PROPOSED RULES FOR LEAGUE BOWLING DURING COVID 19.
As the present COVID restrictions will remain in place until a vaccine is found it will be necessary to adjust the way we play to comply with the present 1.5m. distancing and when this is not possible face masks must be worn, and, of course, the present disinfecting procedures must be continued.
I have given a lot of thought to this and devised a layout which will require very little alteration to our greens, and whilst it is complicated to operate in order to maintain the 1.5m. distance will work provided all players rigidly obey the procedure, because if the police see that we not, they could issue a fine and close the green.
FOREWORD.
Please see the sketch https://www.bonalbabowlsclub.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Positioning.jpg showing the position that each player must take and this has been based on greens with a minimum of 4.5m. and all games must be played with at least 1 mat up (the back of the mat on the 2m. line). From the information I have received only 2 greens, Country Bowls and El Cid are less than 4.5m. (this information may be out of date) who would have to play with the mat at least 1m. up and reduce the distance between the 2 front players from the 1.45 shown, to 1.35. This would allow us to play on all rinks whilst keeping distancing between players on adjacent rinks. The positions on the sketch are for maximum length, but if the mat is taken up more than 1 mat or the jack is not full length then there is more room at each end so players can move up to give more room, but must remember to keep at least 75cm. from the side of the green to maintain the distance between players on adjacent rinks.
As the players at the rear have to stand 0.30 (30cm.) from the ditch and the width of the bank differs on all greens care must be taken when passing on these banks to ensure that distancing is maintained. There may be other problems with individual greens which I am sure we will be able to resolve.
The positions indicated will have to be permanently marked on the green and players must stand on them. This will allow us to play all formats, but Fours must always play 3’s up.
SINGLES.
As there are only 2 players there is no problem with maintaining 1.5m between each player at all times.
PAIRS.
There is a lot more flexibility with Pairs as there are also fewer players so the game can be played as normal without necessarily using the marked positions, as long as each player keeps the 1.5m distance at all times and they keep to the side indicated for home and away and allow the player on the mat to move well away from the mat before coming to the mat. Equally, there is plenty of room for the Skips to keep their distance. When changing ends both the Leads and Skips should walk on their right-hand side approx. 1m. from the centre line, in single file at least 1.5m behind each other and without stopping.
TRIPS.
The players should take their positions as indicated on the sketch and the bowls placed directly behind the mat without restricting the player on the mat. The Leads play as usual with the winner of the toss going first but must return to their marked position after every bowl. When the Twos bowl the first bowler should come to the mat and at the same time the Lead should move forward to keep the 1.5m. Once the Two is in position the Lead moves to the Two’s marked position keeping distancing.
At the changeover, they should follow the procedure as described for the Pairs with the away side moving first (as they are already on the right-hand side) followed by the home team who cross the green to the right-hand side. When they reach the other end the away side should cross the green to the left-hand side with the Lead taking the rear marked position and the Two the front.
When the end is complete and the bowls collected the change positions ready for the next end.
FOURS.
In order for this to work, 3’s up must always be played. The Lead and Two are positioned as for Trips and at the other end, the Skip occupies the front marker and the Three the rear. After the Lead and Two have played their bowls the Threes change end with the away side moving first and the Skip moving to the centre line to allow the Three to pass. The home team then follow. At the same time, the Twos change ends to take the Threes position on the rear markers and once again the Skips, in turn, move to the centre to allow the Twos to pass. After the Threes have played their bowls the Skips and Leads change end with the Threes moving to the centre line to allow the Leads to pass. The Threes now move to the rear markers and the Skips the front markers. At the other end, the Twos move to the centre to allow the Leads to occupy the rear markers. When the end is complete and the bowls collected the Leads move to the front markers.