National Rules 2016

BISCA National Rules in accordance with World Rules

 

 

Application to the International Rules Secretary, regarding changes to penalties in rules 7c; 7i; and 9(ii) has been made, but as this will take some time for affirmation please speak to your area judge prior to the shows for clarification.

 

The British Isles Shearing Competition Association (BISCA) rules will apply to all Affiliated Societies running sheep shearing competitions. Shearer’s will be placed in one of four classes i.e., Open, Senior, Intermediate and Junior Class.

 

Criteria for Classification:- Classification of competitors can be adjusted pre season where tallies have been achieved, date as at 1^st May for tallies.

 

Tallies			Daily Tallies (9hrs)
Novice	2 wins	As an accumulation
Novice Blades	2 wins	As an accumulation
Novice Wool Handling	2 wins	As an accumulation
Junior	2 wins	In 1 season	150/200
Intermediate	4 wins	As an accumulation	250/275
Senior	6 wins	As an accumulation	350/375

 

All shearers have the right to appeal in writing to BISCA.  If a tally is reported to an Area Judge – the Area Judge is in a position to move person up a class. Shearers can request to put themselves up a class.

 

The minimum qualification of entrants in shearing competitions shall be a ‘Blue Seal’

 

Only official BISCA Judges MUST be used by competitions.  Competitor’s who are trained judges may judge in classes below their ‘classification’ only.

 

BISCA recommend the preparation of competition sheep for shearing.

 

All organisers, competitors and sheep suppliers will uphold all relevant      bio-security protocol currently applicable at all times.

 

1. Replacement entries may be accepted, on the day of the competition only, subject to the availability of sheep and at discretion of the Chief Steward, at a surcharge of 100%. Replacement entries whenever possible should be included in the early heats.

 

2. Competitors must wear suitable clothing and footwear. No Commercial symbols to be worn unless approved by the Chief Steward. This ruling will be administered at all times. It is recommended that competitors will attend and be properly dressed for presentations.

 

3. Competitors may ask for any sheep considered substandard to be rejected before the heats commence. The Chief Steward’s decision shall be final.

 

4. The number of sheep to be shorn may be altered at the discretion of the Chief Steward.

 

5. A draw for heats and stands will be made before the start of each competition

 

6. Subject to Rule 4, the minimum number of sheep to be shorn in each competition and the maximum number of sheep to be shorn in finals shall be as follows:

 

Competition      Heats      Semi-finals       Finals

Junior                                          3                                  3                                  4/5

Intermediate                              4                                  4                                  5/8

Senior                                          4                                  5                                  7/12

Open                                            5                                  8                                  15/20

 

 

7. Before the start of the competition the Chief Steward will announce whether ‘socks’ or second growth wool are to be taken off or left on.

 

8. Each competitor will be allowed into the pen under the supervision of a judge.

 

9. Each competitor may be allowed one person in their pen to act as a second to control the sheep within the pen.

 

10. Competitors will be allowed to take two loaded handpieces on to the boards and no time will be allowed for stoppages caused by either handpiece or the competitor’s own sheep escaping. If any stoppages occur through faults in the machine or down-tube, or through other competitor’s sheep escaping, a time allowance will be made or a re-run given, at the Chief Steward’s discretion.

 

11. Without assistance each Shearer must:
    1. Collect each sheep from within the pen. Start and stop their machine (after each sheep)( Penalty of 1 whole point per offence).
    2. Shear their sheep, and
    3. Put each shorn sheep away properly
    4. A penalty of 1 whole point per offence for plucking – before and after shearing.

 

12. Competitors will wait on the boards with one hand on the closed door for ‘GO’. Each competitor will be separately timed from the word ‘GO’ until their stop-button has been pressed or their machine switched off, whichever is directed by the Chief Steward, after shearing their last sheep.

 

13. Each competitor’s time score will be calculated by dividing the total time taken (in seconds) by 20 throughout the competition except the Junior’s where the time is divided by 30 throughout the competition. All competitor’s will be timed to the nearest second.

