions of the Rules for the Use of the Green.
Rule 6 deals only with Competition ties. Intimation Sheets must not be used at any time to "book" rinks for bounce games.
Rule 7 divides the day into five separate playing periods for the purpose of playing bounce games. The Rule sets out the requirements to be met by members present at the beginning of each period who wish to play a bounce game, i.e. those present wishing to play on rinks still available after priorities have been met, should decide among themselves how to play, bearing in mind that singles, pairs and triples may not start without the consent of all others present if there are insufficient rinks available to enable them all to play such a game. Further, when bounce games are in progress at the start of any of the specified playing periods (in particular 7.00pm), all members present at that time, including those already playing, must consult together to decide about how to play - a game in progress may continue only if it does not interfere with the wishes of all the other members who have turned up to play.

CLUB AND PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

In accordance with the Rules, every member, when on the Green, must wear smooth-soled heel-less footwear. To avoid bringing on to the Green any foreign matter which might damage the playing surface, such footwear MUST NOT be worn outwith the Club Grounds.
The Club provides sets of bowls of various sizes for use by new members and visitors. These should not be taken away from the Club or be placed in member's lockers. New members, who do not have bowls of their own, will find it helpful to try several of the Club sets until they learn the size of bowl which suits them best. Within a year of joining the Club, a member should have acquired a personal set of bowls, the discs on which should be marked with a symbol or initials which distinguishes that set from all others. To be valid for competitive play, bowls must bear a current stamp of the I.B.B., the W.B.B. or the W.B. Currently, for Ladies competing in the S.W.B.A. National Championships this year, bowls must have a stamp bearing 2003 or onwards. For 2004 the stamp should read 2004 or onwards and this will continue each year, i.e. bowls must have the current year or onwards on the stamp. For Men bowls must have a legible stamp reading 1997 or later and bowls conforming to this can continue to be used without stamping until such time as the stamp becomes illegible.