Page 20 - Winter 2017-18

Live Jack:Layout 1 22-Dec-17 11:47 AM Page 1

IS THE
20 IS THE
JACK LIVE?
JACK LIVE?

Having seen the item on "One
Player Missing", I thought that
your readers might be inter-
ested in my diagram, which
seeks to explain whether the
jack is live or dead.
I have seen the rule mis-
applied at club level many
times, and as a consequence I
created the artwork several
years ago and it has been on
the clubhouse wall ever since. I
have recently brought it into line with the latest rule book. I have even witnessed a huge row over
the matter at inter-county level, and on one occasion have seen an umpire get it wrong.

2014 Rule Book Page 12 2a
A jack is live and may be played by a live bowl if the jack is within the live area or if any
portion of it is within the live area when it is breaking the ditch line.
Page 32 LIVE AREA - means that section of the rink mat between the dead line and the
ditch line, delineated by the inside edge of the half inch marking.
Peter Sheather

Ed - This is a reprint from some time ago and is still VERY relevant. Peter has al-
Ed - This is a reprint from some time ago and is still VERY relevant. Peter has al-
lowed me to cover another point or two that is often misunderstood.
lowed me to cover another point or two that is often misunderstood.
2014 Rule Book Page 12 2b.
If any portion of the is in the live area when it is intersecting the ditch line. It can be played
by a live bowl and this bowl would be determined to be a toucher. This also means that
any live bowl which in its original course enter the ditch without touching the fender or any
bowl which is at rest within the ditch, and touches any part of the jack which is intersecting
the ditch line and has a portion of in the live area, will be determined to a toucher.

Quite simply it means that a live bowl may enter the ditch and make contact with a live jack, such
as the middle one in Peter’s diagram and it WILL be a toucher. So, a bowl may fully enter the ditch
and contact or rest on the jack partly in the ditch and it WILL be a toucher. PROVIDED IT IS IN
ONE CONTINUOUS MOTION i.e. it has not stopped at any point.
What! you may say but I would point out that there is no rule in the book that says a bowl is dead
when it crosses the ditch line.

For a live bowl to be dead when it enters the ditch 2014 Rule Book Page 9:-

(d) It finishes in the ditch without touching the jack or
(e) It touches or rebounds from the fender or contacts a toucher or the jack which is in the ditch,
So all those hands that stop live bowls when they cross the ditch line OR stop such a bowl from
hitting a jack or bowl in the ditch or preventing it hitting or making contact with the fender, ARE
BREAKING THE RULES, although there is no specific penalty, it might be possible to stretch the
rules slightly and have the end replayed, depending on who stopped the bowls. My latter comment
may open Pandora’s box a little but it would be an interesting topic if any Umpire or Barrack room
Lawyer wants to pitch in on the Subject, please do!