Law: Foot Faulting

The law/s explained on this page have been confirmed as the official rules of our game. The only time that rules and laws could change would be if a particular tournament made an express notice (in their bylaws/rules) that a given rule was changed for that particular competition.

So unless you have been told differently by a governing body or competition organiser, these are the official rules of our game.

The following rules/laws are not interpretations of the Laws of the Sport, but the actual laws as written.

7 Position on the mat

7.1 Before delivery a player must be standing on the mat with all or part of at least one foot on the mat. At the moment they deliver the jack or a bowl, the player must have all or part of one foot on or above the mat.
7.2 Before delivery a player using an approved wheelchair must have one wheel on the mat and, at the moment they deliver the jack or a bowl, the player must have all or part of one wheel on or above the mat.
7.3 Any player not meeting the terms of this law is committing a foot-fault, and law 8 will apply.

8 Foot-faulting

8.1 If the umpire, either by their own observation or on appeal by one of the skips or opponents in Singles, decides that a player has not met the terms of law 7, the umpire must, on the first occasion, warn the player in the presence of the skip and advise the coach when they are present that a warning has been given.
8.2 On each occasion after this, the umpire must have the player’s bowl stopped and declared dead.
8.3 If it has not been possible to stop the bowl and it disturbs the head, the opposing skip or opponent in Singles must choose whether to:
8.3.1 replace the head;
8.3.2 leave the head as altered; or
8.3.3 declare the end dead.

8.4 If a player has been given a warning and still fails to meet the terms of law 7 while delivering the jack, law 10.2 will apply.

Edit: to clarify, at the moment they deliver the jack or a bowl, the player must have all or part of one foot on or above the mat … the foot can therefore be in front of the mat, to the side of the mat, in the centre of the mat or at the back of the mat – as long as it, or the other foot is either touching (any portion of the mat, small or large) or above the mat.

Laws of the Sport …

We play under the World Bowls Laws of the Sport. Please don’t feel that you have to know every rule, because the principles of the game are quite simple. The link here is to the official laws and covers every aspect and eventuality in the game.

Click here … to read the Laws of the Sport