Markers Guide

Before the Game

1.    Make sure you know the rules of the competition you are marking.

2.    Ensure you have the necessary equipment, e.g. pen, score card, chalk, measure and bowls wedges.

3.    Introduce yourself to the competitors and enter their names on the scorecard.

4.    Establish which bowls belong to which player.

5.    Indicate that you will only answer questions from the player in possession of the rink, and that you will mark a toucher as soon as the bowl comes to rest, or while the next bowl is travelling down the rink.

During play

6.    Ensure the mat is properly centred for each end.

7.    Check the jack is placed at a legal distance - a minimum of 23m from the front of the mat after it has been centred.

8.    If the marker believes the jack is not at a legal length, he/she is required to inform the players. One of the players can then ask for the distance to be measured with a tape measure.

9.    If a player improperly delivers the jack, the opposing player can replace the mat and re-deliver the jack, making sure it is centred, but the opposing player cannot play first.

10. If the jack is improperly delivered once by both players at the beginning of an end, it should not be delivered again by the players. Instead, the marker should centre the jack at full length, using the 2m measuring stick, and the first player to play can replace the mat.

11. Always use the 2 metre stick when setting the jack from the rear ditch. Remember to place the jack beside the white end of the stick and not in front of the end.

12. Remain still, at least a metre behind the head and at one side of the rink, while a bowl is being played. Make sure you do not obstruct the boundary markers and that your shadow is not on the jack.

13. Do not approach the head unless to mark a toucher, remove chalk marks or answer a question about the jack or shots.

14. Mark a jack or toucher in the ditch with the relevant bank marker (white above the jack and red above the toucher). Remove dead bowls, and ask if a ‘line’ bowl is in or out of the rink. The whole of the bowl must be over the line if it is 'out'.

15. Do not stop or catch bowls which are about to enter the ditch. Allow them to fall in. Stopping a bowl before it falls in the ditch risks an objection by the bowler that it may have stopped before entering the ditch, particularly where the edges are not trimmed. If a bowl falls in and disturbs a toucher or the jack in the ditch, the opponent or the marker has to replace them. The bank markers will show where they were.

16. Be as accurate as possible when answering questions and when giving distances between jack and bowls. If unsure which is shot, say so and indicate it requires a measure.  Do not volunteer information unless asked.

17. Only measure when asked to do so by the players, and then give them your opinion about which bowls is shot. Use wedges if bowls are likely to fall before or during a measure. When measuring to a bowl/jack in the ditch, do not put a foot in the ditch. You may disturb the bowl or jack.

18. It is the players who decide which bowl is shot, not the marker. If the players are not satisfied with the marker’s opinion, they may call for an umpire to repeat the measuring. If no umpire has been appointed, the marker should choose a competent neutral person to act as umpire. The players and the marker should leave the rink while the umpire carries out the measurement. If no such person is available, the marker should appoint himself/herself as umpire and repeat the measurement. In all cases, the umpire’s decision is final.

19. When an end is concluded, do not move the jack or any bowls until the players, or an umpire, have agreed the number of shots scored.

20. As marker you must be impartial and not signal any bias towards either player.

21. After each end, confirm the score with the players before entering details on the scorecard and the scoreboard. Do not leave the head until the players have agreed the score.

22. If necessary, remove the mat used during the previous end from the rink.

23. The marker must stay on the green throughout the match. You cannot mark from the bank, except when the head is very close to the ditch.

After the game

24. When the game is complete, congratulate the players, ensure the scorecard is agreed and signed by the loser, and return it to the appropriate place in the pavilion.

25. Players wishing to lodge any dispute must do so within 10 minutes of the end of the game.

26. DO NOT CONGRATULATE EITHER PLAYER UNTIL THE END OF THE GAME, AND ABOVE ALL REMAIN NEUTRAL.

Dress Code for Markers

27. For Woods Club competitions and matches, grey below the waist and white above. 'White above the waist' means anything white with a collar, e.g. plain white shirt, short or long sleeve (without a tie), polo shirt, or the Woods Club shirt.