All About BOWLS
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OVERVIEW
History of the game
Objective: Each player tries to get more of their own their own bowls closer to the jack than their opponent(s).
A point is scored by a player for each time one of their bowls is closest to the jack.
Every game starts with the jack being rolled along the green to set the target for the players.
These rules apply for both the main types of bowls:
Crown Green bowls
Flat Green bowls (indoor)
Flat Green bowls (outdoor)
Crown Green bowls
In each game of Crown Green bowls, each player has only two bowls. This is played either as singles, with one player against another, or as pairs, with two players against another two. Mixed pairs is a popular variation.
The idea is, of course, to get the bowls as close to the jack as possible, and always closer than the opponent(s). At the start of the game, the first person to play (known as the leader) will put the footer on the ground within 3 metres (9 feet 10 inches) of the entrance to the green, and 1 metre (3 metres 4 inches) from the edge of the green.
Equipment
The green in Crown Green bowls does not have to be a specific size. The name comes from the 'crown' in the centre of the green, a slightly raised area so the surface is not flat. In general the green is about 36.6 metres (40 yards) square, and the crown is usually between 15.2 to 45.7 centimetres (6 to 18 inches) higher than the flat area on the rest of the green.
The jack is a ball, 97 mm to 98 mm (just over 3 and three quarter inches) in diameter, and it weighs between 567 and 680 grammes (20 to 24 ounces).
The bowls are wooden or composite material balls, black or brown, although for competitions they will often have a coloured spot to distinguish who rolled it. There are no specific regulations for Crown Green bowls, although standard bowls as defined below are mostly used.
The diameter is between 116 mm to 133 mm (4 to 5 inches) and no more than 1.59 kilograms (3 pounds 8 ounces) in weight. The minimum weight of a Crown Green bowl is 907 grammes (2 pounds).
The footer (usually made of rubber) is a round mat, between 12.8 and 15.4 centimetres (5 and 6 inches) across. When a bowler delivers a jack or a bowl, their toe must be on the footer. The hand that they deliver with determines which toe or foot which must be on the footer (left or right).
This rule prevents bowlers from moving forward to get closer. They all bowl from the same position. This rule does not apply for disabled bowlers.
The game
To begin the game, the jack is rolled along the green. It can go in any direction, as long as it is at least 19 metres (62 feet 4 inches) away from the footer. When the jack stops (as long as it on the green) this is called setting a mark.
Players deliver bowls in turns, one at a time. When all players have played their bowls, this is called an end. When an end has been played, the winning player gets a point, and the footer is moved to where the jack was. The winner of the end can move the footer within 1 metre (3 feet 4 inches) of that position.
The game continues until a player of a pair have got a pre-set number of points. 21 is the most common number to play for, but 31 and 41 are occasionally set as targets.
Further rules
If a player has a go at setting the mark, and it is not allowed for any reason, the other player will have a go. This will continue until the mark is set properly.
If the jack is sent off the green after being hit by a bowl, the end is declared dead, and neither player scores. The jack is played from a point 1 metre (3 feet 4 inches) from the point where it went off. The same player sets the new mark.
Bowls or the jack cannot be changed mid-game. Players can follow a moving bowl across the green, but they cannot touch it or interfere with its progress in any way. They must keep at least 1 metre (3 feet 4 inches) away from it, and not stand in the opponents line of vision.
If a moving bowl is affected by anything (like a bowl or person from another game on the same green) it must be replayed. If the jack or bowl looks as if it will hit a head in another game, it must be stopped. If a head or still bowl or jack is disturbed, it must be replaced in the same position or as close as possible to its original position.
If a player plays an opponent's bowl, it is dead and is returned to the correct player. The offending player forfeits (loses) a bowl of their own. If a jack or bowl is affected by a wrongly-played bowl, it is replaced in the same position or as close as possible to its original position.
If the footer is moved, for example, on the final bowl of an end, which then has to be replayed, the footer must be replaced in the same position or as close as possible to its original position.
If a bowl falls out of a player's hand and the player can get it before it rolls away, and the player does not leave the footer, that is allowed.
If a ball touches the jack and goes off the green, it is out of play (dead). If the jack is hit by a bowl and it goes off the green, it is dead, and the end is declared over. The mark would be reset with the same player who set it before.
If there is something blocking the edge of the green and that stops a bowl which would have gone out from going out, the bowl is still dead.
Flat Green bowls (indoor)
Also known as: Indoor bowls
The idea is, of course, to get the bowls as close to the jack as possible, and always closer than the opponent(s). Click here for the rules.
