SENIOR DIVISION RULES
1- Members must be fifty (50) years of age by April 1 of the current bowling year.
2- 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 with the Teaching Division or Tournament Division. If a Senior member 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.
3 – Members of the Senior Division may also bowl in the Teaching and/or Tournament Division tournaments providing all entry fees are paid and that they meet the requirements for each specific division.
4 - To qualify for the Provincial Championships the best three (3) tournaments will be used. The top 50% provincially will advance based on the highest participation in any one tournament. Anyone who is exactly even or pins over average will also advance.
5 - For the Zone Tournaments, the average used for determining pins over average will be the average of the previous eighty (80) games bowled in tournament qualifying play. If 80 games have not been bowled, the average of the games available for each participant will be used.
For any 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 using the following formula. The pinfall of eight games from tournament play plus 72 games at last season’s average divided by 80. As the Master continues to bowl, their average will be calculated by increasing tournament pinfall games and decreasing the previous season average games until 80 tournament games have been played.
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 to bowl in the Senior or Teaching Division. This is because each bowler must have an established average to bowl in the Senior division as it is a pins over average division.
If a Senior member 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.
6 - Stars will be awarded to the top bowler (pins over average) provincially for each of the five (5) qualifying Zone tournaments.
7 - For the Provincial Championships, the average used will be calculated as follows using both league pinfall and MBA of BC zone tournament scores.
- All league pinfall including 'spare' scores will be 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.
- Current season MBA OF BC zone tournament pinfall with a minimum of 3 complete tournament blocks divided by the number of games bowled (min 24 games to max of 40 games).
- 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.
8 - The Provincial Championships will be held over two (2) days and will consist of sixteen (16) games of competition. The Championship uses a match play format with both scratch and pins over average scoring. Each game bowled will count for both a pins over average match and a scratch match. Points will be awarded as follows for each match: one (1) point for a win, half (1/2) a point for a tie and zero (0) for a loss. Match play standings will be maintained for both the scratch and match play competitions.
In the event that there are an uneven number of bowlers in the Provincial Championships the ‘no bye system’ will be used. In this system, every bowler has an opponent for every game. The unmatched bowler would bowl the bowler closest to them in the bowlers lane draw.
Example
There are nine bowlers using lanes 1 through 10. The unmatched bowler is on lane 3 with no opponent on lane 4. The closest bowler to unmatched bowler is on lane 2, so the unmatched bowler would play against the score bowled by the person on lane 2 to determine the points to be awarded for this game. If the unmatched bowler loses, the bowler on lane 2 does not receive points for this match since points are already being awarded for the match with the bowler on lane 1.
In the case of a larger group, the opponent to the unmatched bowler 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.
9- 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 the 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 the final positions.
10 - 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 standings and the top two (2) individuals who have achieved the best match play (Win/Loss) record in the scratch standings will represent British Columbia at the National Championships.
At the conclusion of the Provincial Championships in an even numbered year the top three (3) individuals who have achieved the best match play (Win/Loss) record in the scratch standings and the top two (2) individuals who have achieved the best match play (Win/Loss) record in the pins over average standings will represent British Columbia at the National Championships.
If a person qualifies for both pins over average and scratch positions they take the pins over average position first.
In addition, the rules at the National Championships require that a senior team consist of at least one bowler of each gender. Should the senior team as decided above not consist of at least one bowler of each gender, the following method will be used form the senior team: If we need to move up a bowler to fulfill gender requirements, the bowler who has been moved up will take the 3rd (third) spot; i.e. - If it is a year in which pins over average has 3 spots the highest pins over average finisher will be moved up. If it is a year in which scratch has 3 spots then the highest scratch finisher will be moved up.
11 - The Tournament Stars will be awarded to the individual with the best match play pins over average (Win/Loss) record at the Provincial Championships.
12 - The Provincial Championship Ring will be awarded to the individual who has the best Win/Loss record in the pins over average standings over sixteen (16) games and have competed in all five (5) qualifying 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.
13- Averages for the National Championships will be calculated as follows in keeping consistent with other provinces:
- 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.
- Current season MBA OF BC zone tournament pinfall with a minimum of 3 complete tournament blocks divided by the number of games bowled (min 24 games to max of 40 games).
- 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.
