# Rule 22 Rule 22: how the wording changed (American four-wall)

5 rulebooks state this rule, from 1873 to 1931. No rewording or change was found.

## How to read this

- Added words are marked [+ like this +]; removed words [- like this -].
- Each rulebook says what kind of change it is: unchanged, punctuation only, moved, reworded or changed.
- A program matched each clause with the one before it. Automatic matches were made by the program alone; machine-reviewed ones were also checked by a second program. A person has not checked either.

## Rulebook by rulebook

| Date | Rulebook | Clauses, by kind of change |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1873 | James's Four-Wall Rules, 1873 | 1 first recorded |
| 1886 | Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886 | 1 unchanged |
| 17 March 1889 | The Sun Four-Wall Rules, 1889 | 1 moved |
| 1928 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928 | 2 first recorded |
| 1931 | A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1931 | 1 unchanged, 1 moved |

## The wording

### Rule 22, part 1 of 3

Begins: “If the striker in serving the ball strikes himself…”

- **1873, James's Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > If the striker in serving the ball strikes himself or his partner with the ball and it goes over the ace line, it is at the option of the player whether he plays to it or not, as it can be called a hinder.

- 1886, Spalding Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

- **17 March 1889, The Sun Four-Wall Rules**: Moved (automatic). Compared with Spalding Four-Wall Rules, 1886.

  Same words as the rulebook compared with.

### Rule 22, part 2 of 3

Begins: “It is the duty of the referee to decide…”

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > It is the duty of the referee to decide all hinders and covered balls without being appealed to by the players since most players dislike to make claims especially in close cases.

- **1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: Moved (automatic). Compared with A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules, 1928.

  > It is the duty of the referee to decide all hinders and covered balls without being appealed to by the [- players -] [+ players, +] since most players dislike to make [- claims -] [+ claims, +] especially in close cases.
  
  2 words added, 2 removed.

### Rule 22, part 3 of 3

Begins: “The referee is not relieved of the duty of…”

- **1928, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules**: First recorded (automatic).

  > The referee is not relieved of the duty of rendering a decision by the failure of a player to claim a hinder or a covered ball.

- 1931, A.A.U. Four-Wall Rules: Unchanged (automatic).

All rules: [clause history](https://handball.theperfectship.com/rulebooks/clause-history/).