Lawn Bowling – A Complete Beginners’ Guide

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 The green should form a square with sides between 30 and 40 metres long. If space for a square is not available, the longer side of the rectangle must not be more than 44 yards and the shorter must not be less than 30 metres.  

The green is divided into rinks 4.3 metres and 5.8 metres wide for outdoor play, numbered consecutively. The four corners of the rinks shall be marked by pegs of wood, painted white and fixed to the face of the bank and flush therewith. These corner pegs shall be connected with a green thread drawn tightly along the surface of the green with sufficient loose thread to reach the corresponding pegs on the face of the bank. These pegs and threads define the boundary of the rink.

The green must be level and surrounded by a ditch and bank. The bank shall be not less than 23cm above the level of the green, preferably upright or alternatively at an angle of not more than 35 degrees from the perpendicular.  For domestic play the green may be divided into rinks not less than 4.2 metres nor more than 5.7 metres wide. 

At the beginning of the first end of the mat is placed lengthwise on the centre line of the rink, the back edge to be four feet from the ditch.

In all subsequent ends the back edge of the mat shall be placed not less than four feet from the rear ditch and the front edge not less than 25 metres from the front ditch and on the centre line of the rink.

If the mat is moved during play it shall be replaced as near as possible in its original position and if found out of alignment with the centre line of the rink it may be straightened.

The jack shall be round and white with a diameter of not less than 2 15/32 inches, nor more than 2 17/32 inches and not less than 8 oz nor more than 10 oz in weight.

The bowls are of wood, rubber or composition. Each set of bowls is required to carry an individual and distinguishing mark.  

Some bowls are made of a very hard wood called lignum vitae; such bowls must have a circumference not greater than 16 1/2 inches and must not weigh more than 3 1/2 lbs.

It is an advantage to use as heavy a bowl as possible without overloading the grip. The choice of bowl will therefore be influenced by the size of the player’s hand and the particular grip adopted when playing. Composition bowls are heavier, size for size, than bowls of lignum vitae, so the player with a small hand can use a bowl made of a composition of diameter 1/8th inch less than a lignum vitae bowl of equivalent weight.

Composition bowls are unaffected by temperature changes; lignum vitae bowls, having lost their polish, lose weight on exposure to the sun. Lignum vitae bowls are generally more responsive to bias than composition bowls and are less affected by heavy greens.

Bowls are made and should be bought, in sets of four – four bowls is the maximum number any one player in any one game requires.

When buying your bowls remember that:

1.  The bowl must not be too large for your hand
2.  A composition bowl is heavier than a lignum bowl
3.  You will need a set of four
4.  The set should be a “matched” set – check by looking for the set number which will be stamped on each bowl
5.  First quality new bowls are expensive, but a good second-hand set can be obtained at a reasonable price.
6.  A full set will have been cut from the same log – they will be identical in weight and balance and any variation in weight due to natural shrinkage of the lignum will be uniform
7.  Well known firms are to be preferred
8.  The advice of an experienced player is invaluable

Every bowl has a bias – it is so constructed that 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 bowls 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 amount of bias is strictly regulated. It must not be less than that approved by the International Bowling Board. Each bowl must have the stamp of the  International Bowling Board and/or the British Isles Bowling Council to certify that its bias is not less than the allowable minimum. Further, to ensure accuracy of bias and the visibility of the stamp, all bowls are retested and re-stamped every tenth year.

Only an official bowl tester may alter the bias on a bowl – a player who changes the bias on a bowl bearing the stamp of the International Bowling Board or BIBC is liable to suspension from the game.

The effect of the bias on the bowl is negligible until the bowl has covered about three- fifths of its path. From then onwards the bowl follows a curving path, the amount of the curve increasing all the time until the bowl comes to rest. When the bowl has travelled three-fifths of its path it will be at its widest point from the straight line connecting the mat and the jack. This is known as the Point Of Aim.

The area enclosed between the curved path of the bowl and the line from the mat to the jack is known as Land.

Fixing the point of aim will vary with each bowl sent down the green. It depends on:

1.  The length of the jack, i.e, distance from mat to jack.
2.  The bias on the bowl.
3.  Wind.
4.  Heaviness of the green – on a wet, heavy green less land will be used than on a dry green.
5.  Trueness of the green – one side of the green might draw better than the other side.

Never fail to test the green before beginning play – send down two or three bowls from each end to establish the drawing qualities in both directions and on both sides.

In competitive games, a trial end in each direction is permitted before the game commences.