Aim

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The aim of the selectors is to pick the best possible teams from the available players, ensuring that those players play in their best position and, where necessary, have the opportunity to develop and improve.

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The Selection Process

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Selection takes place on Thursday afternoon and players make themselves available by signing up on the sheets posted on the notice board.  This should be done by the end of Wednesday if possible.  If players are unable to sign the sheets, they can confirm their availability by getting others to sign up for them or by contacting one of the selectors.

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Teams will be posted on the pavilion notice board after the selection meeting and put out by email on Thursday evening.

 

A named selector will be available to contact in the event of a player’s circumstances changing.  If a player is unable to play, they should contact the named selector as soon as possible to enable a replacement to be found.

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Sometimes team sheets go out with vacancies because not enough players have signed up to play and attempts by the selectors to contact possible other players have failed.  If someone is able to fill one of the spaces, they should contact the named selector.

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Selection of the three (or four for rinks) people for each rink follows the same pattern.  Firstly the skips are identified and then the leads are assigned to them.  Once these are in place, the other players are slotted in.  The previous week’s selection and results are taken into account so, where possible, winning teams are kept together.  When this is not possible, the best fit for the missing position is chosen.

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A list of players not selected is kept and they are the first contacted in the case of withdrawals.  Before not selecting a player, the sheets for the rest of the games are checked to see if that player will get a game elsewhere.  The selectors endeavour to ensure that players who put their name down get a game, but this cannot be guaranteed.

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Sometimes poor results mean that changes have to be made.  This may include creating a 'strong' rink for a particular day to try to pick up some points, putting in new players or moving personnel around.

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Selection of the South West Durham teams (Wednesday afternoon) follows a slightly different pattern in that players are firstly divided into A and B squads before the above process is then undertaken.

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When the second team was entered into the league it was envisaged that both teams would be of equal strength, but recently the A team has become the stronger of the two.  It is, however, possible to play (but not skip) for either team and it may be the case that physically stronger teams are picked for some of the more challenging greens.

 

How you can help

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Ensure you sign up for games before the selectors meet.

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Make the selection process easier by signing up for as many games as possible.  Players who sign up for only one game per week may find themselves disappointed as there is no guarantee they can be picked.  Players who will only play at home or request to play with certain players also make the selection process very difficult.

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Even if there are enough players down for a specific day, put your name down to give the selectors choice.

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If you want the chance to play in a certain position (skip, second or lead) speak to the selectors so they know.  The Tuesday format is particularly ideal to give players a chance to experience the skills needed for the various roles.

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For new bowlers the Thursday afternoon sessions are ideal for improving your skills whilst the Saturday rinks and Tuesday triples will give you a chance to experience match play and learn more about the etiquette of bowling.

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If you are going away on holiday, sign the sheets to the right of the notice board so the selectors know when you are available for selection again.

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If you want to know about a particular selection speak to the selectors, but do so politely.  Selection is not an exact science and the selectors are only human - they try to do their best for the club, but sometimes make mistakes.