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It is said that Lawn Bowls is a game that can
be played by anyone aged from nine to ninety and in my time
in the game I have come across several nonagenarian players.
It does tend to have a crusty, "old people's
game" image due largely to the use of sponsors like Saga
and over 55's insurance companies. The reality is somewhat
different and at county level in Scotland the average player's
age is probably somewhere in the thirties.
Competitive bowling can be an exhausting game
and in matches players are expected to perform for three to
four hours without a break. During these games they can walk
two or three miles and bend up and down about 100 times. It's
no wonder that bowlers traditionally suffer from both back
and knee injuries. Add to that the concentration and effort
required and you can see why we need a seat and a few beers
after the match!
The Game is played on a Bowling Green. The
surface is generally grass but in some of the hotter, drier
countries artificial surfaces are increasingly being used.
In countries with long winters, like the UK and Canada, many
indoor bowling centres have sprung up where the game is played
on a carpet like surface. While the weight required to deliver
the bowl changes on these surfaces the rules and objectives
of the game are essentially the same.
Lawn Bowls are available in different sizes with a mid sized
men's bowl being between 116mm and 131mm in diameter. They
are made of a hard plastic material which is able to withstand
the constant contact between bowls during play. Their weight
should not exceed 1.59kg.
Until 2001 all lawn bowls were either black
or brown in colour. The rules have now been changed to allow
bowls in virtually any colour and the manufacturers have taken
up the challenge by producing bowls in just about every colour
imaginable, even pink!
During a game players deliver (roll) their
bowls up the green in turn trying to finish closest to a smaller
white ball called the "Jack".
A bowling green is normally square and the
Scottish Bowling Association rules say that it shall be not
less than 34 metres and no more than 40 metres in the direction
of play. It is surrounded by a shallow ditch.
The perimeter of the ditch is surrounded by
a bank, which should be not less than 230 mm above the surface
of the green. The green is normally divided into six "rinks"
allowing six games to take place concurrently. The rinks should
be not less than 5.5 metres nor more than 5.8 metres wide.
Surface wear is spread by moving the rink
settings laterally and by changing direction of play every
two or three days, playing either across the green or up and
down.
Rink extremities are marked off by boundary
markers with the centre of each being indicated by a "pin"
which also carries a number for the rink. The rinks are numbered
1 through 6. Players deliver their bowls from one end to another
during an "end" then, when the end is complete,
they turn around and play back again.
Lawn bowls are not spherical, they are shaped
on one side such that they follow a curved track to the jack.
They carry a mark to indicate to which side the bias is applied.
As shown on the adjacent diagram the bowls
can be delivered on the "forehand" or the "backhand"
depending on the players preference or where bowls that have
already been played are located.
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 centreline
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.
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