Inter Club League Rules
RULES FOR THE INTER CLUB LEAGUE
(revised July 2026)
1 The Competition shall be open to all clubs affiliated to the Hampshire Indoor Bowls Association, based on one team per club
2 An entry fee, to be determined by the Executive on a year-by-year basis, shall be paid by each club entering
3 The competition shall be played on a league basis with the clubs playing each other once. The Bramley Bowl will be presented to the winners of the League and the Trisham Trophy to the runners up
4 A team shall consisit of four fours, with all players being bona fide members of the club which they represent. No player may play for more than one club in anyone season. Any player who is a member of more than one club can only play in the League and enter County Competitions from one and the same club. A player moving from one club to another during a season may not play for their new club if they have already played in any Inter-Club League games in that season. Any breach of this rule shall require the offending club to remove all the match points from the offending rink(s) so losing each offending rink to nil
5 No team may include more than four (4) players who have played for a County in the Liberty Trophy in the current or previous season
6 Matches shall be played with two (2) Fours at home and two (2) Fours away
7 The game shall be of 18 ends and shall be played in accordance with the "Laws of the Sport of Bowls" as published by the World Bowls and World Indoor Bowls Council together with any variations set out by the English Indoor Bowls Association Ltd
8 All games shall be played to a time limit of Three and ½ hrs (3.5hrs) hours. An end started before the time limit is up may be finished, but if it is 'killed' after the time limit is up the end may not be replayed
9 Two (2) points shall be awarded to the team scoring the higher number of shots at the venue at which the match is played, or one (1) point each in the event of a tie-on aggregate score. In addition, one point shall be awarded to the team winning on each rink. ½ point each if rink score tied. A further two (2) points shall be awarded to the team scoring the higher number of shots when the results of the home and away matches are combined. In the event of a tie, one (1) point will be awarded to each team
10 The winner of the Bramley Bowl shall be the team with the highest number of
points at the end of the season. In the event of a tie-on points, the winner shall be the team with the higher shot difference, or the team with the higher number of shots if this matter is still not resolved
11 All matches shall be played on a Saturday, the dates being set by the Competition Secretary and ratified by the Executive Committee. The starting time shall be 10:00am unless mutually agreed otherwise by the opposing Clubs, but NOT LATER THAN 10.15am. (Trial ends to start 9.45am). Players are permitted to wear club colours or whites and club shirt in accordance with E. I. B.A. regulations: however, a team must play in whites or colour - no mixture is allowed. A penalty of £10.00 shall be payable by the club if any player/players are in breach of this Rule. (Note: a white rink jacket or sweater does not breach this rule when worn over a coloured shirt.)
12.1 Matches will not normally be postponed other than for inclement weather. The criterion for such postponement being a recommendation, on local television and/or radio, that motorists should not take to the roads unless their journey is essential
12.2 A match may be postponed by mutual consent
12.3 If a match is cancelled by one team. Then the penalties shall be:
(a) The offending team is to forfeit the match points and 8 shots per rink, i.e. 10 points plus 32 shots awarded to the non-offending team:
(b) A further 8 points are to be deducted from the points score of the offending team.
(c) The offending team is to reimburse the non-offending team in the sum of £32 for loss of revenue for two rinks not used, based on 8 players at £2 each for each two-hour period.
12.4 If a match clashes with a National 16 player, 4 Rinks match, or London and Southern Counties 16 player, 4 Rinks match, it is expected to be played with reserve players. However, if it is cancelled due to these circumstances the penalties (b) and (c) will not be applied.
13 A result card copy, or typed score shall be e-mailed or sent by WhatsApp, these are the only two forms of sending in the results that will be accepted. This will be done by both teams and sent to the Competition Secretary by each club within 24 hours of completion of a match. The card must be signed by a representative of the club. The original score cards for the game must be retained by the club until the end of the season and must be made available to the Competition Secretary upon request. A match result cannot be accepted with only one card submitted.
14 Member clubs are responsible for ensuring that all players representing their club have club stickers affixed to their bowls. A penalty of £10.00 shall be payable by the club if any player/players are in breach of this Rule. (In the event of a colour clash, the visiting players shall remove their stickers)