SALTDEAN BOWLING CLUB CIC
MEMBERS RULES & PROCEDURES
Revised 29 September 2024.
1. The name of the club is Saltdean Bowling Club. The club is affiliated to Bowls England and Sussex County Bowls.
2. The objectives of the club are to provide all the available advantages, facilities and accommodation which are associated with a bowling club and to provide related social activities for the enjoyment and benefit of members.
3. The club is registered as a Community Interest Company (CIC)
4. DIRECTORS (MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE)
President
Chairman
Honorary Secretary
Honorary Treasurer
Club Captain
Honorary Fixture Secretary
Facilities Secretary
Competitions Secretary
OFFICERS
Vice-Captain
Club Coaches
Safeguarding Officer
Hospitality Officer
5. CLUB MEMBERSHIP AND ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION
5.1. The club will adopt the Safeguarding guidelines set out by Bowls England and each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations.
5.2. If any under 18-year-old person wishes to join Saltdean Bowling Club, to play at Saltdean only, they must always be accompanied by their parent or guardian. This includes leaving the premises together.
5.3. All members shall pay an annual subscription of an amount recommended by the Directors.
5.4. The annual subscription shall be payable before the opening of the season. Should the subscription be in arrears by 30th May, without satisfactory explanation, the member shall be deemed to have resigned from the club.
5.5. Candidates for Social Membership of the club shall be nominated by a playing member of the club. The Management Committee will approve these applications.
5.6. Candidates for playing membership of the club shall be nominated in writing on a form available from the Honorary Secretary. Each candidate must have a Proposer and a Seconder, both of whom must be playing members of the club. Completed applications must be exhibited on the club notice board for at least 7 days. The Club Captain and Vice-Captain will deal with these applications.
5.7. No person shall be denied membership on the grounds of race, ethnic origin, creed, colour, age, disability, sex occupation, sexual orientation, religion, political or other beliefs except as a necessary consequence of the requirements of bowling as a sport.
6.REGULATION OF PLAY AND CLUB ETIQUETTE
6.1. Regulation of play shall be defined by the Management Committee.
6.2. Club Trophy competitions will be managed by the Competitions Secretary.
6.3. Matches and Competitions shall be played according to the rules of Bowls England and Sussex County Bowls.
6.4. Bowls must be of regulation size, weight and bias and conform to current Bowls England rules.
6.5. Members entering the Club Competitions will be required to acquaint themselves with, and adhere to, the current Club Competition rules, which will be made available at the commencement of each season.
6.6. Well behaved dogs are only permitted within the precincts of the green whilst on a lead and accompanied by their owner, but never in the clubhouse, with the exception of assistance dogs.
6.7. Smoking and drinking, with the exception of water, will not be allowed on the bowling rink.
7. DRESS CODE
7.1. The dress code for matches and competitions shall be determined by the Club Captain. The fixture card shows if the match is to be played in whites or greys.
7.2. For men “whites” means club shirt, white trousers, white shorts and white socks. Shoes must be white for inter county matches.
7.3. For ladies “whites” means club shirt, white trousers or skirt, white shorts and white socks. Shoes must be white for inter county matches.
7.4. Evening leagues match dress code is club shirt, grey trousers or grey shorts.
7.5. Members may wear smart casual clothing to include shorts for practice sessions (roll-ups).
7.6. No person shall step onto the green unless wearing flat soled shoes.
Flip flops and sliders are not acceptable.
8. FIXTURES CARD
8.1. This card sets out the dates and times of arranged fixtures and whether being played at home or away together with dress code.
8.2. If you wish to be considered for selection you will need to put your name onto the selection list that you will find on the club notice board. There are usually several posted on the board for
forthcoming fixtures. Put your name on the lists of the fixtures for those you wish to be considered.
8.3. When the teams have been allocated by the Captain the appropriate list will be posted onto the match board. You will need to check whether you have been selected to play and if so initial your name on the sheet. Watch out for late changes on the match sheets.
