Venue – Dunstable, GoBowling
Adult, Senior and Super Senior Try out’s for your 2025 County Squads.
February 23rd 4.30pm Registration – 5pm roll off -
&
Wednesday 12th March 6.45pm Registration – 7.15pm roll off
Playing Format and Qualification for County Trials
All Bowlers will bowl 6 games, moving lanes after every game.
All the scores are Scratch – No handicap or age bonus.
We will endeavour to play each squad at Doubles pace, but this is dependent on the number of entries to each squad.
Age Eligibility
Super Senior: Must be aged 65 on or before 31st December in the year of the championships
Seniors: Must be aged 50 on or before 31st December in the year of the championships;
Adults: No specific age criteria
County Eligibility
To be eligible to represent Beds or Bucks or Herts you must…
1) be a current member in good standing with the BTBA or Affiliated Association.
2) have been born in the County boundary
3) a resident of the County for no less than 1 year.
4) Orphaned – If your current county has no local association you declare yourself “orphaned” and as long as you bowl in a league your desired county apply to bowl in their county rolls offs.
All county eligibility is laid out in the BTBA ICC county rules – here is the link –
https://btba.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ICC-Rules-Regulations-2023-v1-1.pdf
It’s ultimately the bowler’s responsibility to ensure they are eligible to bowl for their chosen county
Fees for County Trials
To try out for 1 team (either Adult or Senior) the cost is £35 payable to the tournament manager on the day of the tournament.
If you would then like to be also considered for selection for a 2nd team (either Adult / Senior), then there is an additional £5 subsidy.
You can only try out for ONE county
Breakdown of fees
£22.80 – lineage
£2 – BTBA sanction fee
£10.20 – County Contribution
Tournament Rules for County Trials
1. The tournament is sanctioned by the BTBA and the general playing rules and regulations, and latest Intercounty rules and regulations, will govern this event together with the following special items.
2. BTBA Membership will be checked on the BTBA database which is accessible at btba.org.uk. The tournament is open to BTBA & any other national association members who are in good standing. Local association members require an existing Standard or League (post 14th August 2023) BTBA membership to participate in the trials. If selected for the County squad, bowlers will need an existing Standard or Competitive (post 14th August 2023) BTBA Membership to play in the ICC 2025 qualifiers and finals
3. All bowlers must have been born or lived within the boundaries of the county they wish to try out for.
4. A provisional ball must be rolled if any dispute relating to pin fall cannot be resolved immediately.
5. Should there be a tie for any place then the person with the highest last game will take the advantage.
6. Protests should be made to the tournament manager within 30 minutes and confirmed in writing in 72 hours of the game in which the infraction occurred.
7. The tournament manager will be Daniel Bonfield, assisted by Karen Parslow (Buckinghamshire) and Mark Secker (Hertfordshire) They reserve the right to reject any entry and their decision on all matters will be final subject to an appeal to the BTBA.
8. The closing date for pre-registered entries will be Friday 21st of February 2025. The entry fee should be paid in cash on the day, and no payment is required to reserve a space in a squad. Allocation of spaces in each squad is on a first come, first served basis – However if there are mitigating circumstance why you specifically can only make one squad, then please reach out to the tournament manager Daniel Bonfield drwbonfield@yahoo.co.uk
9. All bowlers are to be registered at least 30 minutes before the scheduled squad time.
10. The tournament will be scratch only.
11. All Bowlers are to be dressed in an acceptable manner. Ladies can wear skorts, skirts, leggings or trousers. Men should wear trousers or tailored shorts. The tournament committee's decision on acceptable bowling attire is final. NO DENIM OR VEST TOPS !
12. No competitor will be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages during play or smoke in between games.
13. Any competitor found using foul language or exhibiting offensive behaviour or abusing bowling equipment will be disqualified.
14. All National Team Squad Members, must make themselves available to participate in their county trials – unless they receive the correct exemptions, laid out in the ICC county rules (downloadable from the BTBA website)
PHOTOGRAPHY POLICY APPLIES TO YOUTH AND JUNIOR BOWLERS ONLY.
"Before, during, and after the event there could be photography, filming or video taken of participants and medal winners by anyone attending the event, either as an official, spectator, parent or guardian. If you (as a participant, parent or guardian) object to this, you must make your objections known to the tournament manager prior to the event starting and reasonable adjustments will be made."
The top fifteen male and female players from each county will be registered as the 2024 County teams. The two male and female bowlers with the highest scratch scores in each division will be guaranteed the opportunity to play at least two games in the qualifying rounds of this year’s inter-county championships. The remainder of the teams will be selected from the registered players, based on scores and averages, and there will be no guarantee of selection. Each county will form their own selection committee to decide the remaining bowlers selected.
Specific County Rules
Hertfordshire
Successful attendance of the Hertfordshire Trials will make bowlers eligible to represent Hertfordshire at any other County organised events, regardless of finishing position and section entered.
Players selected to play in the qualifying rounds must be prepared to pay for lineage, travel and hotel costs if applicable
Bedfordshire
All bowlers who try out for Bedfordshire will be eligible for any additional challenge matches the county play and eligible for selection for the Southern Scratch League Team.
The County League team is subsidised by the county, but there is an additional charge if you wish to bowl in this competition.
Players selected to play in the qualifying rounds may be asked to pay for lineage, travel and hotel costs if applicable
Buckinghamshire
The Top 15 bowlers from the County roll offs will be registered for the Bucks County Team and should make themselves available for all rounds of the County tournaments plus any practice sessions arranged by the County. There will also be challenge matches available in the run up to qualifying rounds by which the County would expect attendance and representation when organised. All travelling fees associated with County duty are to be covered by individuals.
As stated in the rules (point 2) please be aware that if you are selected to bowl in the BTBA ICC Qualifiers or National Finals you need to upgrade your Membership level to a “competitive level” of membership
Specific Rule from the Ladies Zoe Dission Memorial Trophy Competition.
A bit about Zoe… Zoe was taken from the world in 2024 after a short fight with an aggressive Cancer. Zoe was a regular in the Bedfordshire County Team. She came through the local YBC and played in the leagues at Dunstable. She left behind two sons and two Daughters. Both Boy’s are bowlers themselves. I want to keep Zoe in everyone’s memory and thought this would be a good way to do it.
So, this Tournament is open to all the LADIES! It’s a tournament within a tournament.
It’s totally FREE for the ladies who are competing in the County rolloffs.
But it’s also an OPEN tournament to any Ladies who want to bowl, but not necessarily try out for HERTS, BEDS and BUCKS county team.
We will use your scores from the rolloffs over 6 games. And then add on handicap. Which is calculated at 100% of the difference between your entering averaging and a base of 200.
There’s no prize fund, but the winner will receive a nice trophy donated by the Bedfordshire Association.
COST FOR OPEN BOWLERS
£22.80 – lineage
£2 – BTBA sanction fee
£5.20 – Cancer Charity Donation
Total Cost £30
RULES
Most of the rules are covered in the rules above for the County Trials
But Specific rules for the Zoe Memorial Tournament – please declare your highest league or tournament average over 15 games whether that be a freefall or a stringed average.
It’s a BTBA sanctioned event so all competitors must have a valid LEAGUE level membership