Tournament Rules

Hong Kong International Bowls Classic 2024

Tournament Rules

(October 30, 2024 Edition)

 

The Lawn Bowls Association of Hong Kong, China (the “Controlling Body”) has appointed a “Panel of Umpires”, and all decisions by this Panel at the tournament and actual match play will be final.

 

The tournament shall be conducted in accordance with the World Bowls “Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark 4th Edition, April 2023.

 

Members of the same team should wear matching uniforms, which includes the shirt, trousers, skirts and shorts.  If undergarments are worn, the colour should either be white or of the same main colour as the uniform. Approved and proper lawn bowling shoes shall be worn.

 

SINGLES

 

In the first two rounds, each match will comprise two sets of seven ends. From the third round onwards, each match will comprise two sets of nine ends. The winner of the match shall be the player who won both sets or won a set and tied in the other.

 

In the event of each player has won a set, or tied in both sets, a tie-breaker of three additional ends will be played. The player who gains the most shots in the tie-breaker will be the winner of the match. If the numbers of shots are equal after the third end of the tie-breaker, the players should play a fourth tie-breaker end to decide the winner.

 

  1. Not more than two bowls per direction of the trial ends.

 

  1. In the first set, the players should toss a coin before the start of the game, the winner of the toss should have the options to, either place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl, or tell the opposing player to place the mat, and deliver the jack and the first bowl.

 

  1. The winner of first set should deliver the jack and the first bowl in the first end of the second set. If the first set is a draw, the winner of the last scoring end in that set should place the mat, and then deliver the jack and the first bowl. Before the start of the first end of a tie-breaker, the players should toss a coin and the winner of the toss has the options as described above.

 

  1. Player movement: A player cannot visit the head until they have delivered their third bowl.

 

  1. Respotting the jack: If a jack in motion passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink of play, comes to rest in any hollow in the face of the bank, or rebounds to a distance of less than 20 metres from the mat line, the end must not be declared dead. Instead, the jack must be placed with the nearest point of the jack to the mat line at a spot on the rink, which is two metres from the front ditch and on the centre line, and play should continue.

 

If the spot mentioned in section is partly or completely covered by a bowl, the jack must be placed as close as possible to the covered spot, between and in line with that spot and the corresponding spot at the opposite end of the rink, without touching a bowl.

 

The spot mentioned must be marked using spray chalk or some other suitable method.

 

  1. A set is decided when a player is unable to win or draw in the end(s) remaining.

 

  1. Game will start once the green is available. All players are required to arrive for the game before the scheduled time. Should any player failed to turn up by the specified competition time, the game will be forfeited to the opposition.

 

 

PAIRS

The competition will be in a format of round-robin, and single knock-out in quarter-finals, semi-finals and final. For the round-robin stage, a time limit of 2.5 hours will be imposed and two sets of nine ends each will be played. During the knock-out stage, three additional ends will be played when the sets are tied.

 

  1. The competition will be in a three bowls pairs format.

 

  1. Not more than two bowls per direction of the trial ends.

 

  1. Player movement: The leads player cannot visit the head and the Skip may visit the head after delivery of their first bowl.

 

  1. All players are required to arrive for the game before the scheduled time. Should any player failed to turn up by the specified competition time in the Round Robin stage, the game will be forfeited to the opponent, the opposition will be awarded 6 points and 7 shots, and the infringing team will have 0 point and minus 7 shots.

 

  1. With the approval from the Controlling Body (Law 32.3), substitute will only be allowed when an original player is deemed unable to play due to injury or sickness.

 

  1. In the first set, the opposing teams should toss a coin before the start of the game, the winner of the toss should have the options to, either place the mat, and then deliver the jack and the first bowl, or tell the opponent to place the mat, and deliver the jack and the first bowl. The winning team of first set should deliver the jack and the first bowl in the first end of the second set. If the first set is a draw, the team of the last scoring end in that set should place the mat and then deliver the jack and the first bowl. Before the start of the first end of a tie-breaker, the opposing teams should toss a coin and the winner of the toss has the options as described above.

 

  1. In the round-robin stage, all nine ends of the two sets should be played to complete the game within a time limit of 2.5 hours. Two points will be awarded for a set win and one point for a set draw. Two additional points will also be awarded to the team with the most aggregate shots after the two sets. If the aggregate shots are tied, each team will be awarded one point.

 

  1. Group winners will be decided in the following sequence: –
    a) Highest points won
    b) Highest number of sets won
    c) Highest net total of shots scored
    d) The team that won the game played between the two teams
    e) If still equal, the toss of a coin will decide the winner. (Law 56.3.2.5)

 

  1. The top four teams of each Group will be advanced to the quarter-finals and the line up is:

 

QF – 1 Men 1st of Group A vs 4th of Group B
QF – 2 Men 2nd of Group A vs 3rd of Group B
QF – 3 Men 3rd of Group A vs 2nd of Group B
QF – 4 Men 4th of Group A vs 1st of Group B
QF – 5 Women 1st of Group C vs 4th of Group D
QF – 6 Women 2nd of Group C vs 3rd of Group D
QF – 7 Women 3rd of Group C vs 2nd of Group D
QF – 8 Women 4th of Group C vs 1st of Group D

 

  1. The line up of the semi-finals are as follows: –

 

SF 1 Men Winner of QF – 1 vs Winner of QF – 2
SF 2 Men Winner of QF – 3 vs Winner of QF – 4
SF 3 Women Winner of QF – 5 vs Winner of QF – 6
SF 4 Women Winner of QF – 7 vs Winner of QF – 8

 

  1. Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Final: In the event of a tie after the two sets have been completed, three additional ends shall be played and the result will be decided by the number of shots accumulated in the three additional ends. Should there be a tie after the three additional ends, another additional end will be played to decide the winner.

 

The Controlling Body reserves the rights to disqualify from the Tournament any participant for misconduct or non-compliance with these Tournament Rules.

 

 

Lawn Bowls Association of Hong Kong, China