Leatherhead Bowling Club Handicapping System 2018
Handicaps are assigned by Captains for use in Handicapped competitions (excluding Beginner’s Competition)
• In consultation with the competition organiser(s) Men’s Vice Captain and a representative of the Men’s Committee for Men
• In consultation with the competition organiser(s) Ladies’ Vice Captain and a representative of the Ladies’ Committee for Ladies
The determinants for a handicap in any year are:
• Performance in previous year(s) competitions – finishing position
• Performance in matches prior to the handicap award
• General level of experience (taking into account play in Area or County competitions for example)
• General performance in matches the previous year
• Levels of health or disability factors influencing ability to bowl
NOTE: There is a Unified Handicapping system for Men and Ladies within the Club.
Handicaps are awarded on an increasing scale. Thus a novice will have a low, or even zero handicap, whilst a good or experienced player might have a handicap up to 7 shots.
In a match, the difference in handicaps between player A and B is given to the player with the lower handicap. This difference is added to the scoreboard at start of play.
Thus for player A on a handicap of 1, and player B on a handicap of 6, 5 shots are awarded to player A at the start of the match.
DRAWN COMPETITIONS
For Drawn Pairs, Triples and Fours competitions all entrants will be divided into twos, three and fours as potential Skips, thirds, two’s or leads based on known ability and performance to achieve as fair a balance as possible. Club Captains shall liaise with the Competition Organiser to allocate entrants to each the appropriate group.
In Mixed Triples and Fours there must be at least one Lady and one Man player per team.
When late entrants occur (or are requested to make up numbers) in ONE DAY competitions, teams may be adjusted to ensure balance and fairness.
If a team member becomes unable to play, a substitute will be allowed but may only play as a LEAD, with other players moving down the list.
CHALLENGERS
The first name(s) in a match pairing is considered to be the CHALLENGER and is responsible for booking the rink and offering dates to the Opponent. The Challenger must offer THREE DATES OVER A TWO WEEK PERIOD excluding the last day of the round.
If the OPPONENT cannot meet any of these dates every effort to reach an amicable date should be sought but in principle the CHALLENGER may now claim a walk over.
If the CHALLENGER has not contacted the OPPONENT with the end date of the round in sight, in good faith the OPPONENT should try to make contact with the CHALLENGER. However in principle the OPPONENT may claim a walk over if the CHALLENGER fails to offer convenient dates.
The decision of awarding a walk over rests with the Competition Organiser.
MARKERS
Markers shall be used in all Singles competitions and it is the responsibility of the CHALLENGER to appoint the Marker. Where possible the Marker should be qualified how ever if both challenger and opponent agree any player with suitable experience may act as marker for the match.