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Bowls

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See also Short mat bowls
For other uses, see Bowl.
Swifts Creek Bowls Club
Bowlsworld.com.au Tournament

Bowls (also known as Lawn Bowls or Lawn Bowling or its true name crown green bowls) is a precision sport in which the goal is to roll slightly radially asymmetrical balls (called bowls) closer to a smaller white ball (the "jack" or "kitty" or "sweetie") than one's opponent does.

Bowls is related to bocce and pétanque. This game is most popular in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and in other Commonwealth nations.

History

It has been traced certainly to the 13th, and conjecturally to the 12th century. William Fitzstephen (d. about 1190), in his biography of Thomas Becket, gives a graphic sketch of the London of his day and, writing of the summer amusements of the young men, says that on holidays they were "exercised in Leaping, Shooting, Wrestling, Casting of Stones [in jactu lapidum], and Throwing of Javelins fitted with Loops for the Purpose, which they strive to fling before the Mark; they also use Bucklers, like fighting Men." It is commonly supposed that by jactus lapidum Fitzstephen meant the game of bowls, but though it is possible that round stones may sometimes have been employed in an early variety of the game - and there is a record of iron bowls being used, though at a much later date, on festive occasions at Nairn, - nevertheless the inference seems unwarranted. The jactus lapidum of which he speaks was probably more akin to the modern "putting the weight," once even called "putting the stone." It is beyond dispute, however, that the game, at any rate in a rudimentary form, was played in the 13th century. A MS. of that period in the royal library, Windsor (No. 20, E iv.), contains a drawing representing two players aiming at a small cone instead of an earthenware ball or jack.

Another MS. of the same century has a picture - crude, but spirited - which brings us into close touch with the existing game. Three figures are introduced and a jack. The first player's bowl has come to rest just in front of the jack; the second has delivered his bowl and is following after it with one of those eccentric contortions still not unusual on modern greens, the first player meanwhile making a repressive gesture with his hand, as if to urge the bowl to stop short of his own; the third player is depicted as in the act of delivering his bowl. A 14th century MS. Book of Prayers in the Francis Douce collection in the Bodleian library at Oxford contains a drawing in which two persons are shown, but they bowl to no mark. Strutt (Sports and Pastimes) suggests that the first player's bowl may have been regarded by the second player as a species of jack; but in that case it is not clear what was the first player's target. In these three earliest illustrations of the pastime it is worth noting that each player has one bowl only, and that the attitude in delivering it was as various five or six hundred years ago as it is to-day. In the third he stands almost upright; in the first he kneels; in the second he stoops, halfway between the upright and the kneeling position.

As the game grew in popularity it came under the ban of king and parliament, both fearing it might jeopardize the practice of archery, then so important in battle; and statutes forbidding it and other sports were enacted in the reigns of Edward III, Richard II and other monarchs. Even when, on the invention of gunpowder and firearms, the bow had fallen into disuse as a weapon of war, the prohibition was continued. The discredit attaching to bowling alleys, first established in London in 1455, probably encouraged subsequent repressive legislation, for many of the alleys were connected with taverns frequented by the dissolute and gamesters. The word "bowls" occurs for the first time in the statute of 1511 in which Henry VIII confirmed previous enactments against unlawful games. By a further act of 1541 - which was not repealed until 1845 - artificers, labourers, apprentices, servants and the like were forbidden to play bowls at any time save Christmas, and then only in their master's house and presence. It was further enjoined that any one playing bowls outside of his own garden or orchard was liable to a penalty of 6s. 8d., while those possessed of lands of the yearly value of £100 might obtain licenses to play on their own private greens.

Game

A bowls tournament in Berrigan, New South Wales, Australia.

Flat green bowls is usually played on a large, rectangular, precisely leveled and manicured grass or synthetic surface known as a bowling green which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks. An indoor variation on carpet is also played. In the simplest competition, singles, one of the two opponents flips a coin to see who wins the "mat" and begins a segment of the competition (in bowling parlance, an "end"), by placing the mat and rolling the jack to the other end of the green to serve as a target. Once it has come to rest, the jack is aligned to the center of the rink and the players take turns to roll their bowls from the mat towards the jack and thereby build up the "head". A bowl is allowed to curve outside the rink boundary on its path, but must come to rest within the rink boundary to remain in play. Bowls reaching the ditch are dead and removed from play, except in the event when one has "touched" the jack on its way. "Touchers" are marked with chalk and remain alive in play even though they are in the ditch. Similarly if the jack is knocked into the ditch it is still alive unless it is out of bounds to the side resulting in a "dead" end which is replayed though according to international rules the jack is "respotted" to the center of the rink and the end is continued. After each competitor has delivered all of their bowls (four each in singles and pairs, three each in triples, and two bowls each in fours), the distance of the closest bowls to the jack is determined (the jack may have been displaced) and points, called "shots", are awarded for each bowl which a competitor has closer than the opponent's nearest to the jack. For instance, if a competitor has bowled two bowls closer to the jack than their competitor's nearest, they are awarded two shots. The exercise is then repeated for the next end, a game of bowls typically being of twenty one ends.