Equipment
The green in Flat Green bowls is a rectangle or a square, and is sized between 32 and 40 metres (35 and 40 yards) long, and at least 4.57 metres (15 feet) wide. The surface should be completely flat. There will be a ditch at the two ends of the rink.
The ditch should be between 203 mm and 381 mm (8 to 15 inches wide, and between 51 mm and 203 mm (2 to 8 inches) below the level of the green.
The green is divided into equal spaces, like alleys, called rinks, and they should be between 3.6 and 5.79 metres (12 to 19 feet) wide.
The jack is a ball, 63 mm to 67 mm (just over 2 inches) in diameter, and it weighs between 382 and 453 grammes (13 and a half to 16 ounces).
The bowls are wooden or composite material balls, black or brown, although for competitions they will often have a coloured spot to distinguish who rolled it.
The diameter is between 116 mm to 133 mm (4 to 5 inches) and no more than 1.59 kilograms (3 pounds 8 ounces) in weight.
The mat is a rectangle, 61 centimetres long, 35.6 centimetres wide (24 by 14 inches), and is usually made of rubber.
Flat Green bowls (outdoor)
Also known as: Lawn bowls
The idea is, of course, to get the bowls as close to the jack as possible, and always closer than the opponent(s). Click here for the rules.
Equipment
The green in Flat Green bowls is a square, and is sized between 36.58 and 40.23 metres (40 and 44 yards) long, and at least 4.57 metres (15 feet) wide. The surface should be completely flat. There will be a ditch at the two ends of the rink.
The ditch should be between 203 mm and 381 mm (8 to 15 inches wide, and between 51 mm and 203 mm (2 to 8 inches) below the level of the green.
The green is divided into equal spaces, like alleys, called rinks, and they should be between 5.48 and 5.79 metres (18 to 19 feet) wide.
The jack is a white ball, 63 mm to 64 mm (just over 2 inches) in diameter, and it weighs between 227 and 283 grammes (8 to 10 ounces).
The bowls are wooden or composite material balls, black or brown, although for competitions they will often have a coloured spot to distinguish who rolled it.
The diameter is between 116 mm to 133 mm (4 to 5 inches) and no more than 1.59 kilograms (3 pounds 8 ounces) in weight.
The mat is a rectangle, 61 centimetres long, 35.6 centimetres wide (24 by 14 inches), and is usually made of rubber.
Note: The measurements given above are set by the World Bowls Board. National associations can specify slightly different measurements, and of course in local and amateur games the sizes are even less rigid.
Flat Green bowls
The game
Apart from differences in the equipment used, the rules for both indoor and outdoor Flat Green bowls are the same.
Between ends, the direction of play changes, so each end is played in the opposite direction from the previous one.
To start the game, a coin is tossed to decide who will bowl first. If there is more than one player per side, the skips (captains) will call for the coin.
Flat Green bowls is played as either singles (one player per side), pairs (two per side), triples (three per side), or fours (four per side).
Singles
For singles, each player has two, three, or four bowls, depending on the rules of the competition, or if the players themselves have come to an agreement. The usual arrangement is for the players to have four bowls each.
The first player to score twenty-five points is the winner, or sometimes twenty-one, depending on the championships governing body.
Pairs
In a pairs match, each pair will have two, three, or four bowls, depending on the rules of the competition, or if the players themselves have come to an agreement. The usual arrangement is for the players to have four bowls each at major championships.
These games last for twenty-one ends (an end is when all players have played their bowls), with the scores of both sides producing the result. If there is a draw (both pairs scoring the same), and there has to be a winner, extra end(s) can be played to decide the winners.
Triples
For a triples match, each player can deliver three bowls. This applies at championship level. Sometimes, there may be only two bowls per player.
Triples games last for eighteen ends. If necessary, there can be and extra end or ends played to decide the winners.
Fours
In a fours match, each player only has two bowls. This is because there are eight players involved, and there are many bowls in play. The lead players deliver their two bowls first, then the second and third players, and the skips deliver their bowls last. Obviously play would alternate between the two sides.
Played over twenty-one ends, with extra end(s) being used to decide the winners, if there has to be a result.
Further rules
If the jack is delivered and goes into the ditch, it remains in play, as long as it stays within the rink. If it goes off or out of the rink, the other player delivers it, and the player (or side) who delivered it wrongly bowls first.
If the jack is in the ditch, the bowls must be bowled close to it, but any bowl that goes into the ditch is dead (does not count).
