New Zealand Umpire Bowls Practice Exam

The situation described involves a bowl making contact with an opponent's foot and subsequently disturbing the head, which means that the play has had an outside interference. In this case, the skip has a choice in how to proceed.

The correct answer reflects the rules governing this scenario by allowing the skip to either choose to replace the head, which means restoring the arrangement of bowls that were originally in play, or declare the end dead entirely, stopping the play for that end without any points being scored. This flexibility is crucial, as it empowers the skip to make a choice based on the specific circumstances of the disturbance and the potential impact on the game.

Choosing to replace the head can be beneficial if the skip believes that restoring the original position of the bowls offers a fair opportunity for continued play. Conversely, declaring the end dead might be preferable if the disturbance has significantly altered the scenario, making it impossible or unfair to continue.

Other options do not accurately capture the skips' strategic decision-making ability and are more limiting in the context of the game’s regulations. The option to only replay the bowl does not consider the overall impact of the foot disturbance on the head and the gameplay, while declaring the end dead immediately would not take into account the potential fairness of replacing the head.