Crown green bowls is played on grass and variations from green to green are common. Greens come in all shapes and sizes, fast, slow, big crown, small crown etc. What makes this the greatest form of bowls in the world is that one has to play the green as well as the opponent.

Scoring

Scoring systems vary from competition to competition, with some being the first to a specified number of points, say 21, or the highest scorer after say, 21 ends. Some competitions use a "set" scoring system, with the first to seven points awarded a set in a best-of-five set match. As well as singles competition, there can be pairs, triples and four-player teams. In these, teams take turns to bowl, with each player within a team bowling all their bowls, then handing over to the next player. The team captain or "skip" always plays last and is instrumental in directing his team's shots and tactics.

The current way of scoring in the professional tour is again sets. Each set consists of 7 ends (9 ends in a final), the player with the most shots at the end of a set is awarded the set, if the score is tied the set would be halfed. 2 sets are played. If the score is 1 set each then 3 tie breaker ends are played to determine a winner.

In the greatest form of the game - crown green bowls, each player has 2 bowls and first to reach 21 is the winner. There are no draws.

Bias of bowls

Bowls are designed to travel a curved path, referred to as bias, and was originally produced by inserting weights to one side of the bowl. This is no longer permitted by the rules and bias is now produced entirely by the shape of the bowl. A bowler can recognize the bias direction of the bowl in his hand by a dimple or symbol on one side. Regulations determine the minimum bias allowed, and the range of diameters (11.6 to 13.1 cm), but within these rules bowlers can and do choose bowls to suit their own preference. They were originally made from lignum vitae, a dense wood giving rise to the term "woods" for bowls, but are now more typically made of a hard plastic composite material.

Bowls were once only available in black or brown but they are now available in a variety of colours including a range of fluorescent colours. They have unique symbol markings engraved on them for identification. Since many bowls look the same, coloured, adhesive stickers or labels are also used to mark the bowls of each team in bowls matches. Some local associations agree specific colours for stickers for each of the clubs in their area. Provincial or national colors are often assigned in national and international competitions. These stickers are used by officials to distinguish teams.

Bowls have symbols unique to the set of four for identification. The side of the bowl with a larger symbol within a circle indicates the side away from the bias. That side with a smaller symbol within a smaller circle is the bias side toward which the bowl will turn. It is not uncommon for players to deliver a "wrong bias" shot from time to time and see their carefully aimed bowl crossing neighbouring rinks rather than heading towards their jack.

When bowling there are several types of delivery. "Draw" shots are those where the bowl is rolled to a specific location without causing too much disturbance of bowls already in the head. For a right-handed bowler, "forehand draw" or "finger peg" is initially aimed to the right of the jack, and curves in to the left. The same bowler can deliver a "backhand draw" or "thumb peg" by turning the bowl over in his hand and curving it the opposite way, from left to right. In both cases, the bowl is rolled as close to the jack as possible, unless tactics demand otherwise. A "drive" or "fire" or "strike" involves bowling with force with the aim of knocking either the jack or a specific bowl out of play - and with the drive's speed, there is virtually no noticeable (or, at least, much less) curve on the shot. An "upshot" or "yard on" shot involves delivering the bowl with an extra degree of weight (often referred to as "controlled" weight or "rambler"), enough to displace the jack or disturb other bowls in the head without killing the end. A "block" shot is one that is intentionally placed short to defend from a drive or to stop an oppositions draw shot. The challenge in all these shots is to be able to adjust line and length accordingly, the faster the delivery, the narrower the line or "green".

Variations of play

Particularly in team competition there can be a large number of bowls on the green towards the conclusion of the end, and this gives rise to complex tactics. Teams "holding shot" with the closest bowl will often make their subsequent shots not with the goal of placing the bowl near the jack, but in positions to make it difficult for opponents to get their bowls into the head, or to places where the jack might be deflected to if the opponent attempts to disturb the head.

A crown green at Edgworth, Lancashire.

There are many different ways to set up the game. Crown Green Bowling utilises the entire green. A player can send the jack anywhere on the green in this game and the green itself is more akin to a golf green, with lots of undulation. This form of bowls is much trickier and much more skillful than flat green and is widely regarded as the greatest form of the game.

