10 things to learn from a good bowler

Here is a light-hearted (but serious-centred) guide to the etiquette of bowls which will help you get the best out of your game; and, at the same time, allow those you are playing with to do the same.

Above all, do take careful note of the rules in any competition or league that you enter: they are there for the benefit and support of all competitors and should be taken seriously as they are likely to be strictly enforced.

1. DO have respect for the green. A lot of time and care, and love (and money), goes into the preparation of the green so that you can bowl well on it. Make sure you wear the right flat shoes (and keep your bowling shoes for bowling); place your bowls carefully on the surface; bowl them without thinking that you are competing in the shot put; and ensure, Grasshopper, that you always tread lightly and leave no trace

2. DON’T sledge, either your team mates or your opponents, or anyone spectating on the bank, when you’re on the green. Bowling demands sustained concentration, not least when delivering the bowl; and a match when there is too much distraction will tend towards being poor

3. On the other hand, DO have fun; and try to make sure that others do, too. Bowling is competitive but, when played in the right spirit, is geared towards camaraderie, mutual encouragement and the development of everyone’s game

4. DON’T loudly bemoan your fate but DO congratulate your opponents on their success. DO ’fess up when your shot has fluked a good position for your team that you did not quite intend when you delivered it

5. DO play your full part in each end, not only in delivering your bowls but in the various jobs that skips, leads and nos. 2s and 3s have during and after the close of each end (see also Lesley Taylor's helpful explanation). This will help ensure a quick turnaround between ends

6. DON’T move any bowls in the head until the No. 2s or 3s, depending on the match format, have agreed on the scoring for that end; or, otherwise, under their instruction. At this point in the end, they are the ones in charge – though you can help them if you notice something you think they might not have

7. DO be punctual for a match and, if you have committed to a team for one, observe it or engage in the usual common courtesies. DO keep the number of your captain close at hand. This is not only considerate of those you are playing with but remember that many leagues may impose severe match penalties on teams which are late arriving or which turn up short of players

8. DON’T be casual either in your approach to bowling or in the context of a match; and DON’T mistake friendliness for informality. Give your rink your full attention

9. DO be both generous and respectful, gracious and humble, and retain your good humour at all times

10. DON’T dance around like you’re on Strictly when you’re on the green. You will interrupt the concentration of others, including of those on other rinks nearby whose matches may be at different stages of progress, and you will also wreck your own concentration. Ultimately, if a little later, you may also incur the quiet wrath of the greenkeeping team. And you don’t want to do that

 

You may not be the best bowler Andover has ever seen* – but observing these few simple rules will set you well on the road to being a rather good one.

* A title that, as you’ll see elsewhere on this site, arguably belongs to Archie Mitchell, who won trophies in and with the Club between the 1940s and into the 1980s, and who was awarded life membership in 1979.