Place the Mat Carefully

 

One of my pet peeves is that most social lawn bowlers, not to mention a great many who play in small local tournaments, never move the mat. Real tyro bowlers may not even know that the mat is allowed to be moved! The result is that the area at the edge of the green near the ditches gets seriously worn, often to the point that the green slopes significantly towards the ditches; so much so that in some instances neither the jack nor any bowls can come to rest in that area. They may just roll off into the ditch. (This was true at the now defunct green of the Balaia Bowls Club in Portugal’s Algarve.)

Furthermore, positioning the mat with the mat line (the edge of the mat closest to the forward ditch) on the 2 metre line has a risk that you need to be aware of. If by accident the mat line is placed even a few millimetres short of that two metre distance and the jack is delivered and then the opposing side draws attention to this before the first bowl is delivered, then Rule 6.1.3 of The Laws of the Sport of Bowls Crystal Mark 4 states:

6.1.3 If, after the jack has been delivered but before the first bowl is delivered, a player or the marker finds that the mat line has not been positioned within the distances described in law 6.1.1, the opposing player must place the mat as described in law 6.1.1 and re-deliver the jack, making sure that it is centred, but the opposing player must not play first

That is to say, the side that is not in possession of the mat will get the mat and can deliver the jack that side’s preferred length!

What does this mean in practice for your own game? First thing- even if you, as a skip, strategically or tactically want long jacks, your lead should always place the mat line at least a few centimetres in front of the 2 metre mark on the rink. You don’t want to lose possession of the mat, precisely when you judge it most important to have it.

Second thing- when you are at the other end of the rink directing the play, you will not know the exact position of the mat. When the game is sufficiently important and the situation is sufficiently critical, you need to have taught another member of your team to call out the misplaced mat after the jack has been delivered but  before the first bowl has been delivered.

Notice that if your side draws attention to a mispositioned mat before the jack is delivered, all that happens is that the mat is placed properly and play continues. If attention to an improperly placed mat is only after the first bowl is rolled there is no penalty. It is only when the objection comes after the jack is rolled but before the first bowl is delivered that the other side gets to deliver the jack their chosen length.

WARNING: Do not exercise this rule in a social game or in any situation where there is no umpire. You will be correct calling upon this law but you will not be appreciated. Furthermore, in the absence of an experienced umpire your claim will just be ignored. 

Alternately, perhaps we could warn everyone about this rule. It might scare people into moving the mat up the green more often and give the grass a rest!