Australian Pairs is another variation on Bowls. It allows both people on a team to play Skip and Lead. The lead throws two bowls, the skip throws four, then the lead throws the remaining two. Each end, the leads and skips switch positions. In Australia, this is called Canadian Pairs.

Blind or Unsighted Bowls was originally started as a way to level the playing field for blind bowlers. It is now used even by clubs without blind bowlers as a new and fun variation.

Another variation in play is Backwards Bowls. This can be played by Singles, or teams. The structure of the game is changed, because the bowls are thrown before the jack. This allows for a new kind of strategy in the game. Teams of singles try to get each bowl close to their opponent's to avoid clusters of opposing bowls.

Popularity

The Alberta Male Junior Champion for 2007. Taken at Royal Lawn Bowling Club in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Bowls is popular in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and parts of the United States. It is also gaining momentum in Japan. Because of its relaxed pace and comparatively light physical demands, it is a popular participant sport, particularly for the elderly. However, there is a considerable professional competition dominated by younger men and women. Since the early 2000s, the sport has developed in Denmark as well. Another phenomenon is barefoot bowls, where established clubs in Australia open their greens to paying customers who rent rinks and bowls for limited time, something akin to tenpin bowling.

Canada

Although the sport is gaining momentum in most places, Canada is having trouble recruiting. Most recruiting efforts in Canada have been aimed at juniors. Usually, elderly people play the game, and the number of people playing in Canada is dwindling. Drake's Bowls offers a free set of new bowls to eight clubs in Canada every year, to the clubs with the highest gain in membership in one year. [[[www.ilawnbowl.com]]]

World Indoor Singles Champions

1979 David Bryant England
1980 David Bryant England
1981 David Bryant England
1982 John Watson Scotland
1983 Bob Sutherland Scotland
1984 Jim Baker Ireland
1985 Terry Sullivan Wales
1986 Tony Allcock England
1987 Tony Allcock England
1988 Hugh Duff Scotland
1989 Richard Corsie Scotland
1990 John Price Wales
1991 Richard Corsie Scotland
1992 Ian Schuback Australia
1993 Richard Corsie Scotland
1994 Andy Thomson England (though Scottish born and raised)
1995 Andy Thomson England (though Scottish born and raised)
1996 David Gourlay Scotland
1997 Hugh Duff Scotland
1998 Paul Foster Scotland
1999 Alex Marshall Scotland
2000 Robert Weale Wales
2001 Paul Foster Scotland
2002 Tony Allcock England
2003 Alex Marshall Scotland
2004 Alex Marshall Scotland
2005 Paul Foster Scotland
2006 Mervyn King England
2007 Alex Marshall Scotland

Wins by country: Scotland (14), England (9), Wales (3), Ireland (1), Australia (1)

World Outdoor Singles Champions

Year Champion Venue
1966  David Bryant (ENG) Kyeemagh, NSW, Australia
1972  Malwyn Evans (WAL) Worthing, England
1976 Doug Watson (RSA) Johannesburg, South Africa
1980  David Bryant (ENG) Frankston, Victoria, Australia
1984  Peter Bellis (NZL) Aberdeen, Scotland
1988  David Bryant (ENG) Aukland, New Zealand
1992  Tony Allcock (ENG) Worthing, England
1996  Tony Allcock (ENG) Adelaide, South Australia
2000  Jeremy Henry (NIR) Johannesburg, South Africa
2004  Steve Glasson (AUS) Ayr, Scotland

Wins by country: England (5), Wales (1), New Zealand (1), South Africa (1), Northern Ireland (1), Australia (1)

Saddleworth League Division 1 Champions '06, '07 - 'Waterloo & Taunton'

Sir Francis Drake

Sir Francis Drake is famous in bowls folklore: he is said to have insisted on completing his game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe before setting sail to confront the Spanish Armada in 1588. It is unsure whether he won or lost this game of bowls, but he did go on and defeat the Spanish Armada.

  • Blackball – a 2003 comedy film about a young bowls player
  • Crackerjack - a 2002 Australian comedy film about a wisecracking layabout who joins a lawn bowls club in order to be allowed to use a free parking spot but is forced to play lawn bowls with the much older crowd when the club enters financial difficulty.
  • Bowling was popularised in St Kilda, Victoria due to the success of the television show The Secret Life of Us.
  • In the Borat Segment of the Ali G show, where the fictional kazakhstani reporter repeatedly asks the bowls coach he's interviewing 'and when will Jack come?'

See also

References

Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

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