The Sport of Bowls

The aim of the sport is simplicity itself.

Just roll a bowl some 30 metres to a target. Nearest to the target wins. Roll four nearer than your opponents and score 4 (shots).

This element of the sport can be achieved by a learner in a matter of minutes. There are no additional marks for artistic interpretation, style, speed, or strength - just nearest the target wins.

The complications come when you realise that the bowl does not travel in a straight line, it has a curved journey to the target (which is a white ball weighing 16 ounces and called a 'jack' - size of a tennis ball). Further complications arise when it becomes obvious that the ground you are playing on is not completely flat, and sometimes has subtle little variances in the surface causing the bowl to veer off course.

If you are successful in bowling close to the jack, you then have to watch the opposition deliver their bowl. They can of course deliver closer to the jack and  claim the honours, but would you believe that they can also knock your bowl out of the way, or even use more trickery and move the target to a new position.

This is the point where tactics come into play - how do we stop the opposition from moving the jack or knocking us off after we have delivered one or more bowls close to  the target.

All of these aspects will be explained to any newcomer to the club.

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The ground being played on is called the bowling green, and it is usually sectioned into six areas called rinks.

On these rinks different combinations of players can be seen - a singles match, a pairs or triples game, or a fours game where 48 people can be playing across the six rinks. The number of bowls used in each game can vary from 4 each in singles down to two each in a fours game.

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Come on down to Callington Bowls Club and find out for yourself just how good this sport is.