 

14. Each competitor’s board score will be calculated by dividing the total number of judge’s penalty strokes by sheep shorn.

 

15. Each competitor’s pen score will be calculated by dividing the averaged judges penalty strokes by sheep shorn.

 

16. Each competitor’s score will be calculated and recorded regardless of the number of penalty points and time taken.

 

1. The competitor with the lowest score in the final of the competition shall be the winner of that competition, with other placings decided in like manner. In the event of a tie, the competitor with the lowest score for finished pen will take precedence. If there is still a tie, the competitor with the lowest score for work on the boards will take precedence..

 

1. The following penalties should be applied by judges, A JUDGE MUST CONSULT WITH THE REFEREE BEFORE GIVING WHOLE POINTS.

1. Socks left on when required off – two penalty strokes per sock
2. Seconds (helpers) assisting with switching machine on or off – one whole point per offence..
3. Pen Referee must be consulted and a competitor will be penalized by the addition of five whole points per offence added to their calculated pens score if they –
   • Cut a teat and impair the breeding ability of a ewe.
   • Severely cut any sheep to the extent that it requires surgical attention. (Referee may require a minor cut to be stitched without imposing the above penalty)
4. Pen Referee must be consulted and a competitor will be penalized by the addition of ten whole points per offence added to their calculated pen score if they –
   • Cut a hamstring
   • Cut into or through the centre of a pizzle

(a pizzle graze may not necessarily incur a full penalty)

1. Pen Referee will decide and write a full point penalty in a circle on pen card and initial it.
2. Pen Referee must be consulted and adjudicate on cuts into the flesh or muscle (not serious enough to be full penalty of 5 whole points) where a competitor will be penalized by five whole penalty strokes plus the cut.
3. Allowing sheep to escape 2 whole points per offence
4. Rough handling of sheep – five whole points per offence
5. One penalty stroke for not breaking the neck wool on full wool fleeces.
6. One penalty stroke per side for obvious belly wool or brisket frib not removed when shearing belly or for obvious fleece wool removed with belly.
7. One penalty stroke for not throwing belly wool clear.
8. One penalty stroke for wool thrown interfering with another competitor.
9. Two penalty strokes for first hind leg wool broken out deliberately by competitor on full wool sheep.
10. Three penalty strokes for using handpiece or blades to cut open neck wool unless a ruling allowing this is made by the Chief Referee.
11. Five penalty strokes if a shorn sheep on release breaks up fleece or carries fleece wool out porthole.
12. The board referee is to advise scorers of any whole point
13. Shearer’s not remaining on the stand until everyone has finished – five whole points.

.

 

1. The Referee, in consultation with any judge, has the right to eliminate any competitor whose work or conduct is detrimental to the good reputation of competition shearing.

 

1. Subject to any right of appeal contained in the Society’s by laws, the Chief Steward’s ruling on any matter not covered by these rules shall be final.

 

 

 

The following recommendations are made by the BISCA Committee.

 

All Junior and Intermediate Shearer’s should be encouraged to inspect their shorn sheep immediately after finishing their heat where expert advice can be given on both judges scoring and technical expertise.

 

Where competitors are allowed to shear up a class, only Junior’s that have qualified through from the Junior heats  should be allowed to shear in Intermediate.

 

Any conduct that is detrimental to the ethics of BISCA by either competitor or official shall be notified to the Disciplinary Committee:

 

The Disciplinary Committee has the right to suspend, for a period, or remove any mistruant from their respective list.

 

The decision of the Committee shall be FINAL.

 

Appeals have to be submitted in writing, to the referee 15 minutes after the occurrence with a lodgement fee of £20/E20 returnable if upheld.

BLADE SHEARING RULES

 

World International Rules apply, with the following amendments for all blade competitions.

 

            The minimum number of sheep to be shorn in each stage of competition and the maximum number of sheep to be shorn in finals shall be as follows:

 

Competition	Heats	Semi-Final	Finals
Novice	1	1	2
Open	2	3	5-7

 

 

• Competitors will be allowed to take two sets of blades onto the boards, which must be placed in the holder provided.

