In August 2022, two new laws 37.1.3 and 37.1.5.3, were introduced to the Laws of the Sport Crystal Mark Fourth Edition. They were designed to penalise a player who deliberately displaced their own team’s bowl on its original course or lifted a bowl at rest to allow one of their own team’s bowls to pass.
Despite a clarification document
published on the World Bowls Website in September 2022, it had become very
clear from communications that the two laws were causing a great deal of
confusion and had resulted in games being forfeited incorrectly following
players innocently stopping bowls from entering the ditch.
Furthermore, the management of a
side game and the resulting scoring or penalties after a team had been
disqualified also caused a great deal of confusion within Member Nations and
domestic Controlling Bodies.
Concern was expressed about the
severe penalty of forfeiting the game and clarity in the wording of the law
itself. Taking the two clauses in isolation had led to much debate about
scenarios that are quite adequately covered by other displacement laws.
Suggestions to reduce the
severity of the forfeit to penalising with shot deductions were made. This
approach would be inconsistent with any other law and was not felt to be a
suitable solution. Penalties have always existed for the displacement of a bowl
by its own team players but at the time of the 2021 Laws review these penalties
were not felt to be severe enough for what is considered an act of “cheating”.
Having considered several options to
improve the wording to express the intent of these two laws, the LAG concluded that
they have created more issues than they were written to solve. The LAG recommended to the Board of World Bowls
to take the unprecedented step to rescind them with immediate effect.
The numbering of Law 37.1.4 will
remain unchanged until the next review of the Laws.
Displacement Law 37.1 still exists
which deals with a player moving, stopping or lifting either their own bowls or
their opponents. Whilst the penalties are not as severe the opponent still has
the option to declare a bowl that is
displaced, dead.
Communication has been sent to
all member nations of World Bowls for dissemination to their regions and
umpiring bodies. In addition, the statement from World Bowls has been published
widely on their website and on social media.
37.1.3 If a bowl in its
original course is deliberately displaced or stopped by a member of the team
that delivered the bowl, the defaulting team will forfeit the game to their
opponent.
37.1.4 Displacement of a bowl in motion.
37.1.4.1 If a
bowl in motion is displaced by a player and it has not disturbed the head after
it is displaced, the opposing skip or the opponent in Singles must choose
whether to:
37.1.4.1.1 place
the bowl where the player believes it would have come to rest; or
37.1.4.1.2 declare
the end dead.
37.1.4.2.1 place
the bowl where the player believes it would have come to rest and replace any
part of the head disturbed after the displacement; or
37.1.4.2.2 declare
the end dead.
37.1.5.1 If a
bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has not
disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opponent must put the bowl back
to its former position.
37.1.5.2 If a
bowl at rest or a toucher in the ditch is displaced by a player and it has
disturbed the head after it is displaced, the opponent must put the bowl back
to its former position and replace any part of the head disturbed after the
displacement.
37.1.5.3 If a
player lifts a bowl at rest on their rink to allow their team’s bowl in its
original course to pass, the defaulting team will forfeit the game to their
opponent.
