Lawn Bowls rules are quite complex and easy at the same. The only thing you need to do is to roll a weighted ball down a bowling green. It is like a weird mix of golf, bowling, and tennis.
Stick around to know more about this weird hybrid of a game.
Overview Of The Game
Bowls or Lawn Bowls is a weird mix of golf and bowling. Think of it like this: you are bowling on a play area that resembles a golfing green. A bowling green can be flat or uneven. As a result, the game can become a little to master.
This is primarily an outdoor game. However, technological advancement enabled this game to transform the playing field. As a result, the game provides a little flexibility when it comes to setup. As per sources, lawn bowls are a variation of the French game called Boules.
Even though the game is not as popular as standard bowling. Lawn Bowling goes way back and has a proper place in the history. Variants of this game can be found in Ancient Greece and 12th Century England. In fact, several documents validate its existence.
At one point, lawn bowling was the most popular sport in England. The game was so popular that the establishment felt that the sport was taking away glory from archery. As a result, the establishment decided to ban lawn bowling.
So stick with us to know more about this fascinating and weird sport of lawn bowling.
Player, Equipment & Object
As per official lawn bowls rules, the object of the game is simple. A player needs to roll his or her bowls as close as possible to the jack. A jack is a small, non-weighted ball. The closer your bowls are to the jack, the more points you will earn. However, your bowls must not touch the jack.
Lawn bowling is a minimal game. In other words, you do not need extensive pieces of equipment like your standard bowling. As a result, this game really picked up during the European Middle Ages.
In order to start a game, a player needs to possess a set of bowls, a jack, a mat, and flat-soled shoes. Apart from the personal pieces of equipment, you need a playing field. The playing field can either be convex or crowned.
As per the standard lawn bowling rules, the bowls can come in varying sizes. However, these bowls should never exceed 1.5 kg. Bowls weighing more than 1.5 kg are not suitable for official matches.
The rules do not clarify the actual number of players. But, a standard match can be played in singles and in pairs. However, recreational players can up the ante by playing a 4-a-side match.
Scoring & Winning
Each match of lawn bowling is played in rounds. After every round, the player whose bowl rests closest to the jack wins. If a match involves more than one player a side, then the points will be awarded to the team.
The Lawn Bowls rules do not clarify a specific number as the winning point. However, most professional lawn bowling matches are played for 18 or 21 points. This means the player who reaches the said score first will win the match.
Rules
Even though the game sounds remarkably simple, the truth is far from this. According to professional lawn bowlers, this is one of the most complex bowling games.
As a result, here is a detailed rundown of some of the fundamental Lawn Bowls rules.
- A Lawn Bowling match can only be played on natural greens or artificial turf. However, standard matches are only played on natural greens with precise dimensions and texture.
- Similar to Bowling alleys, the bowling greens are divided into parallel playing areas. These areas are called rinks, and bowls cannot go out of this demarcated area.
- A standard lawn bowling match starts with a toss. The person who wins the toss wins the mat and gets to roll the jack to set it as the target.
- A player is only allowed to roll the ball towards the direction of the bowls. Changing the direction will result in a foul or penalty.
- Rolled bowls can toe the boundaries of the rink but can never exceed it. Bowls that go outside the boundaries are dead or invalid.
- A ball that goes straight to the ditch will be treated as a dead ball. Meanwhile, if the bowl touches the jack and then falls into the ditch, it will not be treated as a dead ball.
- In a standard match of bowling, your bowls should not touch the jack. However, recent changes in lawn bowls rules made it clear that bowls that touch the jack are not dead bowls. Instead, they are called touchers and houses a different set of points.
- Earlier, jacks ending up in the ditch resulted in major fouls. However, recent regulation states that a knocked jack will be placed at the exact original spot
- After every roll, the distance between the bowl and the jack is measured and noted down. After everyone is done rolling, the bowl that is closest will be awarded a point. However, if it is a team match, the point is awarded to the team itself.
- Every player needs to roll four bowls. Once a round is over, the total points are tallied, and the winner is decided.
Closing Thought
There you have it. I have made a point of listing some of the most basic lawn bowl rules that one needs to know in order to ace the game. Even though it is a weird hybrid of a lot of games, it is still one of the most fun games that you and your buddies can enjoy on a weekend. Keep following our page for more sports-related content and stories.
