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General Competition Rules

(applying to League Championships, Midweek League, Challenge Cups and Championships)

1. All competitions shall be played under the code of Laws of the Game as formulated by the World Bowls Board, with amendments approved by the Irish Bowling Association for use in domestic competitions.

All competitions, with the exception of the Championships, shall be open to male and female players. Entry to the Championships shall be restricted to male players.

To be eligible to play for a club a female player must be a member of that club and, during the current season, not have played for any other club in a league or cup competition run under the auspices of a body which is affiliated to the Irish Womens Bowling Association.

2. All competitions shall be confined to the members of Clubs comprising the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League. A player can only represent one Club in the Leagues, Challenge Cups and Championships in any one year.

3. A player who takes part in any competitive match or tie in any other league affiliated to the Irish Bowling Association shall not be eligible to play during the season in competitive matches or ties under the jurisdiction of the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League. It shall not be permissible for a club or any member of a club to enter or take part in a competitive match or tie in Ireland promoted by a league or association of clubs not affiliated to the Irish Bowling Association except with the approval of the General Purposes Committee. The eligibility of female players shall not be impacted by playing in an event run under the auspices of the Irish Women’s Bowling Association or one of its constituent bodies. This rule does not apply to players who play in a league or cup competition where participation is restricted to veteran bowlers.

4. In all games or ties in the League Championships, the Senior and Junior Challenge Cups and the semi-finals and finals of Championships, competing players must wear white, cream or approved coloured trousers/shorts/skirts. Players may wear either white or approved coloured shirts (with collar) with sponsor’s logo. Pullovers, cardigans, jackets, rainwear and headgear, if worn, must be white or cream or of the same colour and design as approved shirts. All players on teams or sides must wear trousers/shorts/skirts of the same colour and shirts of the same colour and design. Regulation bowling shoes must be worn for all matches.

The colour of trousers/shorts/skirts and the colour/design of shirts and any proposed logo must be approved by the General Purposes Committee.

For Midweek League matches, Midweek Cup Matches and earlier rounds of Championships, substitute grey trousers/shorts/skirts for white or cream trousers/shorts/skirts.

5. Bowls discs must be used in all competitions. Where discs in club colours are not being used, red discs must be used by the home team and blue discs by the away team. The discs to be used in semi-finals and finals shall be decided by the Honorary Competitions Secretary or the Honorary League Secretary.

6. Match and ties shall commence not later than the following times:

(a) Saturdays: 2pm or in the case of a second match on the same green, 6pm.
(b) Evenings: 6.30pm
Semi-finals and finals may be arranged by the General Purposes Committee for an earlier time.

These times must be adhered to within a limit of 15 minutes otherwise the match or tie may be claimed by the side or competitors ready to commence play.

7. When a match or tie is to be played, the rinks to be played on shall be drawn at the green by the visiting player or their representatives

8. Umpires – if considered necessary, qualified umpires/markers may be appointed by the General Purposes Committee for matches or ties. It shall be their duty to settle disputes that may arise between the competitors, and in the case of inclement weather, to decide in consultation with the green keeper or club official whether the green, at the time, is in a condition to play, their decisions to be final.

9. Protests shall be made in writing to the Honorary General Secretary and shall be dealt with in accordance with the rules of the relevant competition.

10. All competitions under the direct control of the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League shall be played on flat outdoor greens. The General Purposes Committee may arrange for floodlights to be used during semi-finals and finals.

Rules Governing League Championships

1 (a) The League shall consist of not more than five divisions. The competition shall be played on a home and away basis with each team playing each other twice in accordance with the fixture list. The General Purposes Committee shall determine the number of teams to play in each division.

1(b) A system of promotion and relegation will operate through all five divisions.
The bottom two teams, in Division 1 shall be relegated to Division 2;
The bottom two teams in Division 2 shall be relegated to Division 3;
The bottom two teams in Division 3 shall be relegated to Division 4;
The bottom two teams in Division 4 shall be relegated to Division 5.

The top two teams in Division 2 shall be promoted to Division 1;
The top two teams in Division 3 shall be promoted to Division 2;
The top two teams in Division 4 shall be promoted to Division 3
The top two teams in Division 5 shall be promoted to Division 4.

