Glossary of bowls terms

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This page is a glossary of Bowls terminology.

This page explains commonly used terms in the sport of bowls, which includes variations of outdoor bowls also known as Lawn Bowls, Crown Green Bowls, Indoor Bowls and Carpet Bowls.

Contents

1–9

100 Up
A game of bowls where the object is to reach a score of 100 shots . Usually used in games based on a proportional scoring system.
2 Metre mark
The furthermost position that the jack can be placed following the lead bowler rolling the jack at the start of an end . If the jack is rolled past this point, and remains within the rink boundaries, the jack is spotted on the designated mark, positioned 2 metres back from the ditch .
21 Up
A game of bowls where the object is to be the first to reach a score of 21 shots .
25 Up
A game of bowls where the object is to be the first to reach a score of 25 shots .
8 Badge
In some pennant games, the controlling body awards an 8 badge to members of a fours rink where a full count of eight shots is achieved in a single end.

A

absolute
the bowl closest to the jack , often in relation to other bowls surrounding the head , also referred to as the "absolute shot "
aero
name of an Australian-based bowls manufacturer.
artificial
bowls surface made of man made materials, as compared to grass greens.

B

back bowl
a bowl place behind the head , positioned so that if the opposition trails the jack from its current position towards the back of the rink , the back bowl may become shot or reduce the number of shots that the opposition may have if moved to this part of the rink.
back ditch
The ditch at the end of the green which is directly behind a player when they stand on the mat.
backhand
For a right handed player, delivering a bowl to the left hand side of the rink , with the bias facing the centre line of the rink. For a left handed player, delivering a bowl to the right hand side of the rink, with the bias facing the centre line of the rink.
bank
the area on the outer edge of the green, beyond the ditch.
bankers
reserve players who have not been selected to play in a competitive game. On competition days, those players not selected to play may have a practice game at the same time that the competition is in progress. In the past the term also described those players watching and critiquing the game from the bank, and an obsolete meaning, spelt "banckers", referred to skilful bowlers who lured unsuspecting amateurs to play them for money or other prizes [1] In Australia, the origin of the name may also stem from a sponsorship of a bank who provided prizes or other financial support to clubs.
bent
A type of grass (botanical name: agrostis stolonifera) used for the construction of lawn bowls greens. Known for its carpet like cover, and the ability to successfully cultivate in a wide variety of climates. [2]
bias
the natural curve built into a bowl , creating an arc from the point of releasing the bowl to the point it stops.
bigs
a call made when determining which player will deliver the first bowl at the start of a game. One player will roll a bowl end over end, and calling "bigs" refers to the bowl stopping with the side where the larger rings are facing upward. See also smalls .
blocker
A bowl positioned on the green such that it would stop an opponents bowl from reaching a defined point, usually the jack , based on its regular line .
bowl
 : the biased ball used in the game of bowls. The side of the bowl that is biased can be identified by the smaller engraved concentric rings seen, compared to the outer (non biased) side of the bowl.
bowling arm
a device that enables players, who have an inability to bend as part of a standard delivery action, to bowl in an upright position. Bowling arms are normally licensed or approved by the controlling body and also require the bowler to have a medical certificate to verify the need for use.
bowls
official name of the sport, as defined by World Bowls.
bowls cloth
 : a piece of cloth used by bowlers to cleant and/or polish a bowl during a game. They are made of various materials, with the most popular being cotton cloth, or a chamois for wet conditions.
boundary peg
a marker placed on the bank to indicate the outside boundary of a rink . If a bowl finishes completely outside the boundary it is a dead bowl. If the jack is rolled outside the boundary when first delivered, it is returned to the mat for the opposition player to roll the jack. If the jack is moved outside the boundary after being placed on the centre line , the end is declared a dead end and is replayed, unless the competition has a local rule to spot the jack in such situations.
break
during a game, a planned stop in play, usually an afternoon tea break. In some competitions, local regulations allow the managers to determine if a break is taken or if the teams play straight through to completion.

