Player's Guide to Bowls England Outdoor Flat Green Bowls Open age 2026

Under Law 17, a bowl is dead if:

• it is not a toucher and comes to rest in the ditch
• it is not a toucher and rebounds onto the rink after hitting the face of the bank, or the jack or a toucher in the ditch
• after its original course, or after being moved by play, it comes to rest less than 14 metres (in a straight line) from the centre of the mat line
• after being moved by play, it passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink
• in its original course, it passes outside a side boundary on a bias that would stop it coming back into the rink
• in its original course, it comes to rest outside a side boundary, even if it is touching the outside edge of a line jack

A bowl is not dead if:

• it is being carried by a player inspecting the head
• in its original course it swings outside a side boundary but comes back and finishes inside the rink
• it is a toucher that rebounds off the bank onto the rink
• it is a toucher that comes to rest on top of the jack or another toucher in the ditch

The skips (or the players in singles) decide as soon as they realise a decision is needed, and ask the umpire if they cannot agree. A dead bowl must be removed from the rink as soon as it is declared dead.

Jack in the ditch (Law 18): a jack knocked by a bowl in play into the front ditch, within the side boundaries of the rink, is still live. Its position is marked with a white indicator (no more than 50 mm wide and 100 mm high) placed against or on top of the bank in line with the jack.

Once in the ditch, its position only validly changes if it is moved by a toucher, or by a non-toucher that is partly on the rink and partly overhanging the ditch and stays partly on the rink. Its new position is then re-marked.

Dead jack (Law 19): a jack moved by a bowl in play is dead if it:

• passes completely outside the boundaries of the rink
• comes to rest in a hollow in the face of the bank
• comes to rest less than 20 metres (in a straight line) from the centre of the mat line

A jack is not dead if it comes to rest on top of a toucher in the ditch, or on top of bowls within the rink.

The skips (or the two players in singles) decide whether the jack is dead as soon as they realise a decision is needed. If they cannot agree, they ask the umpire.

From Appendices A1, A2 and B1 of Bowls England's 2026 Rules and Regulations. "White" means predominantly white throughout.

Rounds before the National Finals

• Above the waist: every member of the side wears the same colour: club apparel or white (shirt, pullover, jacket, headgear, waterproofs). Bowls England international playing kit is not allowed.
• In Bowls England-managed events (inter-club, inter-county and individual national events), if team-mates are from different clubs, or club kit differs for men and women in a mixed event, the default is white. County kit is only worn when representing your county in Inter-County competitions.
• Below the waist (county-run championships): every member of the side wears the same colour. Trousers, shorts, cropped trousers, culottes, skirts and skorts may be white, grey, black, blue, navy, red, maroon or green, or club colours. A belt, if worn, must match. No jeans.

County-run championships at the National Finals

• Shirts in county colours; pullovers, jackets, headgear and waterproofs in county colours or white; lower half in county or county-recognised colours. No jeans.

Footwear (all rounds): flat-soled, heel-less shoes or trainers, any colour. Sandals are not allowed unless a doctor's note supports them for medical reasons.

Club leagues and friendlies can set their own dress rules; these are the rules for Bowls England's national championships.

In Bowls England national championships, breaking the dress code (above the waist, below the waist or footwear) brings Sanction K:

1. First reported instance: the player or side gets a written warning from the competition administrator about future conduct in that event.
2. A further reported instance in the same event: the player or side is disqualified, and their opponents in the next round get a walkover.

Two exceptions apply throughout the dress code: players governed by the requirements of a specific ethnic culture may wear their traditional dress, and players may wear alternative clothing or footwear for medical reasons if supported by a brief note from a healthcare professional.

Under Appendix G of Bowls England's 2026 Rules and Regulations:

All rounds before the National Finals (including county finals, early and All-England rounds of national events, and Inter-County competitions):

• Every bowl must have a clearly legible stamp with an expiry date of 1985 or later.
• All your bowls must be from the same set (Law 2.4 of the Laws of the Sport).
• Cub and junior bowls do not need a stamp.
• With no umpire present, opponents check each other's date stamps.
• To challenge an opponent's bowls on bias, you follow Laws 52.4 and 52.5 and lodge a £50 fee.

National Finals:

• Bowls must carry a stamp meeting Law 53, and a World Bowls Ltd stamp dated 2026 or later is valid.

Bowls that do not meet the requirement may not be used (Sanction L).

Eligibility (Regulations 50 and 52, 2026):

• Only members of clubs affiliated to Bowls England can enter.
• Junior (U24) events: under 24 on 1 April that year. Senior Fours: 55 or over on 1 April.
• You may not enter under an assumed name, or have your name submitted by more than one club, county or country in a year (Junior Pairs partners may come from different clubs in the same county).
• You represent one club in Inter-Club competitions and one county in Inter-County competitions, and may not enter another country's national championships.
• Each entry has one named entrant, who cannot then be a substitute in the same discipline.

County-run championships leading to the National Finals:

Games played over a set number of ends that finish level go to an extra end or ends. You enter these through your club and county association, which must send its entries and fees to Bowls England by 8 March. Every county gets at least one qualifier for the National Finals in each discipline, chosen by the county's own published procedure.

For the 2026 Bowls England national competitions:

Who arranges it: the challenger (marked "(Challenger)" on the draw) arranges the match and pays any rink and umpire fees, except at a neutral venue, where costs are shared. In singles, the challenger also arranges a marker. An umpire before the National Finals is optional.

Where: on the challenger's affiliated green, unless both sides agree another affiliated club. A neutral green, roughly midway between the two clubs, is required for Area Finals and the All-England Rounds of 32 and 16.

Offering dates:

• Offer three dates, including at least one weekend date.
• Start times: 6pm to 6:30pm on weekdays, 9:30am to 6:30pm at weekends. Senior Singles, Senior Pairs and the Over 60 Mixed Two Fours (Tony Allcock Trophy) may also offer weekday starts from 9:30am.
• No date may fall within 48 hours of the challenge, and two start times on the same day count as one date.
• Opening match: offer dates at least 14 days before the round closes. If the challenger misses this, the opponent becomes the challenger.
• Later rounds: offer dates within 24 hours of the previous round closing; the opponent must accept within 72 hours of that round closing.

Counties may set fixed play-on dates for some rounds instead of play-by dates.

Under Bowls England's 2026 Rules and Regulations (Sanctions I and N):

• Rounds before the National Finals: if a player or team is not ready to play within 30 minutes of the agreed start time, the opponents may claim a walkover.
• National Finals: if a player or team is not ready within 15 minutes of the agreed start time, the opponents will be given a walkover.
• In both cases, no walkover can be claimed once the game has started.

A walkover counts as a match played for the rules on offering dates in the next round.