Watch astonishing moment Jamaican bowler timed out TWICE as shot-clock wreaks havoc at Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games - 'He's got to be careful'
Updated 29/07/2026 at 14:04 GMT+1
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Jamaican bowler Robert Simpson was twice timed out in his men’s singles group stage clash against Scotland’s Jason Banks in bizarre scenes on the opening day of action in Glasgow. Only 30 seconds are permitted between one bowl coming to rest and the other being released, but Simpson appeared oblivious.
'He's got to be careful!' - Controversy in bowls as Jamaica's Simpson falls foul of ruling
Video credit: TNT Sports
Simpson, who lives in Portsmouth and plays for the Reggae Rollers, could hardly have appeared less bothered as the shot clock ticked down to zero at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
In the first instance, he did actually call for a time-out which grants players an additional 30 seconds, but he still failed to take his shot in time.
He then attempted to take another time-out, only to be told players are allowed only one per set.
"You only get one per set so run," one of the officials told him with seven seconds remaining.
Despite the warning, he appeared happier to accept his fate than up the pace as he walked from one side of the green to the other, leaving the TNT Sports commentators questioning if he was aware of the rules.
"He's got to be careful," came the reaction from the commentary booth. "Run is the advice of the marshal. He's got three seconds, he's going to be timed out.
"I'm not sure if it's a lack of familiarity or a poor understanding of the rules.
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"It looks like he doesn't understand the shot-clock, or he hasn't been told the situation, but you can't afford to be losing bowls like that.
"That's twice in three ends he's timed himself out."
After losing two bowls, Simpson was well beaten in the first set by Banks, who is ranked seventh in the world.
The unranked Simpson looked like he was going to level the contest, though, when he took a 5-1 lead in the second set.
But Banks fought back to force a tie-break and produced the telling shots when it mattered most to secure a 2-0 victory and avoid an upset.
Speaking after the match, Simpson said he perhaps should have put in some practice in under-shot-clock conditions.
"I couldn’t get used to the clock," Simpson told TNT Sports after the match.
"It took some getting used to as you only get 30 seconds and I was only about halfway up the green when I timed out."
Asked if it was something he’d worked on before the game, he added: "No, I didn’t practise it. I should have, maybe."
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