Umpire's Guide to Bowls Australia Laws of the Sport of Bowls 2026/27

Bowls Australia's reaccreditation process for officials is:

1. Complete the reaccreditation form and send it, with payment, to your state or territory association.
2. Answer questions on your officiating duty.
3. Answer questions on the Managing Self module.
4. Complete an on-green assessment.

For a National Umpire the process is the same as for Marker and Measurer, except Part 1 has 5 questions each for National Umpire, Marker and Measurer. Marker and Measurer applicants also have their club secretary or president complete the "Recognition of performance as an Official" form, answer 5 questions in Part 1 and 3 in Part 2 (Managing Self), and do the on-green assessment (Part 3) with an approved assessor. You show the assessor the most current copy of the Laws of the Sport and give them your signed Code of Ethics and Official's Code of Behaviour form.

International Technical Official accreditation is a World Bowls accreditation lasting five years. Bowls Australia's page does not state how often Marker, Measurer or National Umpire accreditation must be renewed.

Source: https://bowls.com.au/get-involved/officiating-laws/reaccreditation/

You must bring, or be provided by the club on whose green the game is played with, suitable equipment for your duties. At least (law 54):

• a copy of the current Laws of the Sport of Bowls;
• a tape measure at least 25 metres long;
• equipment for measuring between the jack and bowls when they are beyond the range of a flexible measure (for example, a string measure);
• a flexible measure (for example, a box measure or a bullet measure);
• callipers;
• feeler gauges;
• wedges, for supporting leaning bowls; and
• equipment for deciding whether the jack or a bowl is within the side boundary when the boundary is not marked by a green thread, such as a portable retractable line, a mirror and a square (both with a levelling bubble), a liner siter or a boundary scope.

For domestic play, Member National Authorities can approve the type of measuring equipment used for umpires' duties.

Before the game starts you must make sure that (law 43.2.1):

1. Bowls: all bowls have a clearly visible, valid World Bowls Stamp imprinted on them.
2. Rink width: the rink of play is the correct width, by measuring it. Rinks must be between 4.3 and 5.8 metres wide for outdoor play, and between 4.6 and 5.8 metres wide for indoor play (law 49.1). For domestic play, Member National Authorities can decide the standard for the minimum width.
3. Distance markers: the pegs, discs or other markers on the side banks are the correct distances, by measuring them. They mark 2 metres and 25 metres from the end ditches (law 49.12).

Also, before play, one trial end must be played in each direction on the rink the game will be played on, although for domestic play the Controlling Body can limit this to no trial ends or one trial end in one direction (law 5.1).

An umpire must be appointed by, or on behalf of, the Controlling Body for the competition (law 43.1). Your decision is final in all circumstances, except decisions about the meaning or interpretation of a law, which can be appealed to the Controlling Body (law 43.2.6).

You also decide, among other things, whether the mat line distances from the rear and front ditches and the distance of the jack or a bowl from the mat line comply with the laws, and whether a jack or bowl is in play (laws 43.2.3 and 43.2.4).

Skips settle disputed points with each other. If they need to check a law they must ask you for an explanation. If you consider that a decision the skips reached is not in line with the laws, you must overrule it so that it is. If the skips cannot agree, they must ask you to decide, and your decision is final (law 40.1.3 to 40.1.5).

If the Controlling Body has not appointed an umpire, the skips must choose a competent neutral person to act as umpire (law 40.1.6).

The skips (or the opponents in Singles) decide whether a bowl or jack is dead as soon as they realise a decision is needed, even if bowls have since been played. If they cannot agree, they must ask the umpire to decide (laws 17.3 and 19.3).

Dead bowl (law 17.1). A bowl is dead if it:

• is not a toucher and comes to rest in the ditch;
• 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 completing its course or being moved by play, comes to rest less than 14 metres from the centre of the mat line (measured in a straight line to the nearest point of the bowl);
• passes completely outside the rink boundaries after being moved by play;
• in its original course passes outside a side boundary on a bias that would stop it re-entering the rink; or
• in its original course comes to rest outside a side boundary, even if touching the outside edge of a line jack.

A bowl is not dead if it is carried by a player inspecting the head, comes to rest within the boundaries even though it passed outside during its course, is a toucher that rebounds from the bank face onto the rink, or is a toucher resting on the jack or another toucher in the ditch (law 17.2).

Dead jack (law 19.1). A jack moved by a bowl in play is dead if it passes completely outside the rink boundaries, comes to rest in a hollow in the face of the bank, or comes to rest less than 20 metres from the centre of the mat line. A dead jack makes a dead end, which is replayed. It is not dead if it rests on top of a toucher in the ditch or on bowls at rest within the rink.

