StateRegionDivision
Bowls
Published 26 January, 2026
These rules apply to State, Region, and Division competitions. Variations at Region and Division levels are available on the relevant event page.
Secondary Competition Rules
Match Format Consult the SSV website or the relevant Coordinator for Region and Division formats. State Format: 2 Bowl Triples.
State Match Schedule A Pre-Championships Briefing for all teams occurs before Roll Up and the first round. Refer to the Bowls Draw on the SSV website for specific Briefing and Roll Up times.
State Match Format
- Round Robin: Matches consist of 7 ends or 40 minutes, whichever occurs first. If time elapses, the end in progress must be finished.
- Semi-Finals and Finals: Matches consist of 10 ends with no time limit.
- Dead Ends: These are not replayed. If the jack is hit out of bounds, it is re-spotted on the ‘T’.
- Bowling Order: A1, B1, A1, B1; A2, B2, A2, B2. The Lead and Second (A1, A2) stay at the bowling end while the Skip (A3) remains at the head. Once the Leads and Seconds have finished their bowls, they swap ends with the Skips.
State Round Robin Winner Matches are decided by ‘shots up’. If a match is tied, the draw stands. Points: 4 for a win, 2 for a draw, 0 for a loss. If two teams are tied on matches won:
- Winner of the head-to-head match.
- Total 'shots-up' across all matches.
- Percentage (for/against) from all round-robin matches.
- One extra end.
If more than two teams are equal, the winner is determined by total 'shots-up' against the other tied teams, followed by percentage against those tied teams.
State Match Winner If a semi-final or the final is tied, one additional end is played to determine the winner.
Competitions follow the SSV ‘General Conditions of Competition’, ‘Codes of Conduct’, and ‘Participant Behaviour Policy’. The competition level chosen at Division remains binding through to State.
Matches follow Bowls Australia rules unless otherwise stated.
- Three (3) players are used per game.
- A maximum of four (4) players can be used in one day.
- Teams may consist of boys, girls, or mixed players.
- 4 SSV medallions and 1 coach medallion are awarded to placegetters.
Schools must provide their own first aid kit and are responsible for injury treatment.
- Strapping: Students/teams must provide their own sports tape and perform their own strapping.
- Note: State Final First Aid Responders are not permitted to perform preventative strapping.