QUALIFIED ACTIVE UMPIRES
Jim Howden
Monica Stansmore
Pat Blake
John Cruttenden
Ed Botten
Ian Brown
John Cooper
Maureen Coulson
John Dugdale
Cliff Horne
Pat Johnston
Bill Kapoor
Paul Leeder
Audrey Mitchell
Barbara Pilling
Dennis Pope
Derek Pursey
Judith Pursey
Clive Scott
Paul Trunchion
1. When to measure? (40.3) No measuring is allowed until the process of deciding the number of shots has started, which itself can only begin after the last bowl required to be played has come to rest.
2. Waiting 30 seconds. (40.1) Either team can ask for a delay of 30 seconds from when the last bowl played comes to rest before starting the process of deciding the number of shots, for example, to see if a leaning bowl (not necessarily the last bowl played) might fall in or out of the count.
3. Using wedges. (40.2, 40.6.1, 40.6.2) Both teams can wedge a leaning bowl or bowls (their own or their opponent’s) at any time during the process of deciding the number of shots.
4. Who measures? (37.2) The laws do not say which team does the measuring, only that the number threes measure disputed shots. However, by convention, it is the number three conceding the shots who does the measuring. The number ones and twos can make suggestions to their own number three but they should not get directly involved with deciding the number of shots. In singles the players themselves can measure or they can ask the marker or umpire to measure.
5. What to measure? (40.4) Always measure between the nearest points of the jack and the bowl, which are not necessarily the “equators” or the fattest parts.
6. What to use for measuring? (40.5) Anything suitable can be used but most measuring is done using a box measure. When measuring from the green to a bowl or a jack in the ditch the laws say a flexible measure should be used. A bullet measure or measuring pegs are best for this, however a box measure can be used to measure roughly from a bowl on the green to a jack in the ditch by placing the box pointer on the bowl instead of the jack.
7. How to measure? Imagine an open fan between the jack and the bowls to be measured, and always measure from outside this fan. Do not reach over the bowls or walk between the jack and the bowls. Measure A, then B, then back to A. Measure approximately to start with - it is quicker and often good enough for most situations. If it is close you can always go back and re-measure more accurately.
8. Agreeing the shot or shots. (39.2) No bowl should be moved until it has been agreed as a shot by both number threes.
9. What if you cannot agree? Call the skips. If necessary, they can call the umpire.
10. Use a towel. (39.3, 39.4, 39.5) Pick up the shot bowls as they are agreed and place them together on a towel. Please do not kick the shot bowls out of the head as this risks displacing other bowls and disturbing the play on adjacent rinks.
11. Signal the score to your skip and tell your number two. (39.6) Use prominent hand gestures (!!) to tell the skip. By convention, tapping the shoulder X times indicates X shots gained, tapping the leg indicates shots lost.
12. Tied end. (41.1) If a bowl (or bowls) from both teams is touching the jack or is the same distance from the jack, the end counts but the score is nil for both teams.
13. What if a bowl or the jack is accidentally moved while measuring? (28.1.4, 28.4, 33.1.3, 33.4, 40.6.4, 40.6.5 ) The opponent puts the bowl or jack back to its former position. If the bowl or jack was moved by a marker or umpire, the marker or umpire puts it back to its former position. The opponent’s, marker’s or umpire’s decision is final.
14. What if a bowl falls over on its own? (40.6.3) It is left in its new position, any shots already agreed still count and the process of deciding the number of shots continues.
15. Delivered jack: at least 23 m. (23.1.3) Measured from the middle of the front of the mat to that part of the jack closest to the mat after the jack has been centred.
16. Rebounded jack: at least 20 m. (30.1.4) Measured from the middle of the front of the mat to that part of the jack closest to the mat wherever the jack has come to rest.
17. Short bowl: at least 14 m. (27.1.3) Measured from the middle of the front of the mat to that part of the bowl closest to the mat wherever the bowl has come to rest.
Measuring Hardware
1. Wedges. Used to prevent leaning bowls from moving during the process of deciding the number of shots. These can be purpose made from plastic or rubber, or home made from wine bottle corks.
2. White plastic strips. Used to place underneath the gap between the jack and a bowl to help to see if they are actually touching or just very close together.
3. Magnifying glass. Used to see if the jack and a bowl are actually touching.
4. Feeler gauges. Used to measure the gap between the jack and a bowl if they are very close together but not quite touching.
5. Callipers. Very accurate measurement from about 1 cm to about 30 cm depending on their size.
6. Box measure. The universal measuring tool for the majority of situations.
7. Telescopic measure. Very accurate from 15 cm up to 80 cm.
8. Bullet measure. Used for ditch measuring.
9. Measuring pegs. Used for ditch measuring or for long distance shot decisions.
10. Long tape measure. Used for measuring delivered and rebounded jacks and short bowls.
1. Unclip the string pointer and extend it a small distance before placing the box pointer near the jack and in a straight line to the bowl to be measured.
2. In the first instance, place the box pointer just off the jack so as to reduce the chances of moving the jack. If the measure is close you can always go back and place it touching the jack, but in most situations an approximate measure is often good enough.
3. Hold the string pointer and take up the slack on the string while you press the locking button, being careful not to tilt the box if the carpet is spongy.
4. Pull the string pointer towards the bowl, checking all the time that the jack, the measure, the string and the bowl are still in a straight line.
5. Gently find the nearest point on the bowl by moving the string pointer up and down and from side to side. The nearest point is not necessarily the “equator” or the fattest part of the bowl, especially if the bowl is leaning at an angle. Try not to cock the pointer, but carefully swing the whole string.
6. Check that the box pointer has not moved in relation to the jack. Do not obscure the box pointer with your hand as this makes it difficult for you and your opponent to see how close the pointer is to the jack.
7. Release the pressure on the locking button and check that the measure still reaches the bowl with a small amount of force.
8. Proceed to the next bowl to be measured without reaching or stepping over the bowls.
9. Place the box pointer the same distance from the jack and carefully stretch the string pointer to the bowl with an equal amount of force.
10. Do not move any bowls until you have returned to the first bowl and re-measured it to make sure the string has not slipped.
11. Practice using a box measure from left to right and from right to left.
