Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association

In the recent Council Meeting we have received enquiries and comments about the clothing and footwear during games.  The general comment is that there is a deteriorate in the standard and more and more improper attire was adopted.  While the improper clothing will affect the image of the sport, improper footwear may cause damage to the greens.  I would like to draw your attention to the following laws:

1. Players, umpires and markers should wear flat-soled (‘heel-less’) footwear when they play on the green or act as umpires or markers.  
   
   Proper lawn bowls shoes means lawn bowls shoes manufactured by World Bowls recognized manufacturers or if they are home-made, they must be smooth-soled heel-less shoes. The colour of the shoes recognized by HKLBA is brown or white only.”
2. Matching team shirts means shirts worn by all players in a team when playing league games or national games must be matching in design, colour and version.  Clubs may have different versions of club shirts but only the same version is allowed in a team during a game.”

Please note that some clubs have indicated that players with improper footwear will be refused entering the greens and HKLBA does not want to see such thing happened.  We would like to urge your cooperation to maintain the high standard of the sport.

While we are working on the enforcement of proper uniform and shoes for teams or individuals engaged in competitions organized by HKLBA, we would like to issue a clear instruction to ensure the smooth running of our league and national games.

Please note that no-one may refuse to play or disallow any player to play in a scheduled HKLBA competition on the basis of an improper uniform, unless:

1. He/she is an official umpire/officer on duty and acting according to the tournament rules;
2. The improper action may cause harm to other players or to the venue.  One of the examples will be improper shoes that may damage the greens.  In this situation all possible remedial actions should be considered before refusing the player his/her right to play.

The standard procedures are to continue with the game and file a formal complaint within 7 days after the game. The complaint will be dealt with by the relevant panel within 7 days of receipt of all the relevant detail.

All Club Convenors please inform your players about this.  I hope this clarifies the situation and will eliminate any further disputes.