WATCH: Lawn bowls for dummies
LINDEN – You will be bowled over at how easy lawn bowls is.
Anyone can bowl a bowl in a game of lawn bowls. So says Darrel Johnston, president of the Linden Bowling Club. Johnston explained that lawn bowls can be played between individuals, or teams of two, three or four players on a square lawn outside or on a carpet indoors. The playing area is 36 square metres. “In traditional lawn bowls, you play in singles or teams of four,” Johnston said. The lawn is divided into ‘rinks’, which can be compared to lanes or alleys.
The first player – called a ‘lead’ in a team – bowls a small white ball called a jack down the rink and then follows up by bowling the first bowl at the jack. The lead from the second team then bowls their first bowl. Teams take turns to bowl at the jack until all players have bowled all their bowls. In a team of four, each player has two bowls. In singles, each player has four bowls.
The object is to, at the end of the round, which is called an ‘end’, have as many bowls closer to the jack than the opposition’s closest bowl. For every bowl a team has closer to the jack than the opposition’s closest bowl, a point is awarded. No points are awarded to the other team.
If a bowl is bowled outside the rink, it is ruled out, unless it touched the jack first. Players often try to block their opponents or knock bowls out the way to gain an advantage.
When the end is over, and points have been awarded, the players start again in the opposite direction. The winning team starts the next end. Traditionally, 21 ends are played when there are teams of four, and 21 shots are played in singles.
“Sometimes it is hard to tell which bowl is closer to the jack. In those instances, we use a piece of string to measure the distance,” said Johnston. In the past, players had to wear ‘whites’ to play lawn bowls, but now you can wear anything at social events, as long as you wear flat-soled shoes to preserve the lawn.
Watch Johnston bowl a bowl at the jack:
The Linden Bowling Club is linked to the Johannesburg Bowls Association, and was awarded the association’s club of the year in the 2005/06 and 2011/12 seasons.
Details: Linden Bowling Club, 011 888 5617.
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