Lawn Bowling Rules: How To Play, Scoring, Strategy & Techniques

Lawn Bowling Rules 2024: Get your friends and head to the ground today because we have a new game for you – Lawn Bowling! If you like bowling and don’t mind a little competition, this is the perfect game for you. Let us explain why.

In this game, all you need to do is bowl to land your bowled ball closest to the Jack (an essential ball in this game). The player with the most bowled balls closest to Jack wins the game. Excited? Let’s get started, then!

How To Play Lawn Bowling?

You do not need any equipment for this game. All you need is a bunch of friends or another equally enthusiastic player. The bowling surface where you will play this game should be green.

The ‘Jack’ is a distinct ball that one player has to bowl first. Once this ball comes to rest at a particular point on the bowling green, players must take turns in bowling balls while trying to land them closest to the ‘Jack.’ The player with the most balls closest to the ‘Jack’ wins the game. Simple, right? So, let’s take a look at the lawn bowling rules.  

Objective

The general objective of the game is to win, and to do that, you must ensure that you have more balls close to the Jack than your opponent. But there’s a catch! Your balls shouldn’t get into the ditches. So how can you prevent that? Well, for that, you need to dig deeper into the rules.

Lawn Bowling Rules

Before we get into the rules and regulations of the game, one thing needs to be made abundantly clear – Lawn Bowling is a game that encourages players to be a sport and play a fair game. That is why there are few regulations, but they are strategic. Now, let’s learn about Lawn Bowling Rules:

• The first player to roll or bowl is decided with a coin toss.
• The player who wins the toss must first place a mat on the green and bowl the Jack down the lawn. This mat must be at least 2m from the ditch and can be placed up the hog line if needed.
• When bowled by the first player, the Jack must travel at least 23 m to be valid. If it doesn’t, the second player gets to try his/her luck. 
• If both players fail to bowl the Jack legally, it is placed at the 2 m mark.
• Once all 21 balls have been bowled, the game restarts with the players bowling from the other end of the green.
• If a bowled ball ends up in the ditch (explained later), then that ball is discarded, and no points are awarded.
• Players who are not bowling must stand at least 1 m behind the mat from where the active player is bowling.
• If a player bowls with the wrong ball, the ball is replaced with the correct ball.
• No objects can be placed on the bank, the green, or the rink that may assist players. 
• Balls cannot be moved until the stipulated number of balls are played.
• If a game is called to a stop and all the balls haven’t been played, it is declared a dead end with no winner.
• Suppose a player plays or bowls out of their turn. In that case, the opposition team’s Skip can do one of 5 things:
  • Stop the bowl
  • Leave it and play two balls to restore the correct sequence of play
  • Reset the Jack or any disturbed ball and play their turn
  • Let the result of the out-of-turn ball remain and play their turn accordingly
  • Declare a dead end.
• A player can displace their opponent’s ball using their own for strategic advantage.
• If the Jack is bowled into the ditch, it will also be considered alive. It will then be placed again at the center of the green.
• If the Jack passes over the side boundary or the side rink of the lawn, irrespective of whether it’s in the ditch or not, it is called a ‘dead end.’ The turn is then replayed, and no scores are added for that shot or turn.  
• In a singles or a doubles match, each player must bowl 4 balls. In case of triples, each player must bowl three balls. For fours, every player must bowl 2 balls each. 

Important Terms & Definition

Foot Fault

Before the delivery of the ball, the bowling player must have at least one foot on the mat. At the time of bowling, the ball, the whole or a part of a foot of the player’s foot, must be on the mat or above the mat. Failing to do this will result in a foot fault for you or your team. 

Skip

The Skipper is the captain of a team. They are pivotal in determining team strategy, shots, and more. The skipper makes many critical decisions.

Touchers

Touchers are basically the balls that touch or collide with the Jack before coming to rest. Only the ball that was bowled last can be declared a toucher, even if it touches (deflecting) another resting ball before hitting the Jack. 

Scoring

• Scores are calculated at the end of each round after both players (or all players) have bowled all their balls. The distance of each ball from the Jack is then measured, and points are added accordingly. These are called ‘shots’ in Lawn Bowling.
• A player scores 1 point for every ball they land closer to the Jack than their opponent. If they have one ball closest to Jack, they get 1 point. 
• If a player has more than one ball closer to the Jack than their opponent, they score the corresponding points (1 point for each ball closer to the Jack than their opponent’s).
• If a ball touches the Jack before it ends up in the ditch, it is declared a valid and legal shot. It is declared alive even if it is in the ditch. 

Players

Lawn Bowling can be played singles, doubles, triples, or fours. If there are two or more players (teams), a player can be appointed as the Skip (the captain). The strategy for the game remains the same, more or less, but in a team, you can coordinate and strategize with other players. 

Playing Field & Dimensions

Lawn Bowling is played on the ‘Green,’ which consists of individual rinks of plain green grass or artificial grass. Each rink is 4.3 m—5.8 m wide and 31 m—40 m long.

How To Win Bowling?

There are two ways to play and win this game, and players can mutually decide which version of the game they want to follow. 

• To win, either the players or the teams must reach a predetermined number (18 or 21). The first player or team to get the score (18 points or 21 points) wins the game.
• Alternatively, you can play this game as set. Each set will consist of 7 points, and the first player to reach 7 points wins. A player needs to win 5 of these sets (or any number agreed upon) to win a game. 

Tips & Strategies

In this section of the article, we will provide constructive tips and strategies that will instantly level up your lawn bowling skills. Remember, these are tips or advice you can follow for better results, which means you still need to practice to improve. Let’s dive in!

• Try to win the mat so that you can bowl the Jack first. This will give you a proper feel of the surface speed. Moreover, it will give you control over the Jack length, which can be advantageous.
• Keep changing the mat placement to keep your opponent from getting comfortable in one position. This will disrupt their general sense of the game and might work in your favor. You can resort to this even if the Jack length is not in your favor. 
• If a conservative approach to the game isn’t working, adopt a more aggressive stance. 
• Do not be afraid to let the opponent gain a score. The idea is to win the match, not a single score. This means sometimes giving up one of your scores to set the play up for future points.
• Your general aim should be to land your balls closest to the Jack. However, if you see that the opponent has a ball closer to Jack and it’s your turn, you can use one of your balls to drive the ball away. This will damage their score and game mentality. However, use this strategically because your balls can be removed as well.
• Throwing too hard or too slow rarely pays off. It is a last resort when the game is not going your way. 
• Do not underestimate the power of touchers. Deflect your ball using the opponent’s to squeeze your way into an advantageous position.

Did You Know?

Here are some lesser-known facts about Lawn Bowling that you must know:

• Lawn Bowling, often referred to as Bowling, was invented in the early 13th century, if not earlier.
• The Southampton Old Bowling Green is the oldest in existence, dating back to 1299.
• In 1864, a Glasgow cotton merchant named William Wallace Mitchell published the first rule book of Lawn Bowling, ‘Manual of Bowls Playing.’
• The famed World Bowls Center is located in Edinburgh, Scotland.
• Owing to its deep-rooted connection with colored history, British monarchs such as Richard II, Edward III, and Henry VIII banned the early version of this game. They feared that this would interfere with their troops’ archery training. 

FAQs

Conclusion

The beauty of Lawn Bowling is that it requires minimal effort to set the game up, and you can enjoy a healthy, competitive game while socializing and having a good time with friends. However, serious competitions are being played across the world. So, work on your skills while following the Lawn Bowling Rules to get an upper hand in the game. Think you know enough? Get, set, and Roll! Keep coming back to Play With Rules for more such impactful learning on sports around the world.