Page 21 - Autumn 2017

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Another County player (from a different County to those in the previous example) told me 21
that “it is OK to put your foot behind the fender to hold it in place, but it is not OK to put
your foot on top of the fender”. He said that `they` had agreed to this holding of the fender in
position to avoid bowls and/or the jack from firing off in all directions when there are bowlers
with disabilities playing. (I am not sure who “they” were; possibly the ESMBA?)
ED - “they” or “they say” is another invention. Try asking them exactly who “they” are and
you are highly unlikely to get an answer that makes any sense or gives you the opportunity of
asking “They” directly, you won’t get a proper answer.
So, the debate is usually around the question of whether or not the fender should be per-
manently fixed (usually with Velcro on the bottom surface), temporarily fixed (players holding it
in place with their feet) or not fixed at all. This is important because any bowl/jack striking the
fender at pace will behave differently depending upon whether the fender is fixed or not, and the
possibility of a bowl/jack over the fender therefore varies. (This variation in behaviour of the
fender would also occur if dead bowls have been placed on the floor behind the fender.)
I agree with the writer of the previous letter, that by inference though not specifically
stated, it is not allowed within the Laws of the Game to fix in place the fender, and therefore,
players should only ever touch the fender in order to replace it into the correct position following
it having been displaced. Surely the Laws of the Game clearly infer that the fender should not
be fixed (see Laws of the Game F 12), otherwise how could there ever be `fender displace-
ment`? Ed- no offence but you have just made my case! No rule has an inference, it either
states it or it doesn’t. No laws should be open to interpretation as this is the slippery slope to
people inventing what they want when it suits them.
My main, and strong, appeal however is for Clarity (the Laws of the Game should be ex-
panded to state that the fender should be neither fixed nor temporarily held in place), Consis-
tency (all play should operate to the same Law) and Communication (all players should be
made aware of whether or not the fender can be fixed/held in place). I`ll be pleased to hear
what you and other readers think.
Matt Shaw

PS. Just a thought; in a singles match, if it is allowed to hold the fender in place with the feet,
should the marker do this? I have never seen that done!
Ed - over the years there have been many discussions on various aspects of the rules,
mostly from flat green bowlers, who seem to think that the rules are far more important than ac-
tually playing the game. My bowls are painted, some in 2 colours and some in 4 and I have had
people complain saying it is against the rules but when I ask them to show me where it says this
in the rule book, they usually don’t even have a copy of the rules.
I have also had a complaint because I had the wrong stickers on my bowls, or indeed no
stickers at all. When it comes to County or England stickers, anyone intimidated by a sticker
should give up bowls and convert to Tiddlywinks!
I personally put my foot behind the fender when a bowl comes down the mat for very good
reasons, previously explained, if anyone complains or challenges me, I simply ask them to show
me where it says I can’t in the rule book. So Matt, a great topic to raise but if I sound very frus-
trated about people’s invented rules, I am.
HANDICAPPING

Hi Bob,
Whatever happened to the will to win? Those ‘top’ teams are there to aim at. By compet-
ing against these teams, hopefully, our standard of play will improve and one day they will be
surpassed. Our club, Chorley Village Hall, has taken part in the ‘Cheshire Villages Indoor
Bowling Tournament’, annually for quite a number of years. Yes, we have a ‘top’ team that “al-
ways wins”. In fairness, they have not always been up at the top but they have held onto the
shield for some time now. They know who they are but I will refer to them as Team ‘A’