Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a collection of questions which are often asked about the Vancouver and District Bowls Association. Some people who have bowled for years don't know the answers, but now you do! (Originally compiled by Dr. John Aveline).
Question Index:
Q. What is the V&D?
A. The V&D is the short name for the Vancouver and District Bowls Association. The V&D oversees the Sport of Bowls in Metro Vancouver and its 22 member clubs, which have a collective membership of over 2,300 bowlers. This makes the V&D the third largest district in Canada and larger than most provinces. In fact, there are more bowlers in the V&D than in all of Hong Kong (2,300 vs 2,100). The V&D manages district level tournaments and leagues and assists its member clubs in promoting the Sport of Bowls and developing its membership.
Q. How long has the V&D been around?
A. There has been a district association for bowls clubs in the Vancouver Lower Mainland since the first club's were formed in the mid-1910's. In 1925 16 of the 18 bowls clubs in BC were in the Lower Mainland and so it was decided that the provincial body, the BCLBA, could co-ordinate the clubs. By 1932 there were 33 clubs in BC and it was decided that the clubs in Vancouver needed to look after themselves. It was then that the Vancouver & District Lawn Bowling Association was born.
Q. What is the difference between a V&D event and an Inter-club event?
A. Most simply a V&D event is one in which you win a crest for finishing first, otherwise it is an inter-club event. V&D events are managed by the V&D and played at various host clubs. They include the Monday Pennant Leagues, the Top 10 and the various Men's, Women's & Mixed events. Inter-club events are run by individual clubs.
Q. Who can play in V&D events?
A. Any member of a V&D affiliated club is eligible to play in a V&D event, without restriction (except for novice, intermediate and senior events, which are restricted by experience or age). There is usually no upper limit to the number of entries to a V&D event however this can depend on the rinks available. The convener of a given event will simply arrange extra greens (if available) to accommodate all entries which are submitted before the deadline (one week before the event's start).
Q. How much are the affiliation fees to belong to the V&D?
A. Clubs pay $3.00 (as of 2023) to the V&D for every playing member of the club. This entitles their members to play in all V&D events; leagues and tournaments. The entry fee for a V&D event is $25.00 per player. The only exception to this is the Top 10 which is $25.00 for the team.
Q. What is the Top Ten?
A. The Top Ten is an event played between clubs. Each club assembles a team (or two if they wish) made up of 10 club members (at least four of each gender) to play four games (singles, pairs, triples and fours) against the opponent you have been drawn to play. The event is straight knock-out, so only the winning team advances to the next round. The winner is decided by who has the most wins of the four games. If teams are tied in wins (or wins and ties), then the team that scores the most shots wins. If both teams are tied on overall shots, then the winner of the singles determines the winner. The Top 10 champions' club receive a pennant for the clubhouse.
Q. What is the Monday Pennants League?
A. The Monday Pennants League was created as the Monday 2-bowl Triples League in the late 1980's, patterning itself after the pennant leagues in Australia and Hong Kong. Along with the Top 10, this is the only event in which players represent the club. As with the Top 10, the club receives a pennant if their team wins the division. There are currently two Men's divisions and one Women's division.
Q. How much do clubs get paid for hosting a V&D event?
A. The greens rental rate is $20.00 (as of 2023) per rink per session. A full day is divided into 3 sessions; morning, afternoon and evening. A game of 18 ends or 21 shots in singles takes up one session. Usually two 10 or 12 end games or two 15 shot singles games can be played in one session.
Q. Do umpires get paid for officiating V&D events?
A. As of 2023, umpires receive $25.00 per morning, afternoon and evening session plus 25 cents per km between his home club and the event club (per standard mileage table as provided by George Cubiss). Individual clubs can, if they wish, use umpires for their inter-club events.
A. Currently BC Week is run by the V&D and Bowls BC has virtually nothing to do with it, however, it is not classified as a V&D event. When it was first instituted in 1922, BC Week was run by the provincial association and, at its height, attracted 100's of bowlers from BC and the West of Canada and the US. Since the event has always been held in Metro Vancouver (and run by local bowlers) and the work of Bowls BC has grown considerably over the decades, it was mutually agreed that it was best for the V&D to manage BC Week.
Q. How are the Male and Female Bowler of the Week determined in B.C. Week?
A. The calculations for Bowler of the Week are done as follows. Players receive points if they have a top finish in an event. The player(s) with highest total number of points is declared Bowler of the Week. Points are earned as followed:
Men:
Placing Section A Section B
1st 8 6
2nd 6 4
3rd 4 2
4th 2 -
Women:
The Women's Triples is not run as a sectional event. As a result, points are awarded to the top 8 teams.
First place earns 8 points,
Second place is worth 7 points, down to Eighth place earns 1 point.