Guidelines for Timekeepers and Boardkeepers

As empowered by the Tournament Director

By Bob Kroeger with help from Rich Curtis and Tony Mayo.

The boardkeeper should:

1. Correct clip placement. Draw attention to incorrect clip placement when noticed. If a striker has scored a wicket in his turn, the clip should be on his person. At the end of the turn, the clip is then placed on the striker’s next wicket.


2. Correct misplaced balls. If a player fails to go ball-in-hand after a roquet, goes ball-in-hand to an incorrect position, or fails to measure in boundary balls, they are playing from a misplaced position. You must draw attention to this immediately and have the striker play correctly without penalty.


3. Make time announcements. The rulebook provides that the players be notified when there are 15 minutes remaining, one minute remaining, and match time expired. Custom over the years has had a five minute remaining announcement as well. Timekeepers would also announce time remaining when asked by the players or referee. When doublebanking, 10 or 15 minutes may be announced for doublebanking delay timeouts.


4. Forestall an unearned continuation shot after a striker has scored a wrong wicket.


5. Correct the deadness board. The deadness board should be corrected by the boardkeeper as soon as it is discovered to be incorrect and verified by the players. If a player hits a ball on which he is dead without any player noticing and then in the same turn makes his correct wicket, the board should not be changed until the play is condoned. Once condoned, the deadness board should be corrected. For example: Blue is dead on red. Blue hits red and then hits black and yellow. The boardkeeper should not mark blue dead on black and yellow. If in the same turn, the striker goes through his wicket, the boardkeeper should not change the board. For example, if blue had not scored the wicket, after the opponent plays his first shot, the boardkeeper should mark blue dead on black and yellow, as well as red.


6. Forestall out-of-turn play. An example of out-of-turn play in singles is when blue plays when it’s black’s turn to play. In this situation, there is no penalty and the correct ball should play. In doubles, out-of-turn play occurs when the wrong player plays, regardless of the ball they have struck. For example, Mary, the player of black, plays when her partner Dick should be playing blue. Even if Mary had stepped on the court and played blue when it was Dick's turn to play, there is no penalty. Mary simply leaves the court and Dick then plays blue without penalty. However, if it is Mary’s turn to play and she plays blue or an opponent’s ball, she will incur a penalty for playing the wrong ball and she should NOT be forestalled.


7. Forestall players from striking or roqueting balls in another game during doublebanking. If a player strikes or roquets a ball in another game mistakenly believing that the ball is in his game, the shot is replayed without penalty.

Send inquiries to Ben Morehead at "info (at sign) greenwichcroquet.com".