It is said that Lawn Bowling is a sport that can be played by anyone aged from nine to ninety. At Clearwater, we can believe that because we have a player aged ten and another aged ninety-one.
It has excellent qualities that are of great benefit, namely: - Mentally challenging, Good physical exercise and a Great Way to make new friends. Because of this it is recommended by the American Heart Association for those who want to stay active.
It is played on a Bowling Green whose surface is generally grass, but in some of the hotter and drier countries, artificial surfaces are being used. In places with long winters, like the UK and Canada, indoor centers are very popular where bowling takes place on a carpet that is often much faster than outdoor greens.
A bowling green is normally square and be not less than 31 meters nor more than 40 meters in the direction of play. It is usually surrounded by a shallow ditch.
The perimeter of the ditch is surrounded by a bank, which should be not less than 230 mm above the surface of the green. The green is normally divided into up to eight “rinks” allowing up to eight games to take place concurrently.
Rink boundaries are clearly marked, and the centre-line of each rink is indicated by a plaque that carries the number of the rink. Players deliver their bowls from one end to the opposite end and when the "end" is finished, they turn around and play back again and so on until the predetermined number of ends in the game have been completed.
Lawn Bowls are available in up to nine different sizes from 00 to 7 (largest)depending on type and manufacturer; being between 116 mm and 131 mm diameter with smaller bowls available for juniors. They are made of hard plastic, which is able to withstand the contact between bowls during play. Their weight must not exceed 1.59 kg.
A lawn bowl is an oblate spheroid, that rotates with its minor ellipse in a horizontal attitude so that its major ellipse is rolling on the ground. The center of gravity is offset, causing the bowl to follow a curved or biased path. The bowl carries a mark to indicate the bias side.
During a game; players deliver (roll) their bowls up the green in turn, trying to finish up closer than the opposing team to a small white ball called the “Jack.”
The players must stand on a mat when delivering their bowl. The mat is placed on the centerline of the rink with its front end not less than 2 meters from the rear ditch nor less than 25 meters from the front ditch. The position of the mat is chosen by the player who rolls the jack to start the end.
The player who delivers the jack must ensure that it is properly centered. The player delivering the jack can choose the length to play it, but it must finish at least 23 meters in a straight line of play from the front edge of the mat. If it comes to rest less than 2 meters from the front edge of the green it must be moved out to 2 meters.
The players then take turns to deliver their bowls. During an end the bowl nearest to the Jack is referred to as “the shot”. You may hear players on the mat asking: - “Who is lying the shot?” When all the bowls have been delivered the number of “shots” is counted. A shot is a bowl which is nearer the jack than any of your opponent’s bowls. For example, if you have three shots nearer the jack than any of your opponents bowls you score three points for that "end".
Types of Games
Games can involve singles play or teams of two in pairs, three in triples or four in “rinks” games.
Touchers
The jack can be moved by the bowls during play. When a bowl moves the jack it is left in the new position provided it remains within the rink boundary markers. It can also be pushed into the ditch by a bowl. In this case it remains in the ditch and the players must try to play their bowls as close as possible to the jack, at the edge of the green, without falling into the ditch.
A bowl in the course of delivery which touches the jack is marked with chalk and classed as a “Toucher”. If it touches the jack before falling into the ditch it stays there, remains “live” and may feature in the final shot count. A toucher that remains on the rink and is later driven into the ditch by another bowl is also a live bowl. A bowl that goes into the ditch and that has not touched the jack is classed as being “dead” and it is removed. All bowls which finish outside the side boundaries of the rink are dead.
Tactics
Lawn Bowing is a highly tactical sport. This is one of its attractions. It is not always about “drawing” closest to the jack. Players must constantly anticipate the shot their opponents might play. For example, when a team has a few bowls behind the head (the group of bowls surrounding the jack), the opposing team may see the need to place a bowl amongst these to cover the possibility of the jack being moved.
Similarly, if one side is already lying the shot, they may elect to play a guarding shot short of the target area to prevent their opponents from moving anything. These are only two examples and there are many other situations, too many to discuss here, where tactics come into play.
Types of Shots in Bowling
There are basically four different types of shot or delivery in Lawn Bowling. These are : -
The Draw
The Draw Shot is the most common and it is really what the game is all about. This shot is the one in which the player attempts to play with the exact weight required to finish closest to the jack or to a point on the green dictated by strategy or tactics. This shot is often considered to be the most skillful.
The Yard On
The Yard On shot is when the player plays his bowl with the weight that will carry it a yard or two past the target. The objective of this shot is usually to drag the jack away from the opponent’s bowls towards your own or to push a bowl out of the “head” and take its place. This is often referred to a as a “chop and lie” shot.
The Running Shot
The Running Shot is one which uses more weight than the yard on. The object of this shot is to remove opponent’s bowls from the head, to move the jack to the ditch or to seek some other result that requires the bowl to be played with weight. This can be a difficult shot to play, as the line (bias) required to get to the target changes with different weight.
The Drive Shot
The Drive Shot is the most spectacular shot on the bowling green and this is when the player delivers the bowl at high speed with maximum weight so that he can strike the head or the target with full force. The object of this shot can be to remove opponent’s bowls from the head or from the rink or to drive the jack into the ditch. It is also commonly used when a player has a few shots against him. In this case the object is to destroy the head or to “burn” the end by driving the jack out of the rink. This can be a very effective and intimidating shot to have in your armory but many players have difficulty controlling their direction when concentrating their efforts on so much weight.
Well, that is a brief introduction to the sport of Lawn Bowling and it should give you an idea of what it is all about.