How to play...
Lawn Bowls is a game that can be played by anyone aged from nine to ninety. The game is played on a bowling green. While bowling greens are traditionally grass, artificial surfaces and carpet are becoming increasingly popular. Here at Club Pine Rivers, we have two undercover, artificial greens to play on.
The main aim of the game is for players to deliver (roll) their bowls up the green, in turn, trying to finish with the most “shots” (bowls closest to a smaller white ball called the "Jack"). However, it’s not as simple as you may think.
Lawn bowls are constructed so every bowl has a bias, meaning when rolled along a level ground it traces a curving path. The amount of the curve increases as the speed of the bowl decreases. With the average speed of delivery of a bowl, the effect of the bias is negligible until the bowl has travelled about three-fifths of its distance. From that moment until it comes to rest it curves more and more in response to the bias. To bring a bowl to rest touching the jack, the player must aim to the left or right of it, delivering the bowl with its biased side on the right or the left. The bias side of the bowl will always be on the inside of the curve.
The curved path helps the player to find a way past bowls that have been delivered short of the jack. Note that bowls may travel outside the boundaries of the rink during their course as long as they come to rest within these boundaries.
The players must stand on a rubber mat when delivering their bowl. The mat is placed on the centerline of the rink with its front end no less than 2m from the rear ditch or less than 25m from the front ditch. Its position is chosen by the player who throws the jack to start the end. When a bowl is being delivered one of the feet must be on or over the mat as it leaves your hand. Failure to comply with this can be adjudged as foot faulting.
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The player who first delivers the jack must ensure that it is properly centred. If it comes to rest within two metres from the front edge of the green it must be moved out to a mark at that distance. The player delivering the jack can choose the length to play it, but it must finish at least 23m in a straight line of play from the front edge of the mat.
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The players then take turns to deliver their bowls. 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 opponent's bowls you score three shots at that end.
A game of bowls may be played on one rink or the number of players taking part may be sufficient to occupy several rinks. The game continues until either:
1. An agreed number of shots have been played; or
2. A team scores an agreed number of points; or
3. An agreed period or time has expired.
