What is a toucher, and how must it be marked?

A toucher (Law 14) is a bowl that touches the jack in its original course. It stays live even if it ends up in the ditch within the boundaries of the rink. A bowl that does not touch the jack in its original course is a non-toucher.

A bowl also becomes a toucher if, after coming to rest, it falls over and touches the jack before the next bowl is delivered (or, for the last bowl of an end, within 30 seconds). A bowl that hits the jack while the jack is in the ditch never becomes a toucher.

Marking (Law 15):

• A member of the team that delivered it, or the marker, must mark it with chalk as soon as it comes to rest.
• If marking it would be likely to move the bowl or alter the head, it is nominated as a toucher instead of being chalked.
• If it is neither marked nor nominated before the next bowl comes to rest (or within 30 seconds for the last bowl of an end), it is no longer a toucher.
• Remove old chalk marks before you deliver a bowl. If you forget and the bowl is not a toucher, the opposing team or the marker removes the mark when it stops.

Toucher in the ditch (Laws 14.4 and 16): its position is marked with a brightly coloured indicator (no more than 50 mm wide and 100 mm high) against or on top of the bank in line with the bowl. It can only be validly moved by the jack, another toucher, or a non-toucher overhanging the ditch that stays partly on the rink; its new position is then re-marked.