What is outdoor bowling?
This is a sport played outdoors on a grass or artificial pitch (called a ‘green), where a biased ball (called a ‘bowl’) is rolled to a stationary object ball (called the ‘jack’), with the aim being to get closer to the jack than the opposition.
Matches
A match involves two teams or individuals who will each take turns at rolling their bowls. After all bowls have been delivered, the team or individual with the closest bowl to the jack wins that turn (or ‘end’).
If a team or individual has one bowl closer to the jack than their opponent, then they will score one point (or ‘shot’); if they have two bowls closer to the jack that their opponent, then they will score two shots, and so on.
The Winner
A match may consist of a set number of ends (with the winner being the team or individual who has scored the most shots within those ends), or a shots target (with the winner being the first to reach a certain number of shots).
There are two main variations of outdoor bowls as follows.
Flat green
The sport is played on a green which is completely flat. Matches are played within set lanes (called ‘rinks’). The national governing body for this variation of the sport is Bowls England. Contact details for Bowls England are:
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: 01926 334609
- Website: https://www.bowlsengland.com
Crown green
The sport is played on a green which is uneven or convex, containing one or more humps (called a ‘crown’). There are no set rinks, and each end can be played in any direction on the green. The national governing body for this variation of the sport is the British Crown Green Bowling Association. Contact details for the BCGBA are:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bcgba.org.uk