CONDITIONS OF PLAY

        INTERNAL CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS – CONDITIONS OF PLAY 2026/2027

Club Championship Sub‑Committee (CCSC)

·       Robyn Donoghue - 0401 342 544

·       Gavin Jackson - 0421 051 733

·       Martin Burke - 0412 016 352

Important Information to Read Before Entering any Club Championships

1.   Check all dates before entering.  Only enter if you are available to play all rounds on or before the required dates.

2.   Entries are via BowlsLink.  Assistance will be provided if needed.  Payment is also via BowlsLink.  All members must be financial to enter Club Championships or the Grace and Don Cory Cup.

3.   Rounds must be played by the scheduled dates.  The CCSC will follow up incomplete matches and may withdraw players who do not comply.  The CCSC will determine fault where applicable.  Extensions may be granted at the CCSC’s discretion.

4.   Conditions of Play will be displayed on the Members Board and Club Website.

5.   The Bowls Committee reserves the right to amend rules as necessary.

6.   Members entered in Sandbelt or Bowls Victoria competitions may receive reasonable leeway for one Club Championship event.  Please notify the Tournament Director of any clashes.

Club Championships are open to all fully paid Moorabbin Bowls Club members, including Tuesday Night Pennant players.

The CCSC (Robyn Donoghue, Gavin Jackson, Martin Burke) will adjudicate disputes and queries.

Winners of the Men’s and Ladies Championships will be invited to compete in the Sandbelt Champion of Champions and are strongly encouraged to participate.

Why You Should Enter

Participating builds competitive experience, improves decision‑making (especially for those who don’t regularly skip), strengthens club connections, supports Moorabbin Bowls Club, and enriches your bowls journey.

Don’t hesitate to ask another member to partner with you in one of the Pairs Championships.

Markers

All singles players are expected to be available to mark.  If you need guidance, please speak with an Accredited Club Official.

Club Championships are an excellent opportunity to learn marking skills for future tournaments.

Practice

Members may practise for a maximum of 30 minutes on the day of play prior to the scheduled start time.

Players must not practise on the same rink on which they are playing that day.

If a match is scheduled during pennant training, players may participate in pennant training without a time limit, instead of the 30‑minute practice allowance.

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Roll-Up

A two-end roll‑up will be played:

·       Singles:  4 bowls per player

·       Pairs:  3 bowls per player

Direction of Play

Club Championship games will be played in the direction (North/South or East/West) assigned for that day by the Greenkeeper, except for the Finals.

Default Green

All Club Championship games are to be played on either:

·       Jan Shaw (Tif Grass) Green, or

·       Norm Foenander (Synthetic) Green

When organising a match time, players must also agree on the Green.

If players cannot agree, they should ask a CCSC member to arbitrate, and if required, a coin toss will decide which green will be used for the game.

Finals will be played on the Jan Shaw Green in full club uniform, unless otherwise determined by the Greens Director or the CCSC.

Handicaps

Handicaps are determined by the nominated handicapper and displayed next to each player’s name on the BowlsLink draw.

Marking

All singles matches must have a marker.  Players are responsible for arranging their own marker.  After the first round, it is etiquette for one of the losing players to be available to mark the next round.

Reporting Results

Winners must photograph the scorecard and SMS it to Robyn Donoghue - 0401 342 544 immediately after the match.

Weather/Heat

Bowls Victoria Conditions of Play rules apply.

Substitutes and Replacements

The CCSC will decide (by majority vote) on the use of substitutes or replacements in Pairs or Multi Player Events.  A substitute (single game) or replacement (remainder of tournament) may be used if required, with CCSC approval.  A substitute or replacement must not have been eliminated from the same tournament.  They must not play as skip.

Duration and Method of Play

All Club Championship events follow Bowls Victoria rules:

Pairs Championship - Men’s, Ladies, Mixed

·       Knockout format

·       18 ends

·       3 bowls per player

·       Player 1 delivers 3 bowls, Player 2 delivers 3 bowls

·       No dead ends – the jack is respotted on the T

Singles Championship - Men’s and Ladies

·       Knockout format

·       First to 25 shots

·       4 bowls per player

·       Alternating play

·       Dead ends are replayed

Handicap Singles - Men’s and Ladies

·       Knockout format

·       Handicaps determined by Bowls Committee

·       First to 25 shots

·       4 bowls per player

·       Alternating play

·       Dead ends are replayed

Players receiving a handicap begin on a negative score.  Example: A handicap of 7 means starting at -7.

If both players have handicaps, they may mutually agree to net them off.  Example: Player A -8 vs Player B -3 the match may proceed with Player A -5 and Player B 0.

(Note:  note permitted in Proportional Championship.)

Novice Championship

Format varies depending on numbers.  Typically, a round robin competition, with the top four players progressing to semi‑finals, and winners to the feature final.

Proportional Championship - Men’s and Ladies

·       Handicap event to 100 points

·       Scoring:

o   4 points - shot

o   3 points - second shot

o   2 points - third shot

o   1 point - fourth shot

·       Handicaps determined by Bowls Committee.

·       Dead ends are replayed.

·       If both players exceed 100 on the same end, the highest score at the completion of the end wins the game.

·       If totals are equal at the completion of the end, an additional end is played.