Through promotion or relegation, more than one team from a club may play in the same division.

To maintain the integrity of the League Championships structure as outlined in rule 1(a) the Honorary League Secretary, with the approval of the General Purposes Committee, may adjust the number of teams to be promoted or relegated. Clubs will be made aware of any possible change as early in the season as possible.

Should a club finish in promotion place in a Division and they do not wish to accept promotion if an alternative team can be found, the club should indicate to the General Purposes Committee of their decision to decline promotion before the end of October. The General Purposes Committee will contact other clubs to take the position vacated in the Division above. The order of preference for contact shall be as follows:

The team finishing second from bottom and being relegated from the Division above
The team finishing bottom and being relegated from the Division above
The team finishing third in the same Division as the team declining promotion
The team finishing fourth in the same Division as the team declining promotion
Should all 4 teams decline the option to take the place of the initial team, then the initial team will have to accept promotion

1(c) There shall be, in addition, a separate Division(s) consisting of 3 rinks of 4 players

Should the number of teams in this Division be 10 or below, teams will play each other home and away.
Should the number of teams in this Division be between 11 and 18, teams will play each other once
Should the number of teams in this Division exceed 18, the Division will be split into 10 in the top division and the remaining teams in the second division. Teams in both divisions will play their opponents home and away. The bottom two teams in the top division shall be relegated to the lower division. The top two teams in the lower division shall be promoted to the top division;
There shall be no automatic promotion from these Divisions into the Divisions 1-5 outlined in 1 (b). Should a club playing in this division(s) at the end of the season decide they have enough players to play in the main Divisions 1-5 as outlined in 1 (b), they should apply to join the bottom Division by contacting the General Purposes Committee no later than the end of October. The General Purposes Committee will review the application and confirm a decision before entry forms are circulated for the following season”

1 (d) The team with the highest number of points at the top of each division on completion of the League programme shall be declared winners. The team with the second highest number of points shall be declared runners-up.

In divisions where 4 rinks make up a team, seven points shall be awarded in each game. Three points will be awarded to the winning team and one point for each winning four on either team. In a drawn game one and a half points will be awarded to each team plus one point for each winning four on either team. When fours finish level each four shall be awarded 0.5 of a point.
In divisions where 3 rinks make up a team, six points shall be awarded in each game. Three points will be awarded to the winning team and one point for each winning four on either team. In a drawn game one and a half points will be awarded to each team plus one point for each winning four on either team. When fours finish level each four shall be awarded 0.5 of a point.
2. (a) In the event of two or more teams being equal on points at the top of a division on completion of the League programme the team with the best aggregate of shots shall be declared the winner. The team with the second best aggregate of shots shall be declared runners-up.

In the event of two or more teams being equal on points at the bottom of a division on completion of the League programme, the team with the best aggregate of shots shall be placed above the other teams. Other teams shall be similarly placed.
The aggregate shots of any team shall be determined by subtracting the total number of shots scored against a team from the total number of shots scored by the team over the course of the League programme.

(b) In the event of two or more teams finishing equal on points and aggregate of shots at the top of any division the shots for shall be divided by the shots against. The team(s) with the higher figure will finish in the higher position(s). In the event of two or more teams finishing equal on points and aggregate of shots at the bottom of any division the shots for shall be divided by the shots against. The team(s) with the lower figure will finish in the lower position(s).

3. Team designations.

(a) Where a Club has 2 or more teams playing in the League Championships the teams shall be designated the “A” “B” “C” team etc. based on the highest to lowest division respectively in which they are playing

(b) Where a Club has 2 or more teams playing in the League Championships in the same division, the club shall designate their teams as “A” “B” “C” team etc

(c) Where a Club has two or more teams playing in the League Championships and is unable to field the requisite number of fours on each team on a given day the following shall apply:

A team that plays in a higher Division than that of another Club team must in all instances, where the number of players allows, field 4 fours. In all cases where the team in the lower Division plays with fewer players short than the team in the higher Division, a written explanation must be received by the League Secretary within 7 days explaining the exceptional and unavoidable circumstances. If no written explanation is received, or the explanation is deemed unsatisfactory, in the opinion of the League Secretary, and more could have been done to avoid the higher Division team playing short, then the teams involved forfeit the matches and the points are awarded to their opponents.