If a bowl is delivered and it does not touch the jack at first, but then does, it counts as a toucher (a bowl which has touched the jack). It is important to know that if a toucher rolls into the ditch, it still counts as a live bowl. If the bowl rebounds from the side of the rink at any end, it is dead unless a toucher. Any bowl can leave the side of the rink and re-enter, as long as it does not hit anything on its way.
If a player does not make correct contact with the mat when bowling, the umpire may stop the bowl and declare it dead. If the head (the jack and all live bowls) is disturbed after a foot-fault like this, the opponent has three options: have the jack and live bowls replaced as near as possible to their original position, leaving the head as altered, or declaring the end dead (the end would be replayed).
If a player accidentally moves a live bowl, the opponent can ask for the bowl to be put back as near to its original position as possible, or leave it where it was moved to, or declare the bowl dead, or declare the end dead (and replay the end).
If a bowl hits the jack, and knocks it out of the rink, the end is declared dead, and replayed in the same direction, unless both players (or skips) agree otherwise. The player who delivered the jack in the dead end would deliver it again.
If a non-toucher rebounds off the side of the rink and goes into the head, the head is moved as far as possible back to its original position, and the bowl which disturbed the head is removed.
If a player plays the wrong bowl, or plays out of turn, the opposing player or skip can stop the bowl as it goes along the green, or leave the head as it is, or declare the end dead. If a player plays the opponents bowl, it will be replaced with the correct bowl when it has stopped.
There is a variation of indoor bowls, known as the 'short mat' game. It is played on a mat 1.84 metres (6 feet) wide, and either 7.2, 9, or 13.5 metres (24, 30, or 45 feet) long. There is a wooden block, known as the windmill placed in the centre of the mat, which has to be bowled around.
Differences between Crown Green and Flat Green bowls
Ok, so you probably know the differences by now. But here's a quick list of the main points.
- In Flat Green, the surface is flat; For Crown Green, there is a rise in the middle.
- Flat Green is played in lanes, Crown Green can be played across the entire green.
- Crown Green bowlers have two bowls each, Flat Green bowlers can use up to four.
- Crown Green jacks are biased, they are not for Flat Green.
- Crown Green bowls are usually lighter and smaller than Flat Green bowls, and Flat Green bowls have more bias.
Officials
There are officials present at games to ensure that rules are followed correctly.
Umpire
The umpire is responsible for:
- checking that the bowls to be used are the proper weight, size, and so on
- the size of the green is correct
- to make sure that the mat/footer and the jack are in the right place
- to decide whether and jack and/or bowls are live or dead
There is also a marker, whose duties are similar to the umpire, and scorers, and measurers.
The marker is responsible for:
- checking that the bowls to be used are the proper weight, size, and so on
- the size of the green is correct
- to indicate to players the distance between the jack and a bowl. The umpire may be consulted if a decision cannot be made
- marking all touchers with chalk
- marking the scorecard at the completion of each end
The marker waits behind the jack and to the side of the playing area, and does not move any bowls or the jack until both players (or skips) have agreed on the number of shots.
The scorers keep score, and the measurers verify distances between the jack and the bowls when opposing bowls are too close to see with the eye.
GLOSSARY
Note: Terms apply equally to both Crown Green and Flat Green, unless otherwise specified.
Bias - bowls are not always completely spherical. If they were, then curving the bowls around other bowls or putting angles on the delivery would not work. There is a slightly shaped edge on a bowl, and this stops it from rolling in an entirely straight line. Different bowls have different biases. Players must always tell each other which bias they are using prior to delivery
Block - or guard - when one bowl is played to stop another bowl
Cover - if the jack is blocked by one or more bowls, it is covered
Dead - for ends, bowls, and jacks, when the end or bowl has been invalidated. Opposite to live bowl, live jack, and so on
Drive - a powerful, fast delivery
End - the name given to a 'round' in bowls, when all players have played their bowls
Jack - the small ball which the bowls must be aimed towards. Sometimes called the 'cot' or 'kitty'
Open hand - the side of the jack which is not covered by bowls, open for play
Round peg - (Crown Green) when the jack is delivered with the slope of the green
Setting the mark - delivering the jack to start the end
Skip - bowls equivalent of the team captain
Straight peg - (Crown Green) when the jack is delivered against the slope of the green
Take out - when a bowl pushes another bowl out of the way, often to become the scoring bowl (bowl closest to the jack)
Toucher - a bowl becomes a toucher after it has touched the jack
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