Some believe there is a mythical group of wizard like law makers that are responsible for the rules of this fine sport of ours! Well, we are not a myth, we are real people, don’t wear wizard hats and are all very experienced officials (writes Allan Thornhill, chair of the World Bowls Laws Advisory Group).

The World Bowls Laws Advisory Group (LAG), formerly the Laws Committee, is a team of five officials from around the World with the objective of providing advice and guidance to the World Bowls (WB) Board with respect to all aspects of officiating.

We have several responsibilities including:

  • Maintaining strong communication with national bodies with respect to all areas of officiating
  • Review of the Crystal Mark Laws of the Sport
  • Providing clarification on the Laws of the Sport
  • Providing appropriate resources for accredited umpires at all levels
  • Promotion of the role and respect for officials
  • Facilitating and conducting International Technical officials (ITO) accreditation and re-accreditation sessions
  • Conducting working assessments of ITOs
  • Participating in judicial panels appointed by the WB Board; and
  • Providing advice on the appointment of Technical Delegates and Chief Technical Officials for major events.

LAG Members

With myself as chair of the group, I am ably supported by an excellent team.

Mark Cowan is based in the state of Victoria in Australia and has many years experience officiating at World and Commonwealth events as well as many years service on the committee.

Roger Black from Scotland will be well known to many as the former World Bowls secretary and again has a wealth of experience at the highest level.

Michael Johnson is from New Zealand and is also the Chair of the Bowls New Zealand Umpiring Committee. He has a very string interest in training & development of officials and experience at World and Commonwealth events.

Finally, our newest member from South Africa is Jeanette Williams. Jeanette also serves as the Convener of the Bowls South Africa Standing Committee for Technical Officials and, again has officiated at the highest level for many years.

Their experience and knowledge of the application of the Laws of the Sport serves them well on the committee.

Function

So how does this group function? Day-to-day activities include answering queries sent in to World Bowls relating to interpretations of a specific law and those seeking clarification on aspects of the sport that may have a laws element associated with them, for example, construction of greens, banks and ditches.

Meetings are held roughly quarterly through the year during which we discuss topics such as ITO accreditation process reviews, Umpire training and development reviews, specific topics which have been bought to the group’s attention and any laws decisions and clarifications that may be required. We also receive updates from World Bowls CEO Neil Dalrymple on upcoming events which require ITO or Technical Delegate appointments. This leads us into any selection requirements and the preparation for appointment of officials and working assessments. Most of the meetings are held virtually as we are scattered around the globe but occasionally at events such as Commonwealth Games or World Championships we take the opportunity to formerly meet in person.

Other activities we are involved in is the preparation of Conditions of Play for upcoming World Bowls events as well as preparation of playing schedules in collaboration with the host organising committees. At the moment, there is a lot of activity going on behind the scenes in relation to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow which will have a very different feel about the conditions of play.

Laws Reviews

So, what about the Laws of the Sport I hear you ask? Well, historically, the laws have been reviewed on a roughly four-year cycle. With the progression of the Crystal Mark Editions dating back to 2006, we have reached a point now where reviews have become less frequent. We like to believe this is because the Laws are as comprehensive and clear as they can be, despite the robust discussions that happen around the World about certain interpretations.

The last major review was of edition three which took place over an 18-month period culminating in the adoption of edition four in 2022. There is a view that now only minor tweaks will be reviewed as and when they are raised. There is certainly no appetite to look at a new edition five in the coming years as the number of requests for review are minimal.

A full review of the Laws of the Sport is a lengthy and time-consuming process involving all National Authority Members of World Bowls. They are invited to submit proposals for amending certain laws. These are collated and carefully considered by the Laws Advisory Group. It is vital to understand that the Laws of the Sport apply to all participating nations around the World. Just because a particular law does not function too well in one country may not warrant amending it for all countries. That is why there is some flexibility for regional variations in the form of “Domestic Regulations”. After two or three cycles of revision and approval from all nations, the draft proposals for a new edition are submitted to the Plain English Campaign (PEC), who are world leaders in clear communication. We have to bear in mind that the Laws of the Sport apply in countries whose first language is not English, and the PEC assist us in ensuring that the written English can be easily interpreted in various languages. It is the PEC that award the Crystal Mark, a seal of approval for clarity of the written word. Following this PEC seal of approval, the draft is then submitted to the Board of World Bowls for acceptance by all national bodies.

We often hear messages along  the lines of “that law is useless and needs to be changed”. “Why do they do it differently in that country” and “Do the laws not apply to that event”

Sometimes these are just statements to let off a bit of steam, but if there are genuine concerns that something is not working as it should or the interpretation seems to differ in different countries, then there is a mechanism for instigating a review. Firstly, queries should be submitted to the National Governing Body. Ideally this should be in the form of  a clear description of the concern, a proposal to resolve it and a rationale for that proposal. This will then be submitted to World Bowls and be considered by the Laws Advisory Group. Sometimes, we agree that clarification is necessary and needs to be published to a wider audience. In these cases we publish our decisions on the World Bowls Website. On other occasions we may write back to the National Body with our decision or clarification on the interpretation of their query.

I hope this gives a little insight into the function of the team of wizards behind the Laws of the Sport and officiating. For more information about the work of the World Bowls Laws Advisory Group, please take a look at https://www.worldbowls.com/laws-umpiring/