Lawn Bowling By: Matthew Tucker

History of Lawn Bowling  Lawn bowling was first developed by the Egyptians in 5,000 BC.  The sport of lawn bowls is the forerunner of curling, a very popular winter sport in northern countries like Canada.  The first lawn bowls site was in Southampton, England.  In the early 15th century, bowls were made of hardwoods, and eventually made from a very dense wood called lignum vitae.

History of Lawn Bowling  "On July 19, 1588, Drake was involved in a game at Plymouth when he was notified that the Spanish Armada had been sighted. The tale says his response was, "There is plenty of time to win the game and thrash the Spaniards too." He then proceeded to finish his match and the British Navy soundly defeated the Armada. There is a lot of controversy as to whether this event actually took place." (  I like how Drake finished his game and then did what he had to do.

History of Lawn Bowling  Henry VIII was also a very well lawn bowler. He actually banned lawn bowling for those who were not wealthy enough because they would focus too much on bowling and not enough time on trading. Henry VIII also made anyone pay 100 pounds if they wanted to keep a green. King James I actually encouraged the sport of lawn bowling.

History of Lawn Bowling  English and Scottish colonists brought the game to America and there was a bowling green in Williamsburg, Virginia in Many states have cities called "Bowling Green". George Washington had a green at Mount Vernon in The American Lawn Bowls Association (now Bowls USA) was established in 1915.

Facts of Lawn Bowling   Video on how to play lawn bowling  Facts:  Every ball is shaped so that it travels in an arc and not in a straight line. This is called "bias". That simply means that the bowl will curve and go straight.  The hardest part about playing lawn bowling is mastering the throw of the bowl because if you try to bowl it straight, it will go left or right.  Buying equipment to play isn't cheap. It's about $100 for four bowls and if you want the bag, it's about $45-50.

Equipment Needed for Lawn Bowling  Some of the main equipment needed for lawn bowls is:  The Bowls- Four balls or bowls that are different colors, and have different symbols and etchings on them. Bowls are not round, so they are therefore biased, which means they will curve as they roll.  The Jack- The jack is like the pins in regular bowling, but in this case get as close as possible to the jack to win. It's a small white ball.  Measuring Tape- To measure which bowl is the closest to the Jack. You want to be close.  Score Cards- A card to keep score while you play.

Rules for Lawn Bowling  "The game is played up and down a rink. In "singles", each player plays four bowls. In "pairs", for each end, each player plays four bowls - the first player on each side bowls all four bowls and then the second player bowls four bowls. In "triples", three players play three bowls each. And in "fours" or "rinks", four players play just two bowls each. A player must stand with one foot on a centrally placed small black mat, 24 x 14 inches while bowling.  The mat is placed by the player who starts. For the first leg, it is placed four yards in from the ditch, thereafter it is placed anywhere more than 2 1/2 yards in from the near ditch and more than 25 yards from the far ditch. Once the end is over, the mat is moved to the other end of the rink and play starts in the reverse direction.  The jack must go at least 23 yards, must stay within the rink and must not fall into the ditch. If it is within 2 1/2 yards of the ditch, it is moved back so that it lies 2 1/2 yards in from the ditch. Before the first bowl is thrown, the jack is always carefully centered to the middle line of the rink.

A bowl that falls into the ditch is out of play unless it is a "toucher" meaning that it has previously touched the jack during the end. To keep track of this, any bowl that touches the jack is marked with a cross using chalk. ​ If the jack is knocked into the ditch by a toucher, it is still in play and its location is marked by a small white peg on the bank above the ditch. No subsequently played bowls can become touchers - if they touch the jack in the ditch, they are still considered to be out of play." ​ All of this slide came from Rules for Lawn Bowling

Scoring in Lawn Bowling  The first person or team to attain 21 shots is the winner of the game. That means you got the closest to the jack more times than your opponent. Games can take awhile to play.