8.4. If you find you are unable to play after selection you must make sure the Captain knows as soon as possible. Never cross your name off the lists, or add another name, without advising the Captain.
9. COMPETITIONS
9.1. The types of competitions are – Club, County and Evening Leagues.
9.2. Competitions are well worth entering and are in the format of singles, pairs, or triples, as well as one day trophy competitions. For Club competitions leading to a final to be played on the finals weekend, as shown in the fixture list, please do not enter if you will not be available, as it is unfair to other competitors. Each round must be completed by the final date shown for the round on the competition sheet. It is always advisable to play well before the final date of the round in case of bad weather on the closing date.
10. RINK CHANGING
10.1 Every Monday the direction of play on the green is reversed. North/South one week and East/West the next. There are 6 rinks each colour coded on the edge of the bank.
White for Monday/Tuesday play.
Blue for Wednesday/Thursday play.
Yellow for Friday/Saturday/Sunday.
There are notices in the clubhouse and on the inside of the equipment storage shed indicating the colour of the day. When going to play always check that the rink markers are correct for the days of the week, and, if incorrect, please change them ALL.
11. DUTY RINK (Home Matches)
11.1. For each home match a duty rink is nominated and highlighted on the match sheets. If you are due to play on this rink you need to arrive 45 minutes before the start of the match. The duties to be carried out by you and your fellow team members are as follows:
11.2. Check with the Captain of the day which rinks are to be set out.
11.3. Check that the rink markers are set correctly for the day in question.
11.4. Put out the rink numbers and the markers used for indicating live bowls and/or jack in the ditch. Put a jack on the starting end of each rink and a mat at each end.
11.5. Put out score boards, 2 metre measuring sticks, the bowls gatherers (pushers) at each end of the playing rinks and put up the advertising banners.
11.6. Put up the welcome board with the name of the visiting club and the rink numbers being used. This hangs to the left of the clubhouse door.
12. MOST IMPORTANT
12.1. At the end of play the duty nominated members from each rink are responsible for seeing that everything is put away correctly, that nothing has been left out, on or off the green, that the storage sheds are locked, electric fence is switched on the advertising banners are put away, the green locked and the keys returned to the keyboard in the clubhouse.
13. MATCH FORMATS
13.1. Friendly matches. Would all players please arrive at the club at least 30 minutes before the match start time. These represent the majority of the games that we play. They are played against clubs usually situated near to us. We operate as a mixed club. The format is rinks (teams of 4 players) or triples (teams of 3 players).
13.2. Usually, a game starts with either two trial ends, or one shot only on the first two ends. Games normally stop for tea halfway through the match, followed by a raffle. Matches normally start at 2pm and finish around 4,45pm.
14. EVENING LEAGUES
14.1. Our club competes in a number of evening leagues.
14.2. The league Captain and skips are responsible for picking the team.
15. LAWS OF THE GAME
You should be acquainted with the laws of the game.
16. ETIQUETTE
16.1. If you are a new bowler, then you will receive coaching from a qualified coach within the club, which will include match play etiquette. Other forms of etiquette are having pride in your club, willingness to help wherever possible and thoughtfulness towards your fellow members.
16.2. At Saltdean we pride ourselves on being a very friendly club to which visiting teams enjoy coming. So, involve yourself as much as you can.
17. NEW BOWLERS/MEMBERS
17.1. Until you receive advice from the coach as to what size bowl is best for you to purchase, the club does have a selection of sizes to choose from for practice.
17.2. You will need to purchase your own set of bowls following the completion of your coaching sessions.
17.3. The club coach can advise on exactly what you will need. A club shirt and bowls stickers are available for purchase.
18. NOTICE BOARDS
18.1. Regular notices are placed on the appropriate notice boards, or sent to members by e-mail, regarding club and county matters. Please check the notice board and your e-mail accounts regularly to keep yourself up to date.
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A SELECTOR’S PRAYER
Blessed are they who can play sport,
Blessed are they who can still be taught,
Blessed are they who accept with grace,
To play in any selected place.
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