1- Members must be fifty (50) years of age by April 1 of the current bowling year.
2 - New members must have completed the Level 1 Technical Course offered by the Master Bowlers Association of British Columbia before the Provincial Championships in order to participate in the Provincial Championships.
Note: The only exceptions for the Senior members are those who have previously bowled in the Tournament Division and have attained the qualifying average for five (5) consecutive years and those who participated in the Teaching Division.
3- Members competing in this division will play a minimum of three (3) of the five (5) scheduled tournaments in their Zone to qualify for the Provincial Championships. Seniors may bowl their qualifying tournaments either with Teaching Division or Tournament Division. If a Senior is bowling in the Tournament Division as well as the Senior division he/she must bowl the 3 Senior tournaments by December 31. These tournaments are pins over average.
4 - Members may bowl Teaching, Tournament or Senior Division tournaments providing all entry fees are paid and that they meet the requirements for each specific division.
5 - Members competing in this division will play a minimum of three (3) of the five (5) scheduled tournaments in their Zone to qualify for the Provincial Championships. Seniors may bowl in any division as long as they meet the division requirements.
6 - To qualify for the Provincial Championships the best three (3) tournaments will be used. The top 50% provincially with a "plus" Pins Over Average will advance based on the highest participation in any one (1) tournament. Anyone who is exactly even or pins over average will also advance.
7 - For the Zone Tournaments, the average used will be the average of the previous eighty (80) games bowled in tournament qualifying play or the number of games available for each individual participant. For NEW Bowler who has not played in the MBA of BC Seniors Division previously. The average will be the highest league average of the previous year's league play. This average will be counted as representing 80 games. Once a master plays in an MBA of BC tournament of eight games the average will be calculated as follows... Pinfall of eight games plus 72 games at last seasons average... As the master continues to bowl average will be calculated by increasing tournanemt pinfall games and decreasing previous season average games until 80 touranment games have been played. If a Senior is rejoining the division after a lapse of more than three (3) years he/she will have to re-establish an average in the same manner as a new bowler.
7a Any new bowler who does not have a league average within the last three years and who did not bowl in the masters in the last three years, MUST establish an average of 36 or more games in order to bowl in the senior or teaching division. This is because you must have an established average to bowl in the teaching and / or the senior division since it's a pins over average division.
8 - Stars will be awarded to the top bowler (pins over average) provincially for each of the five (5) qualifying Zone tournaments.
9 - For the Provincial Championships, the average used will be based on all League averages including ‘spare’ scores; as well as current season MBA OF BC Zone Tournaments bowled during the current bowling year with a minimum of 3 complete tournament blocks (min 24 games to max of 40 games) This will be calculated as follows:
(A) All League pin-fall including 'spare' scores added together and divided by the total number of games involved. Members must have bowled at least thirty six (36) games in any one (1) league in the current year in order to participate in the Provincial Championships.
(B) Current season MBA OF BC Zone Tournaments bowled during the current bowling year with a minimum of 3 complete tournament blocks.
(C) Averages derived from (A) and (B) above will be added together and divided by two (2) to arrive at the average used for the Provincial Championships.
Failure to provide the information for 9(A) above by the deadline date may result in you forfeiting your spot at the Provincial Championships.
10 - The Provincial Championships is Match Play - both Scratch and Pins Over Average (Win/Loss) scoring over two (2) days, consisting of sixteen (16) games of competition. Points will be awarded as follows: one (1) point for a win, half (1/2) a point for a tie and zero (0) for a loss. We will maintain both scratch match play standings and pins over average match play standing... So each game counts as a scratch match and a pins over average match... In the event that we have an uneven number of bowlers in the provincials we will use the following format....
No Bye System...The unopposed bowler does not have to bowl their average to get a point… In the No Bye system the bowler would bowl an opponent , closest to the bowlers lanes draw… Example there are nine bowlers and you are using lanes 1 to 10
The unopposed bowler is on lane number 3 with no opponent on lane 4…. Therefore the closest lane is lane 2 so the unopposed bowler would play against the score bowled by the person on lane 2 to get there point… If they lose there is no extra point for the other bowler because they are only bowling their own match on their pair of lanes… This gives a bowler a live score to bowl against rather than having to make average to get a point.
In the case of a larger group then the opponent would be a person on the same pair of lanes that is on the opposite lane in a position closest to the bowler one spot higher or lower with higher being the first option.
11- In the event of a tie for the ‘Pins Over Average” positions, all tied bowlers will compete in a one (1) game roll-off with the highest “Pins Over Average” determining final positions. In the event of a tie for the ‘Scratch” positions, all tied bowlers will compete in a one (1) game roll-off with the highest Scratch pinfall determining final positions.
12 - At the conclusion of the Provincial Championships in an odd numbered year the top three (3) individuals who have achieved the best Match Play (Win/Loss) record in the ‘Pins Over Average’ and the top two (2) individuals who have achieved the best Match Play (Win/Loss) record in the Scratch will represent British Columbia at the National Championships.
12(A) - The combination of Scratch and P.O.A. bowlers will alternate each year. In the odd years three (3) P.O.A. and two (2) Scratch and in the even years two (2) P.O.A. and three (3) Scratch.
13 - The Tournament Stars will be awarded to the individual with the best Match Play Pins over average (Win/Loss) record at the Provincial Championships.
14 - The Provincial Championship Ring will be awarded to the individual who has the best Win/Loss record Pins Over Average over sixteen (16) games and competed in all five (5) qualified Zone Tournaments during the current bowling year. In the event there is a tie for first (1st) place; there will be a one (1) game roll-off with the highest pins over average determining the winner of the ring.
15- Averages for the National Championships will be calculated as follows in keeping consistent with other provinces:
(A) - All League pinfall including ‘spare’ scores added together and divided by the total number of games involved. Members must have bowled or spared at least thirty six (36) games in any one (1) league in the current bowling year in order to participate at the Provincial and National Championships.
(B) - Averages of the current year Master Bowlers Association of British Columbia Zone qualifying tournaments.
(C) - Averages derived from (A) and (B) above will be added together and divided by two (2) to arrive at the average used for the National Championship tournament play.
Failure to provide the information for 15(A) above by the deadline date may result in you forfeiting your spot at the National Championships.
Proposed Rule Change
The composition of the team will be a combination of Men and Ladies. There MUST be at least one lady or one man on the team.
Please let us know your thoughts on this rule addition in the seniors division.
Please Note this will be discussed at National Meeting in January 2008, if it is approved it will not be in affect until the 2008/09 season.