C

callipers
a piece of equipment used by an umpire or a player, to judge the relative distance between the jack and one or more bowls , at the conclusion of an end , which will determine the number of shots held by a player or team.
carpet bowls
(a.k.a. (indoor bowls)) a variation of outdoor bowls, played on a rectangular piece of carpet that is laid out on the floor, and can be rolled up a stored away between games. Carpet bowls have different types of bowls, which are smaller than an outdoor bowl, and the rules that govern play are unique to this particular form of the game.
centre line
represents the midpoint of a rink between the boundary pegs . Some greens will have centre lines drawn on the rink from the 2 metre mark towards the middle of the green at both ends, extending for a few metres. The jack is aligned with the centre line after being rolled by a player at the start of an end .
chalk
used to indicate a bowl that has touched the jack as part of its initial delivery during an end . A player in charge of the head will use a piece of chalk, or chalk spray, to place a mark, which must be done before the next bowl comes to a rest, and must be removed before the bowl is delivered in the next end.
change of ends
once all bowls have been delivered by players standing at the mat end of the rink , they will move to the other end of the rink. See also crossover .
chasing
following your own bowl down the green after delivery. If permitted by the rules of the competition, the player is expected to be positioned behind the head on or before the bowl comes to rest. See also riding .
chock
a piece of material placed under a bowl to hold it in place on the green . When a measure is called for, and a bowl is leaning on another bowl, it is sometimes necessary to chock the bowl so that one bowl can be removed without changing the position of the other. Materials used include rubber and foam wedges, or short lengths of rope.
composite
short hand term describing the material used to manufacture a bowl . Most modern bowls are made of a hardened composite plastic material. Before composite plastic was used, bowls were made from a hardwood material, usually lignum vitae . See also wood .
controlling body
the organisation with immediate control over the conditions of play of any given bowls competition. [3]
claw grip
a method of holding the bowl in your hand, where the running surface of the bowl sits along the fingers of the hand, with the thumb held at or near the top of the bowl as a balancing mechanism. cradle grip .
count
the number of shots received by a player or team at the conclusion of an end .
counter
a bowl that is closer to the jack than an opponents nearest bowl is considered a "counter". See also count .
crack an egg
a description of the weight required to complete an ideal shot. The objective is to play the bowl such that it gently hits the target and moves it slightly, or has a flow on impact to move a bowl or jack that is touching the target.
cradle grip
a method of holding the bowl in your hand, where the running surface of the bowl sits cradled between the fingers of the hand, and the palm, with the thumb positioned alongside the fingers in a cupping style. See also claw grip .
crossover
in a team game, when all players at the mat end of the rink have delivered their bowls, they will move to the opposite end of the rink, and the player in charge of the head , usually the skip , crosses over to the mat end to deliver their bowls.
crown green
describes a variation of outdoor bowls, which is played on greens that have an undulating surface, with a peak in the middle. Play also differs as there are no rink boundaries, and the jack also has a bias . See Crown Green Bowls.
crystal mark
refers to the official laws of the Sport of Bowls. [4]