For domestic play a Member National Authority can change the 23 metre jack-delivery distance to 21 metres. If it does, the 20 metre dead-jack distance becomes 18 metres (law 10.5).

You must measure any disputed shot using suitable measuring equipment (law 43.2.2). Key points from the laws:

• When: the process of deciding the shots must not start until the last bowl of the end has come to rest. Either skip (or the Singles opponent) can ask for a 30-second wait first, for example to see whether a leaning bowl falls of its own accord. No bowl likely to fall may be secured during that period (law 23.1 and 23.2).
• Before measuring: no bowl is moved until the opponents have agreed whether it is a shot, except where a bowl must be moved so another can be measured (law 22.2).
• Where to measure: between the nearest points of the jack and the bowl (law 23.4).
• Jack or bowl in the ditch: when measuring between a jack in the ditch and a bowl on the green, or a jack on the green and a bowl in the ditch, use a flexible or string measure wherever possible (law 23.5).
• Leaning bowls: if a bowl is likely to fall, the best available means can be used to secure it. If a bowl to be measured is resting on another bowl that interferes, secure the resting bowl and then remove the other (law 23.6).
• If you displace the jack or a bowl with your equipment: you must put it back to its former position (laws 37.4.3 and 38.4.3).
• Tied end: if the nearest bowl of each side is touching the jack, or the same distance from it, or no live bowls are left in the rink, no shot is scored and the end is declared tied and recorded as a completed end (law 24).

Before delivering, a player must stand on the mat with all or part of at least one foot on it. At the moment of delivering the jack or a bowl, they must have all or part of one foot on or above the mat. A player using an approved wheelchair must have one wheel on the mat before delivery, and all or part of one wheel on or above the mat at delivery (law 7).

If you decide, by your own observation or on appeal by a skip or Singles opponent, that a player has foot-faulted (law 8):

1. First occasion: warn the player in the presence of their skip, and tell the coach (if present) that a warning was given.
2. Each occasion after that: have the player's bowl stopped and declared dead.
3. If the bowl could not be stopped and it disturbs the head: the opposing skip (or the Singles opponent) chooses whether to replace the head, leave the head as altered, or declare the end dead.
4. If a warned player foot-faults again while delivering the jack: the jack is treated as improperly delivered under law 10.2, so the opponent places the mat and re-delivers the jack, but does not play first.

Possession of the rink belongs to the player or team whose bowl is being played. Once a bowl comes to rest, possession passes to the opponents after time is allowed for marking a toucher. A player must not deliver a bowl before the previous bowl has come to rest and possession has transferred (law 13).

If you decide, by your own observation or on appeal by a skip or Singles opponent, that a player delivered before the previous bowl came to rest, or that the players in possession are being interfered with, annoyed or distracted by their opponents:

1. First time: warn the offending player while their skip is present, and tell the coach (if present) that a warning was given.
2. Each time after that: have the bowl last played by the offending player or team declared dead. If that bowl disturbed the head, the opposing skip (or the Singles opponent) chooses whether to replace the head, leave the head as altered, or declare the end dead.

Damaged jack (law 30). You must decide whether a replacement jack is needed. If one is needed, the end is declared dead.

Damaged bowl (law 31).

• You must decide whether a replacement bowl is needed.
• If a bowl struck by another bowl splits into pieces, the end must be declared dead.
• The damaged bowl must be replaced by another bowl from the same set before the next end, or the replayed end, starts.
• If a bowl at rest splits into pieces without being struck by another bowl, it is replaced with another bowl from the same set and the end continues.
• If a damaged bowl cannot be replaced from the same set, all bowls in the damaged set must be replaced with bowls from a different set.

A player who changes their set of bowls during an uninterrupted game forfeits the game, unless the change is because a bowl was damaged (or the game moved between a vegetation surface and a synthetic or indoor surface) (law 29.3.1).

Coaches (law 44). A coach, or the coach's delegated deputy, can give advice during play only if:

• the umpire was given their name before the game starts;
• only one person is at the rink to give advice at a time;
• they advise only while their team or side is in possession of the rink; and
• they stand outside the boundaries of the green.

If you think this has been broken, you must ask the coach or deputy to stay within the law. If they do not, you must ask the Controlling Body to take immediate action to make sure the offender stops.

Spectators (law 45). Spectators and anyone not directly taking part must stay outside the boundaries of the green and clear of the players, and must not disturb or advise the players. If you think this has been broken, you must ask them to stay within the law. If they do not, you must ask the Controlling Body to take immediate action, including escorting the offender away from the area around the green or from the venue.

Betting or gambling on any game is not allowed within the grounds of any club (law 45.5).