Can my team or I bowl ahead (pre-bowl) or postpone?

Types allowed by default in adult leagues:

• Direct opposition: both teams bowl the match together at another agreed time. Allowed.
• Team unopposed: your team bowls without the opponents present. Allowed unless the league has a rule against it.
• Individual unopposed: one bowler bowls alone ahead of or after the date. Not allowed in adult leagues unless league rules permit it.

How to request: ask before the scheduled time (except in an emergency). There's no fixed 48-hour notice requirement. Requests are decided by a postponement committee or the league board. A league can't ban postponements altogether, and must grant one when a team can't field a legal lineup because:

• bowlers are at USBC, state or local association championships or an annual meeting,
• there's sufficient cause, or
• there's an emergency, such as bad weather or several unforeseen absences at once.

Once you've bowled, your eligibility for that session is used up. If you pre-bowl and then find you're free on league night, you can't bowl again; the pre-bowled scores stand.