D

dead bowl
after a bowl has been delivered and comes to rest, if it finishes in the ditch , or outside the rink boundary, it is considered a dead bowl, and is removed from play. However, if the bowl has touched the jack , it remains a live bowl even if in the ditch, as long as it is within the boundary of the rink.
dead draw
a bowl that becomes the shot bowl (closest to the jack ) without touching any other bowl during its delivery.
dead end
a partially completed end that has to be replayed, by reason of the jack going outside the rink or green boundaries, or an umpire ruling that due to an action, the head cannot be returned to its previous state. See also re-spot .
dead green
See slow green .
declare the head
an expression advising that the last player on the mat is not going to deliver his last bowl . It is called for if the player or team is holding shot , or that there is significant danger of changing the head to the detriment of the player/team if the last bowl were the change the current situation.
delivery
the action performed by a player to propel the bowl from the mat end of the rink to the head at the other end of the rink .
discs
in team based competitions, players on the same team will apply a unique ring shaped decal to both sides of the bowl so that they are easily distinguishable from the opposition's bowls. See also rings'.
disturb the head
play a bowl with sufficient weight to alter the position of bowls and/or the jack in the head . A request of the skip called for usually when the team is not holding shot , or is blocked from playing a preferred shot by bowls in the way of the objective (usually the jack).
ditch
the area surrounding a green , usually identifiable as a shallow trench at the edges of the green. Some ditches are a natural surround formed by mounds and trenches of soil, whilst other greens have a man made ditch comprising wooden formwork, plinth, rubber sheets, and filled with a sand or artificial materials. Also see front ditch and back ditch
ditch rink
a rink that runs parallel to the ditch along its length.
ditch weight
to play a bowl with sufficient weight to reach the ditch at the other end of the rink , or the ditch nearest the head in Crown Green bowls.
division
in pennant games, associations may create tiered competition made up of separate divisions of teams. Often there are multiple sections to form part of a division. Section winners then play against other section winners in that division to determine the overall division champion.
down
expression to confirm if your opponent has one or more bowl s closest to the jack . If a marker is providing this information in a singles game, the marker can also indicate this status by holding a clenched fist downwards towards the ground.
drakes pride
name of an England-based bowls manufacturer.
draw
*# ( bowl ) a bowl delivered to finishes closest to the jack , without the need to move or touch other bowls in the head .
drawn end
at the conclusion of an end if the closest bowl of each player or team is judged to be the same distance away from the jack , no score is recorded, but the end counts for games that are based on playing a number of ends.
drive
a bowl delivered with the maximum force that a player can exert, the aim being to kill the end , disturb the head , or hit opposition bowls out of the head.
dumping
a bowl delivered from above the green so that it bounces on the turf when it first leaves the hand. Dumping a bowl is an indication of poor technique, or may indicate the player has an injury or disability that does not enable the bowl to be let go of parallel to the ground.

E

east-west
Describes the direction of play for the rink s, which run in parallel with each other on any given day. Most bowling rinks are built to accommodate play alternately in a north–south, or east–west direction. Green keepers and Greens Directors will alter the direction of play to assist in managing the quality of the greens over a season. Most competitions play north–south, to avoid players looking directly into the sun. East-west play is often used for social games. This does not apply to the Crown Green game of bowls which utilises the entire green surface and is not divided into rinks.
either hand
When a bowler delivers a bowl , he can choose to play either a forehand or backhand shot. During play the person in charge of the head may advise the player on the mat that he can play "either hand" rather than directing a particular hand to play.
end
the playing of the jack and all the bowls of all players (or teams) once in a single direction, resulting in either a number of shots for one of the teams, a dead end , or a drawn end . Some forms of the game have a set number of ends played, others play an unlimited number of ends until a particular score is reached or exceeded.

F

fast green
  1. ( bowl ) if a bowl is delivered and finishes past the intended target, it is said to have been a "fast bowl".
  2. ( green ) (a.k.a. quick green) a green is described as quick when the bowls travel at a faster further over the surface compared to a slow green relative to the same amount of effort required when delivering a bowl.
feeler gauge
Used by an umpire or third to judge the distance between the quick jack and one or more bowls , where a bowls measure is too large for use.
fixed stance
when preparing to deliver a bowl , the player positions their feet and legs, and then locks into this position, completing the delivery of the bowl with movement of the upper body only.
foot fault
in games where a mat is used, players are required to keep at least one foot on or over the mat during the delivery. A foot fault occurs when this condition is not met. Depending on the rules of competition and the association running the competition, players can be warned, or their bowl can be declared a dead bowl .
forehand
For a right handed player, delivering a bowl to the right hand side of the rink , with the bias facing towards the centre line of the rink. For a left handed player, delivering a bowl to the left hand side of the rink, with the bias facing towards the centre line of the rink.
fours
a team game where each team consists of four(4) players, a lead , second , third , and skip .
four wood singles
The traditional singles variation of the game. However, it can be played with a different number of woods, resulting in two wood singles.
front ditch
The ditch at the end of the green which is directly in front of a player when they stand on the mat.
full count
scoring the maximum number of possible shots in an end where every bowl from all players in the one team are closest to the jack than the nearest opposition bowl.

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References

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  2. "Uses for Bentgrass Seed". seedland.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2014. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
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  5. Crystal-Mark 2010, p. 26.
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  8. Crystal-Mark 2010, p. 26 s23.1.3.
  9. "Lawn Bowling Turfgrasses". seedland.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.