Bowling glossary
A bowling glossary
Here is a simple explanation of some of the terms you may hear on or around the green.
Backhand When for the right handed player the bowl is delivered so that the curve of the bowl is from left to right. The opposite for left handed players.
Bias The amount of curve a bowl will take on its course to the jack or nominated place
Bowl The bowl is part of a set of 4 identical ones in manufacture, colour, serial number, engraving, size, bias and weight. Bowls should all be played from the same set.
Chalker A bowl that has touched the jack during an end will be carefully marked with spray chalk as, if it ends up in the ditch, where it would otherwise be regarded as ‘dead’, it will still count as being ‘live’
Club Night Turn up at 5.30 for 5.45, pay your £3 rink fee (which also qualifies you for a raffle), draw a team and rink position – and bowl. Attended by all standards of bowlers, it is a great way to meet other members, learn from other bowlers and gain experience in a variety of roles on a team
Dead bowl A bowl that has come to rest in the ditch or is knocked into the ditch and is not a toucher; or a bowl that comes to rest outside the confines of the rink either in its course or by being knocked there.
Ditch The immediate surround between the bank around the green and the green itself, marking the boundary of the playing surface
Down The number of shots by which an end has been lost. Indicated by the skip turning sideways and making the requisite number of taps on his or her rump or leg.
End An end of bowls is from the laying of the mat to the completion of all players delivering their bowls in one direction on the rink, at the conclusion of which the next end takes place in the reverse direction. Bowls matches commonly take place on the basis of a set number of ends, at the conclusion of which the side with the largest number of shots wins
Fire A bowl delivered into the head at pace
Fluke A shot badly executed yet really successful – do apologise!
Foot fault On delivery, part of the foot must be on or over the mat. This can result in no more than a warning or, alternatively, the bowl being declared dead. Foot faulting is very difficult to determine and requires an umpire to make the decision
Forehand When for the right handed player the curve of the bowl is from right to left. The opposite for left handed players.
Four A game consisting of four players on each aside, each delivering only two bowls
Friendly Fixtures against clubs from the wider area, some of which the Club might not ordinarily play in league games, or against touring teams. Friendlies are ideal for new bowlers to gain valuable experience in a relaxed environment
Green The lawn surface on which bowls is played. A great deal of love and care, and time, and money, goes into the continual preparation of the green; and it must be respected
Grip How the bowler grips the bowl to deliver it, so as to have full control over it in delivery without dropping it or letting it bounce
Head This refers collectively to the jack and all the bowls that have been delivered and have come to rest withing the boundaries of the rink
Holding shot The team whose bowl is closest to the jack is ‘holding shot’. If the team has other bowls closer to the jack than the nearest one of their opponents, they are ‘holding two’, holding three’, etc.
Jack A small white/yellow ball delivered by the lead player. For the jack to have been properly delivered, it must be no closer than 23 metres from the mat; if not, it is given to the opponent to deliver
Jack high A bowl that comes to rest at the same distance from the mat as the jack
Lead When playing first, the lead will place the mat, roll and centre the jack and deliver the first bowl. The main objective is to deliver the bowls as close to the jack as possible
Live A bowl is considered ‘live’ as long as it has remained on the green and within the rink; and may count towards the scoring of the end depending on its position in relation to the jack. A bowl that has touched the jack on its way through to the ditch remains ‘live’ as long as it is within the side boundaries of the rink
Marker A person in a game of singles who undertakes to see the game played according to the Laws of the Sport of Bowls. They will mark all touchers, centre the jack, remove dead bowls, measure if required and keep the scorecard and board updated. They should ensure they know the rules of the game they are marking.
Mat The mat marks the point of delivery for each bowl. It must be no less than 23 metres from the jack for the jack to have been properly delivered; and at least two metres from the ditch. It must be straight; and, at the point of delivery, part of the foot should be on or over it. It is otherwise up to each player to position the mat during an end where they want it
Mixed A league or competition which is open to both men and women and which sets specific levels of minimum participation for one or both
Narrow A bowl that has been delivered ‘too narrow’, or with ‘not enough green’, is going to do too much and will arc past the jack, given the bias
Open A league or competition which is non-specific as regards participation by men or women: teams can be mixed in any combination, or all men or all women
Open Day Held by the Club once a year to give allcomers a taste of bowling
No. 2/No. 3 Before bowling, look at skip for direction; the player may be asked for a positional bowl rather than bowling to the jack. Able to read the head IF the skip asks for direction. Responsible for measuring shots and confirming with opposing 2/3. If claiming shots, the opposition should measure
Pairs A match format pitting two players on one team matched against two on another, generally each bowling four woods
Rink The particular strip of the green on which you are bowling. At Andover Bowling Club, the green is divided into six rinks, although not all may be in use at any one time
Roll-up A match arranged informally between friends; or a Club get together aimed at new bowlers, members of a particular Club team, etc.
Shot The bowl closest to the jack at the conclusion of an end is the ‘shot bowl’. The side holding shot, regardless of the number of players, continues to count shots in their favour based on the position of their bowls until the point when an opposition bowl is next closest. Consequently an end is always won by a number of shots to nil
Singles A one-on-one match up, each player bowling either two or four woods per end depending on the game. Four wood singles matches are determined by being the first team to a certain number of shots, regardless of the number of ends played to get there
Skip The skip is in charge of the team and instructs their players. They are responsible for keeping the scorecard but can delegate this to the number 2. The scorecard should be held by the same player on each side of the rink
Trial end It is common in all matches to allow two trial ends, one up and one back, with each player delivering as many bowls as they are bowling with in order to assess the conditions on the rink. In league competition, the rules on this vary
Triples A match format which sees three players on a team pitted against another triple, each bowling two or three woods depending on the game
Up When an end has been resolved, the number of shots by which a team has won the end which put it ‘one up’, ‘two up’, etc. on that end. Indicated to the skip by number 2/3 making the requisite number of taps on his or her shoulder
Weight/Pace The power applied to the bowl on delivery. A bowl that has the correct weight ends up in a position level with the jack (‘jack high’). A bowl delivered ‘with weight’, or fired, is delivered with pace on it with the intention of knocking other bowls, or the jack, to different positions in the head, or out of it entirely
Wick A bowl that has come into contact with another, altering its direction, has benefited (or not) from a wick
Wide A bowl delivered with ‘too much width’, or ‘too much green’, has too much to do to get close to the jack, even if the bias is correct
Wood An older name for a bowl dating from the time in which bowls were made of wood
Wrest A bowl delivered with sufficient pace to knock another bowl away from its former position, taking its place