Public letter to HKLBA Officials:
Puzzled by the Media Report on the TRIPLES LEAGUE 2015 GAME# M50015, Titled “Tactical Changes Save CCC From Relegation” written by Mr. Claudius Lam.
http://www.hklba.org/new/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=42&lang=en
After reading the above passage through the hyperlink on HKLBA website, I could not agree with the views of the reporter. Instead I want comment on the tricky tactics of this league game:
- 1. The Side CCC-A did not fulfill the requirement of Triples League game format
As it is clearly stated in the Bye-law Section 4.3.a. “Each side shall play one match against every other side in the same division”. When we examined ALL the players and lineups, we could only conclude that the CdeR-A team had played twice against the SAME team of CCC-B players, but CdeR-A had no chance to play against, NOT ONE registered or tied players from CCC-A team for this very last game. Obviously, this violates the quoted section of Bye-law.
- The HKLBA failed to safeguard FAIR play
To our common sense or from the views of laymen, we cannot be persuaded that those same lineups of 9 players were representing TWO different teams in the sme Division! It is ridiculous that the regulating body could take them as TWO different teams! - 3. CCC-A disgraced the Lawn Bowling in Hong Kong
As we are told by our lawn bowling coaches in the very first lesson of lawn bowling training class that lawn bowling is a gentleman game, sportsmanship is vital in our games. In this case, when their team was in a crisis of relegation to lower division, the CCC-A players chosen to escape, to find substitutes…, though their team might escape from being relegation by exploiting the loopholes of the existing rules, they should be ashamed of themselves. In this case CCC-A did not behave in line with sportsmanship, and this shows that lawn bowling in Hong Kong cannot be treated as a gentleman game at all.
We are expecting teams in the top division could play as models for all our teams in the lower divisions not just their excellent skills and techniques but also their high stand of sportsmanship in lawn bowling in Hong Kong. In my opinion, there might be no penalty imposed for the act of CCC-A team in the end, HKLBA should condemn their misconduct. Of course, HKLBA should amend their regulations in the near future to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Sunny Chan (A distressed TMSA player)
Annex: The extract of the media report could be found:
http://www.hklba.org/new/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=42&lang=en
Tactical Changes Save CCC From Relegation
Lawn Bowls—Triples League
By Claudius Lam | an officer of the Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association. March 3, 2016
Last Updated: March 3, 2016 3:31 am
Champion and savior – The CCC-B team celebrates their championship at the Triples League Division 1 last Saturday, February 27, 2016.
After winning the Triples League Division 1 title with a game to spare, all members of the champion team at Craigengower Cricket Club switched to the other team in the same division that was deep in relegation trouble in the final game of the season last weekend and helped them to survive.
The CCC-B was crowned champion the week before but the CCC-A was still engaged in a relegation dogfight against Club de Recreio. Into the last round CCC-A was trailing CdeR by eight points but with a superior shots difference. So CCC-A needed an 8-0 win to maintain their top flight status, which also means that CdeR would be relegated.
In a tactical rearrangement of the team members, all the nine players who originally played for CCC-B was switched to CCC-A. Such arrangement was not against the HKLBA rules as team B was considered a lower ranking team, despite the fact that they were in the same division and with a better results, so their players can move up to a higher ranking team.
The CdeR team was surprised to see their opponents were the same players who defeated them 8-0 earlier in the season.
History repeated itself and the same result was registered at the end of the game. CdeR were level on points with CCC-A but the inferior shots difference pushed them to Division 2, along with bottom club Lawn Bowls Training Center.