Club Rules

 

1.  Pitch - Prospective new teams are asked to contact the Committee for advice.  Only two teams per pitch is allowed for each Pub/Club.

2.  Teams - Teams can consist of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 8 players but no less than 3 of the team can take part in each ‘End’ using no more than 2 boules each. 

3.  Start of play - A coin is tossed and the winner decides whether his/her team starts.  The Captain of the starting team decides which player should throw out the jack and the first boule.  The player throwing the Jack must place the hoop within the throwing area, and touching the back of the court and may be situated at any point within the width of the pitch, but then cannot be moved for the duration of that ‘End’.  All players must stand within the hoop. If there is a safety issue then a mat of the appropriate size may be substituted.

3a.  The Jack must be at least two thirds of the way down the court and at least two feet in from the end boundaries of the pitch, and one foot in from the side boundaries.  It must be thrown again if this is not achieved first time and not picked up and placed by any other player.  The jack is thrown by the same player for a maximum of 3 times. If unsuccessful the Jack and the first boule is then thrown by the opposing team.

3b.  Play commenses at the latest 7 pm but if agreed between Captains, matches may be started earlier.  If a team is late turning up for a match, the opposing Captain can, if he/she wishes, claim the points from the late team as a win if they are not available at 7 pm.

4.  Throwing - This MUST be done backhand, and waist high from within the hoop at the starting end.  The boule must not be rolled along the ground as in skittles or the throw will be deemed void.

5.  Playing - After the first player has thrown the Jack and the first boule, the opposing team takes over and throws their boules, aiming to get them nearer to the jack or to knock the opponents boule out of the way.  They carry on throwing until they have a boule closer to the Jack or run out of boules.  If the object is achieved they stop throwing and the opposing team takes over.  This continues until all twelve boules have been thrown.  No measuring is to take place before all the boules have been thrown unless one captain deems it necessary.   No boule should be removed at the end of a game until both Captains have inspected and agreed or the offending team lose all points from that 'End'.

Both boules can be picked up but unless you have to throw again immediately, you must replace the 2nd boule and no boule should be removed from the court at any time.

5a.  A boule is deemed dead if it touches any of the sides of the playing area, so if a boule bounces off the side, and it inadvertently hits and moves an opponent boule, then the opponent may replace the boule in the original position as the offending boule is deemed dead.  If, during the game the Jack is knocked out, the 'End' must be started exactly as before.

Note - When one team has thrown all six boules and is lying in a losing position, and if the other side still has boules to throw, they can decide to take whatever points they have rather than risk knocking out their existing boules.

6.  Scoring within the match - The winning team in each 'End' recieves 1 point for each boule that they have which is closer to the Jack than any of the boules of the opposing team – but only up to a maximum of 3 points.  A game is determined by the first team to reach 13 points.  A match is decided by the best of 3 games.  If time does not allow 3 games to 13 points, the Captains can agree before the final game to play the first to reach 9 or 11 points in that game.

6a.  Should the boules of opposing teams be equal in distance from the Jack even after measuring, then it is deemed that the first boule thrown is the nearer.  If this is not possible the 'End' should be played again.

7.  Changing ends - The winning team of each 'End' becomes the starting team of the next, throwing from the opposite end of the pitch to the one used for the previous 'End'.

7a.  If a member of a team arrives after the game has started with a full compliment of players, they may not join the 'End' being played but may join in subsequent ends.

8.  Inclement weather - Only with the agreement of the Captains of opposing team may determine as to whether the game is cancelled because of foul weather.  If it is possible to replay the game before the next scheduled match, points will be awarded for that game.  There will be no points awarded under any circumstances for a game not played.

9.  Disagreements - Complaints of misconduct at a match must be reported to the Committee for resolution, not argued out during the game.

10.  Shortage of players - If a team has absences of their own players they may substitute up to 2 players but only from the same Pub or Club, but not playing for any other team.  If a third member of a team does not arrive it is possible for that team to play using only 4 boules (2 boules each).  This rules should only be used in an emergency and not as a regular occurance.  Should the third player arrive then he/she can join in and all 6 boules  can be played.

11.  Results - Results of all matches must be submitted to the Secretary each week by telephone, email or text by Friday, unless a match is postponed due to inclement weather,  or no points will be awarded.

12.  Subscriptions - There is a one off payment of £25 payable when the application to play form is returned in December, all further tournaments are included in this fee.

The decision of the Captain is final

Points awarded for fixture matches                                                                                      3 points for an away win                                                                                                            2 points for a home win

Round Robin Rules

1. A minimum of 3 players per team. The emergency rule of 2 players does not apply.

2. If any team leaves before all their matches are played then all points for that team and any team that they have played will be discounted.

3. One game to be played to 13 points (this may change with number of teams playing).

4. In the event of a draw, then a count back of number of points accrued in losing games will be counted.

It is the responsibility of the Host team, or Pub/Club Management, to ensure that the pitch is match playable with rakes and hoops supplied, even is the Host team is not playing.  Failure to so this will result in a penalty being imposed.