COLEMANS HATCH BOWLING CLUB –MATCHES AND COMPETITIONS

Club strip for matches is white above the belt and white or grey below, as indicated on the Fixture List and flat soled shoes, preferably white or grey. Casual wear can be worn for roll-ups. Please change into your bowls shoes at the side of the Green or in the changing room, to prevent the spread of disease from outside areas, such as the car park or roads, onto the Green.

FRIENDLY MATCHES AGAINST OTHER CLUBS

An email will be sent out by the Fixture Secretary/Vice Captain (Carol Beamond) prior to the friendly match date, inviting members to play in the match and when finalised the chosen team players list will be emailed to all members. The Captain (John Mills) will decide who is chosen to play and on the playing position of each member for each match. The Host Captain will decide if a match has to be cancelled or abandoned due to the weather and the players and opposing Club contact informed by the Fixture Secretary (Carol Beamond) by email and/or telephone.

INTERNAL CLUB COMPETITION RULES

Members can enter for any or all of the competitions they are eligible for on competition draw day (May date TBA) or before that date by contacting the Chair (Nigel Ashdown)

Competition match rounds are arranged by the participating players on dates when the Green is available. Please check with the green keeper (Des Simmons) and mowing team organiser (Eddie Munro) for any planned maintenance dates and if the green is unplayable due to the weather.

Each competition round should be played by the date shown on the match round sheets on the competition notice board or if the round cannot be arranged in time, the Club Captain (John Mills) should be informed together with the reason for the delay and he will decide to extend the play-by date or if there should be a penalty, such as a Bye.

Singles matches should ideally have a Marker to keep to the score, position the jack and answer players questions.

Score cards should be agreed at the end of each match and signed by both players in a singles match and one of the pair in a pairs match and the results entered on the competition notice board.

A Green fee of £3 is payable for each competition round and can be paid, in full, at the end of the season.

Players should be available to play in a final match on Finals Day on Saturday 7 th and/or Sunday 8 th September 2024. If they are not available the Club Captain (John Mills) should be informed, who will decide if the match can be postponed or awarded to the opposing players and the non -attendee(s) deemed runners up.

COMPETITIONS

Novice – Singles match, 4 woods each, open to any member who has not already won a Competition Trophy. Runner’s up can compete. Played over 21 ends *

Drawn Pairs – Pairs match, 4 woods each, open to all members. Members enter as individuals and are paired with another player by drawing names out of a hat on competition draw day. Played over 21 ends*

Ladies Singles – 4 woods each, open to all ladies, Played over 21 ends*

Men’s Singles- 4 woods each. open to all men. Played over 21 ends*

*If the losing player cannot catch up, even if all 21 ends are played, then by agreement play can stop before the 21 ends have all been played.

Challenge, Trevor Pavitt Trophy – Singles match, 4 woods each, Open to all Members. First to 21 shots.

Handicap – Singles match, 4 woods each, open to all Members. Each player’s Handicap is determined by the captain. First to 21 shots, after taking into account differential between player’s handicaps e.g Player A has a handicap of 3 and player B has a handicap of 1, a differential of 2. To win Player A must get to 21 shots and win by a margin of at least 2 shots. Player B needs to get to 21 shots before Player A gets to 23.

Australian Pairs – Pairs match, 4 woods each. Players enter as a Pair. e.g. Pair A & B versus pair X & Y. Players A and X bowl two woods, then swap ends with players B and Y. Players B and Y play all four woods, then swap ends again. Players A and X play their last two woods. For the second end, players B and Y start the end and so on. Played over 18 ends, not 21 because it takes so long to complete a match.

OTHER COMPETITIONS DURING THE SEASON

Len Smith Drive, Saturday June 15th– Match is played in pairs, 4 woods each, open to all members.

Players are invited to enter this competition nearer the Drive date. Each player is paired with a different player and they play against a different pair, for every round. The number of Ends in each Round and the number of Rounds in the Drive are determined by the number of entries. Each player keeps their own score throughout the Drive. Usually, tea is taken at the end.

Richmond Trophy – Individual competition over the whole season. All match playing members are entered automatically. To qualify a member must play in at least 10 friendly matches. At the end of the season, the average of their best 10 scores is calculated. The winner is the player with the highest score. The Fixture secretary/Vice Captain (Carol Beamond) will keep the scores and work out the winner.

President’s Match – Sunday July 28 – Triples match, 3 woods each, against a team supplied by the President (Peter Hammersley). All members are invited to play in this match nearer the match date.