 

• Blades must be placed in the holder between each sheep (2 whole points per offence where             this is not applied).

 

• As per machine or when Blades are placed in the holder after shearing their last sheep.

 

• Shorn sheep are judged on the basis of even finish of 5 to 15mm.

 

 

 

WOOL HANDLING RULES

 

Full details of the wool handling competition rules are available on request to the Secretary, BISCA, BWMB, Sidings Close, Canal Road, Bradford, BD2 1AZ.

 

Competitors are classified into the following classes and may compete in one class only:-

 

Open Standard: National and International Standard and competitors that have previously won a novice Wool Handling competition.

 

Novice: Confined to competitors of novice standard and non-classified competitors who have never competed in a wool-handling competition.

 

The following rules apply to all BISCA Affiliated Societies running Wool-Handling competitions.

 

1. A draw will be made prior to the start of the competition. Entries will be taken for a competition up to the closing date. Late entries (if taken) will be placed in the first heat(s). Circuit entries will not be accepted after the first event of the circuit.

 

2. Competitors have the opportunity to inspect sheep before they are penned and request removal of any sheep which is considered substandard.

 

3. Each competitor will attend two shearers. The shearer will operate in a designated procedure which is synchronised and staggered. No hindrance or contact with the shearer is allowed. Blatant assistance by the shearer will be penalised.

 

4. Competitor’s board, floor area and slatted table must be clean at the start.

 

5. Each time the shearer brings a sheep onto the boards, the shearing area must be clean.

 

6. Oddments are placed in the appropriate bins straight away.

 

7. The slatted table must be used for rolling the fleeces and the table must be clean for each throw. Penalties will apply where the thrown fleece is not flat and fully exposed on the table, where fleece is hanging over and off the table, and when the fleece is not the right way up

i.e.       tips up for crossbreds, tips down for Blackface, Herdwick, etc.

 

8. Each fleece is rolled in the BWMB approved manner i.e. britch to neck and secured with a neck tuck-in. The belly-wool must either be placed into the same fleece which it has been taken out or into an oddments box. A waiting fleece may be placed on a clean floor area.

 

9. When the rolled fleece is placed in the allocated container it is deemed to be finished and can be removed for ‘Table’ judging.

 

10. All wools must be kept within the designated area.

 

11. On completion the work area is left clean.

 

12. Competitors must not interfere with their wools after they have signalled that they have finished.

 

13. Competitors must be suitably attired e.g. suitable footwear, sponsors logo on attire, etc.

 

14. Competitors are responsible for supplying their own broom.

 

15. All competitors compete at their own risk.

 

16. A judge has the right to switch off the machine or disqualify any competitor whose work or conduct on the boards / floor area is detrimental to the image of competition shearing and wool-handling.

 

17. The Chief Wool-Handling Steward will have overall responsibility for the running of the competition. Disputes must be logged with the Chief Steward within 30 minutes of completion of the event.

 

Methods of Scoring : The Score-sheets (Time, Board and Table) are collated as follows:

 

Time:  The time starts simultaneously on completion of shearing and stop when each

competitor signals that they have finished by raising their hand/broom to clearly

indicate this. The time in seconds is divided by 10 seconds for each penalty point.

 

Board:            The Judges operational penalty points are totalled.

 

Table: The Judges ‘Table’ penalty points for rolled fleeces and oddments is totalled.

 

Then Time, Board and Table penalty points are entered on a Master Score Sheet and totalled. The competitor with the lowest aggregate score is the Winner.

 

In the event of a tie, the competitor with ‘Table’ penalties will take precedence. If there is still a tie, the competitor with the lowest penalties for ‘Board work’ will take precedence.

 

Should any stoppages occur through the fault of the machine or through a sheep escaping, a time allowance or a re-run will be given at the Chief Stewards discretion. The wool-handler must stop work during the period of stoppage.