Should the team in the higher Division forfeit the match, the team in the lower Division will automatically forfeit the match. Both teams will be penalised with the deduction of seven points from their accumulated totals. Note that there may be circumstances where a team in the higher Division postpones the match lawfully under POSTPONEMENT OF MATCHES section of the rules 7-9.

4. Registration of panel of players.

(a) For teams competing in Division 1 only. Prior to the first league match, a club (with two or more teams competing in the League Championships) that has an A team competing in Division 1 must submit to the Honorary League Secretary a panel of 12 players who will only be allowed to play for that club’s designated A team. A club with a second team in Division 1 (designated as that club’s B team) must also submit a further panel of 12 players who will only be permitted to play for that club’s designated B team. Those players who in the previous or current season have played at Senior International or Senior Inter Association level must be included in a club’s A team panel. Female players are exempt from the registration process.

A club which fails to register the minimum number of players shall have seven points deducted from their accumulated total in respect of each match played until the full quota of players is submitted to the Honorary League Secretary.

(b) Players who are not included on any panel are eligible to play on any of their club’s teams in the League Championships with the following exception: where a club has two teams playing in the same division a player may only play for one of those teams during the course of a season. Should this be contravened the match in which an ineligible player takes part shall be declared void and seven points shall be awarded to the opposing team.

(c) A Club with only one team in the League Championships is not required to submit a panel of players.

(d) A substitution system will allow clubs to change 2 players in each panel in the same playing season. No amendments to the panels will be permitted after the 31st July in each season except in cases of exceptional circumstances. Amendments will require the approval of the Honorary League Secretary.

(e) The panel for each club will be posted on the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League website.

5. League Championship matches shall consist of 4 fours and 21 ends shall be played; except in Divisions 4 and 5 where 18 ends shall be played. Teams may mutually arrange prior to the commencement of a match to limit the number of ends to be played. Not less than 15 ends shall be played.

Teams may play no trial ends, 1 trial end or 2 trial ends. An agreement to do otherwise e.g. to play for 1 shot on the first two ends may result in both clubs being subject to sanctions.

6. When it is proved that a club played an ineligible player, including a player on a named panel (“starred” player), the club shall forfeit the match and the points shall be awarded to their opponents with a 50 shot victory. The club will also be deducted seven points from its accumulated total.

POSTPONEMENT OF MATCHES

(7) Irish Bowling Association Cup Matches and National Championships.

When a Saturday fixture is postponed because a team is playing an Irish Bowling Association cup match or because the green of the home team is being used for an Irish Bowling Association cup match, the fixture must be played on or before the following Tuesday.

If a Club has a player in the finals of the Irish Bowling Association National Championships the fixture due to be played on that Saturday must be played on or before the following Tuesday.

If a Club has a player who is engaged as an umpire in an Irish Bowling Association cup match or at the finals of the Irish Bowling Association National Championships the fixture due to be played on that Saturday may be postponed but must be played on or before the following Tuesday.

If a Club has a team in the final of an Irish Bowling Association cup competition the Club may postpone any fixture involving a Club team. Any fixture postponed under this rule must be played on or before he following Tuesday.

EXCEPTIONS

If on the Tuesday a Club has a player engaged in the semi-final of the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League Championships the match may be postponed but must be played within 28 working days.

8 (a) A fixture may be postponed but must be played on the Tuesday after the original fixture date when a team has two or more players or officials involved in the following sanctioned events:

Senior and Junior Inter-Association Series
BIBC Championships
BIBC Senior and Junior International Series
8 (b) A fixture may be postponed but must be played within 28 working days when a team has two or more players or officials involved in the following sanctioned events:

European Bowls Union Championships
Commonwealth Games
World Bowls
For clarification High Performance Elite or Emerging Squad events do not qualify.

