Ninh explains: The Rules of Bowls The object of the game is to score more points
than your opponent.
Bowls, is a sport that refers to two games that are played very similarly.
Flat Green Bowling and Crown Green bowling.
They look the same, but are actually quite different, and I’ll explain what those differences
are now.
FLAT GREEN BOWLING.
Flat green bowling otherwise known as Lawn Bowling, is the more popular variation of
the sport worldwide.
As the name implies, is played on a flat surface known as a green and can be played indoors
or outdoors.
The green measures a maximum of 40m sq.
This is split into 6 sections known as rinks and a game is contested on a single rink.
To start the game, a player will place a mat roughly 2m away from the end of the rink.
Whilst stood on the mat, they will roll a yellow or white target ball, known as a jack,
down the green.
This jack must travel at least 23m for it to be valid, and once it comes to a stop,
the umpire centres the jack to the midline of the rink.
That same player will start from the mat and roll one of their balls, known as a ‘wood’,
down the green towards the jack.
Once they have completed their shot, it’s their opponents turn to do the same.
Players have four woods each, and take it in turns to bowl their woods towards the jack.
The idea is to get your woods as close to the jack as possible.
You get one point for being the closest to the jack, and then score one additional point
for every wood that is closer to the jack than any opponent bowl.
In this example, red scores 3 points, as three of their woods are closer than the nearest
opponent bowl.
In this example, red only scores 1 point, as only one of their woods is closer to the
jack than the nearest opponent bowl.
Once all the woods have been bowled, the score is recorded.
This is known as an end.
A new end will then begin from that side, bowling in the opposite direction.
CROWN GREEN BOWLING.
Crown green bowling, is the lesser known variation of the sport and is generally played in the
north of England.
There is no standard measurement for the green, but on average measures around 45 sq yards.
This game is only played outdoors.
This biggest difference in this game, is that the green surface is not flat.
There is a mound in the middle of the green, known as a crown that players have to negotiate
when playing their woods.
Not only do they have to control the bias of the woods, but also figure out the slope
of the green.
To start the game, a player will place a mat 1 yard from the edge of the green.
Whilst stood on the mat, they will roll a larger jack, down the green.
But this time, they can roll it in any direction and the jack must be played where it lies.
There is no centering of the jack and it must travel at least 21 yards for it to be valid.
The aim of the game is the same, but this time, players only have two woods each and
they’re significantly smaller than Flat Green woods.
They take it in turns to try and get their woods closer to the jack than their opponent,
and scoring is exactly the same as well.
Once all the woods have been bowled, and the score is recorded, a new end begins at the
spot where the jack had previously landed.
In Crown Green Bowling, the entire green is fair game, and there are no rinks – so if
there are multiple people playing, you have to watch out for other people’s oncoming
jacks & bowls.
You’ll notice that the woods seem to curl down the green.
This is because the woods are not uniform.
One side is heavier than the other because it’s shaped differently.
This is known as the bias. and different woods will have different levels of bias depending
on player preference.
There’s a lot of strategy involved in this game and whilst it’s not the most physically
demanding sport in the world, it requires a great deal of skill, dexterity and strategy.
That’s basically both forms of bowls, but there’s a few other things you’ll need
to understand before playing or watching a game.
For example: FORMAT
Different games and tournaments have different ways of deciding who wins.
You could win by POINTS – i.e. the first one to score 21 points wins.
You could win by playing SETS – i.e. the first one to score 8 points wins a set, the
first one to 3 sets is the winner.
Or you could play by ENDS.
The highest amount after 10 ends, wins.
FOREHAND/BACKHAND When you curl the ball towards the direction
of palm of your hand, this is known as a forehand shot in Flat Green Bowling, or Finger Peg
in Crown Green Bowling.
When you curl the ball away from the direction of palm of your hand, this is known as a backhand
shot in Flat Green Bowling, or Thumb Peg in Crown Green Bowling.
TYPES OF SHOT There’s generally four types of sho t that
bowlers use to deliver their woods down the green.
A DRAW shot is a strategically placed wood, where the bowler tries to put the bowl in
a specific area.
A GUARD shot is used to get in the way of your opponent.
A DRIVE shot is used to take out your opponents woods.
And a TRAIL shot is where a bowler will try and take the jack along with the bowl to move
the jack closer to their own woods.
DITCH In Flat Green Bowling, the end of the rink
is known as a ditch.
This is a recess filled with sand.
If a bowl does not touch the jack and lands in the ditch, the bowl is dead and is disqualified
from play.
If a bowl does touch the jack, this is known as a ‘toucher’ and even if it lands in
the ditch on this or any subsequent play, it is still live.
This is why you’ll see umpires spraying woods with chalk – this is to denote a ‘toucher’.
If the jack lands in the ditch, it’s still live, and players will have a difficult time
trying to get their woods to touch the jack whilst it’s in the ditch.
DEAD END
In Flat Green Bowling, if a jack is played, knocked or encroaches another rink, this is
a dead end and the end is replayed in full.
In Crown Green Bowling, any play that results in the jack leaving the green is considered
a dead end, and the end is replayed in full.
That’s a lot to take in, but as you watch or play bowls, the rules will become clear.
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enjoy Bowls.
Ninh Ly - www.ninh.co.uk - @NinhLyUK