Getting Started

At San Miguel Bowls Club we are fortunate to have a coaching team who will ensure you know the basics to play the game. Lynn and Dave can be contacted on 667 207 508. Once you have had a few lessons with them you can come along to our open sessions on a Wednesday afternoon or join the club and begin your bowls journey.

Equipment

To play a game of bowls you will need:

A set of bowls - in lawn bowls a set comprises 4 identical bowls
A jack - white or yellow
A mat - this is where you stand to release (deliver) your bowl
Flat soled shoes

All of this equipment is available at the club.

How many people play, how many bowls do you use and how long is the game?
The length of the game is determined by yourselves when you are bowling socially or by competition/league rules when bowling at a more serious level. The game is played in what we call Ends, you would start the first end from one end of the green, the second from the other end and so on until the number of ends required are completed or the number of shots scored reached. The game is usually played as follows:

Singles - 2, 3 or 4 bowls with the winner being the first to reach 21 shots
Pairs - generally 2, 3 or 4 bowls, played over 18 ends
Triples - generally 2 or 3 bowls, played over 18 ends
Fours (also known as rinks) - generally 2 bowls, played over 18 ends

Team Members' Responsibilities

The Lead - the lead is the first person to play in each team and is responsible for sending (known as casting/delivering the jack) before any bowls are played. In pairs the Lead will also be responsible for telling the skip what to bowl and determining the number of shots (bowls nearer the jack than the opposition) awarded during each end.
The Skip - this is the person last to play in each team and is responsible for telling the other team members what to bowl. Their job is to try to ensure points are scored by their team and to position bowls to reduce the scoring possibilities of the opposition. The skip will stand at the far end of the rink, centre the jack when it is sent by the lead and direct the game. The skip is also responsible for keeping a scorecard if they are being used during the game.
The two/three - in triples and fours games the team members bowling second or third will have the responsibility of discussing with the skip what needs to be bowled and determining the number of shots to be awarded when bowling in an end is finished.

The Field of Play

Lawn Bowls is played on a flat surface, usually an artificial carpet in Spain, and the area is divided into rinks. The boundaries of the rink will be shown by white strips at each end of the rink. If a bowl or jack moves outside of the boundaries of the rink it is no longer in play.

At each end of the rink there is a ditch. This is an important part of the game and explained later.

Usually, on an artificial surface there will be markings which show where 2 metres is from the ditch at each end and where the 23 metre point is - 23 metres being the minumum distance a jack can travel when cast.

Start of Play

Once you have determined which person/team is going first, the lead will place the mat no less than 2 metres from the ditch at the starting end and centred. The lead then stands on the mat and casts the jack, which the skip will move to the centre line of

the rink. The lead and their opposition will bowl each of their bowls in turn. Once the Leads have played all their bowls, the 2's will play, then the 3's, then finally the skips. All players must have one foot on or over the mat at the point they release (deliver) their jack or bowl.

Determining the result of an end

Once an end is completed the relevant person in the team will work with their opposite number to determine how many shots are awarded. A team is awarded shots when their bowls are nearer the jack than the opposition's bowls. The point is awarded for each shot nearer the jack. To decide the number of shots it may be necessary to measure between the jack and various bowls. This is done using a string measure. Other measuring equipment may need to be used where the distance is too small or too great to use a string measure.

Once the number of shots awarded to a team is decided this is recorded on the scoreboard along with the fact the end has been played.

During the game

There are a number of things that can occur during a game which may affect the result of the end. Just a few of them are noted here:

Jack cast out of play - if the jack is cast by the lead and leaves the boundary of the rink, enters the ditch or travels less than 23 metres, it should be returned for the opposition to cast. The opposition may move the mat to a distance no less than 2 metres from the ditch at the start and no further up the rink than the minimum distance mark.
Bowl hitting the jack into the ditch - if during play a bowl hits the jack into the ditch but the jack remains within the boundaries of the rink, the jack stays where it landed and an indicator is used to show it's position to those players at the far end. If the bowl goes in the ditch or remains within the boundaries of the rink, it remains part of play (a live bowl) and is marked with chalk. This is now referred to as a Toucher. If the bowl is moved into the ditch by another bowl during play it remains a live bowl as long as it is within the boundaries of the rink.
Bowl out of play - Dead Bowl. If a bowl is delivered and it stops at a point outside the boundaries of the rink, or is hit by another bowl from the rink of play during game and moves outside the boundaries of the rink or into the ditch, AND was not a Toucher, it is referred to as a dead bowl and is placed on the bank at the end of the rink. It is no longer part of the game.

There are many other things that can happen during the course of a game. These will be found in the pocket sized Law Book which the club will have for sale. The Laws can also be found on the CBUMA and World Bowls websites.

Other definitions

There are a number of other terms you may hear when on the bowls rink, some of which are defined below:

The green - this may refer to the field of play or the particular rink you are playing on.

Bias/wrong bias - all bowls travel in an arc which should take them in a curve from the mat, out towards the boundary of the rink and then back towards the middle. This is because bowls are manufactured so that one side of the bowl is heavier than the other. This is referred to as the bias. Some bowls have a wider arc than others. The bias/heavier side of the bowl will normally be towards the middle of the rink, whether playing forehand or back hand. A wrong bias is where the bowl is placed in the hand the wrong way round and, when delivered, the arc takes it out of the rink of play towards the middle of a neighbouring rink!
Draw - this is a shot where you are trying to get the bowl as near to the jack as possible without necessarily moving the jack. As the bowl slows down it will curve in toward the middle of the rink and hopefully toward the jack.
Fire/drive - these are weighted shots which are generally used to move the jack some distance from its current position, put the jack in the ditch or kill the end. These shots are also used to remove opposition bowls from a position were they are scoring or stopping your team scoring more points.
Dead end - a dead end is an end that is considered not played and will occur when the jack is moved by a bowl to a position outside the boundary of the rink - the end has been killed. This will usually happen when the jack is struck by a heavy bowl as mentioned above.
The head - this refers to all of the bowls that surround the jack. In theory it applies to all of the bowls on the rink but is generally considered to be those within a couple of metres of the jack.
Control/possession of the rink - once a bowl comes to rest (stops) the control or possession of the rink goes to the opposition. If you are not in possession of the rink you should be stood either on the bank, a metre behind the head or a metre behind the mat. You most definitely should not be stood in the middle of the rink chatting to your team mates!!
Displacement - this is where a jack or bowl is moved by a means which is not part of the game, such as when it is kicked. This is quite a complex area and should not be addressed until you have more experience of the game. The general rule is that if you do something wrong, i.e. move a jack or bowls when you shouldn't, the opposition puts it back to where they believe it was.

These are your game basics and give you an initial understanding of the game. With this and a little coaching you should be able to start enjoying a competitive but friendly game. See you on the green.