In all cases an official is deemed to be one of the following:

NIPGBL President, NIPGBL Honorary Secretary, NIPGBL Honorary Treasurer, NIPGBL team Selector, IBA President, IBA Vice-President, IBA Honorary Secretary, IBA Honorary Assistant Secretary, IBA Honorary Treasurer, Irish Team Manager, Irish Assistant Team Manager, IBA selector or an officially appointed umpire. An official who has retired from playing cannot be used to postpone a game under this rule.

The club desiring the postponement must contact the Honorary League Secretary and the opposing club, giving at least 48 hours’ notice.

(9) Other Situations

A fixture may be postponed when the green of the home club is unplayable or for any other valid reason. Inability to field the strongest possible team (e.g. by reason of players’ holiday commitments) will not however be regarded as a valid reason for postponement.

A fixture may not be postponed due to the unavailability of a female player.

Any fixture postponed in accordance with the foregoing must be played within twenty eight working days from the date of the original fixture.

The home team shall offer two dates (not consecutive and which do not coincide with a fixture, involving either team, arranged by the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League) to the opposing team, one of which must be accepted.

The Honorary League Secretary must be informed in writing (letter, email or text message from the Club Secretary or Match Secretary will be acceptable) of the date agreed by both clubs concerned not later than 10 working days after the original fixture date. Failure to contact the Honorary League Secretary by either team within this period will result in forfeit of the fixture and the maximum points shall be awarded to their opponents with a 50 shot victory. In the event that neither team contacts the Honorary League Secretary then the match shall be declared void. Should the home club not offer dates within 10 working days, the visiting team is still required to contact the Honorary League Secretary to advise him of the situation or it too will forfeit the fixture and no points will be awarded to either team

The foregoing shall not apply to a match which has been postponed, cancelled or abandoned during the month of June. In such circumstances the match shall be played during the month of August unless both teams agree to play it earlier. The date on which the match is to be played must be agreed by both teams not later than the last Monday in July.
The Honorary League Secretary must be advised of a postponed, cancelled or abandoned match within seven days. The date on which the match is to be played must be advised to the Honorary League Secretary within seven days of agreement having been reached.

SCRATCHING A FIXTURE

10. In the event of a team scratching a fixture:

(a) The maximum points shall be awarded to their opponents with a 50 shot victory.

(b) 48 hours notice must be given to the opposing team, either to the Honorary Secretary or Honorary Match Secretary, and to the Honorary League Secretary before the date on which the fixture was scheduled to be played.

If the visiting team is scratching a fixture and 48 hours notice is not given, the visiting team will be liable for 50% of any catering costs incurred by the home team.

(c) The team scratching the fixture shall have seven points deducted from its’ accumulated league points and seven points shall be awarded to their opponents.

If the match scratched occurs in August or September a further three points shall be deducted from the team’s accumulated league points for the following league season.

Where a team scratches more than three matches in a single season the General Purposes Committee will have the power to declare all the results of all matches already played by that team null and void. Outstanding matches still to be played by that team will also be declared null and void. That team may only re-enter the League Championships if and when the Club can satisfy the General Purposes Committee that the team can fulfill matches in accordance with the published list of League fixtures.

11. Protests and appeals must be received in writing by the Honorary General Secretary within 7 working days of the cause of the protest, except in the case of an ineligible player when the protest may be made at any time during the League season.

12. Each Club shall keep a record of all matches played, including the names of the players participating in the matches, also the scores. Within five working days of the date on which a match had been played, each Club shall forward to the Honorary League Secretary the names of the players and also the result of the match.

13. The League Championships must be finished by the third Saturday in September of each year. League Championship matches shall not be arranged for the date of the finals of the Northern Ireland Private Greens Bowling League Championships

14. When the winners and runners-up have been declared, the League shall hand to representatives of the Clubs the respective Cups presented for competition, subject to such conditions as the General Purposes Committee may determine.

The winners shall receive 18 badges. Additional badges, not exceeding 6, may be purchased for competitors from the Honorary Treasurer

15. The General Purposes Committee shall have the power to interpret the Rules Governing League Championships and to deal with any matters not specifically provided for therein. It shall deal with any dispute which may arise as to the meaning or interpretation of these rules.

Any party to dispute may appeal a decision of the General Purposes Committee to the Management Committee