At the council meeting on April 25, 2016 the councilors have endorsed the following arrangements for playing on heavy greens.
The accepted pace for a green will be from 9 to 18 seconds. The pace is determined by the number of seconds taken by a bowl from the time of its delivery to the moment it comes to rest at 27M from the centre of the mat line.
Procedure for measuring the Pace of the Green
1. This procedure will only take place after trial ends.
2. Each side assign one member to deliver the bowl and one member to time the pace. For Singles the bowl will be delivered by the marker and timed by the two opponents.
3. Place the mat at 2M from the rear ditch. Place the jack at 27M from the center of the mat and center it.
4. The two bowlers each deliver two bowls consecutively on the same hand. For singles the marker will deliver two bowls on the same hand.
5. Time start counting when the bowl leaves the bowler’s hand. Time stop counting when the bowl stops completely.
6. Only bowls stopped within 1M from the jack will be counted. Time registered by both players will only be recognized as correct when the difference is less than 1 second. Take all records and average it for the exact timing.
7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 until at least one valid time is recorded to determine the pace.
In League Games
After the trial ends, a side may query the pace of the green that were assigned to play. The captain should communicate with the opponent to request a measure to the pace of the green.
The two teams should each nominate a player to conduct the test on a rink these two players will not play on.
If the pace of the green proves to be outside the allowed range, the game will be re-scheduled and the current bye-law(s) apply. The side who raised the query will be responsible for any additional green fee involved.
In National Games
The above arrangement should apply except for games with a duty umpire. The lead of each team or marker in Singles should conduct the test on the rink of play. If a duty umpire is present, he/she is responsible for making the decision.
Due to the tight schedule of the national competitions, the two teams need to consider the date for the reschedule game before making a decision to postpone the game. In case of dispute, the current bye-law(s) apply.
Please note that the above arrangement should be conducted before a game commenced. Once both sides agree to start the game, no query on the pace of the green should be raised during the game. Should the green condition changes during the game due to inclement weather, the current rules and bye-law(s) apply.
The arrangement will be effect immediately.
MEMORANDUM (Pdf file)