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Walton-on-Thames Bowling Club


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Club Crest



(Top image with thanks to ...
http://bowlsatlindfield.homestead.com)

W.G.Grace played lawn bowls.

Grace was a keen athlete, golfer and, of course, perhaps the most famous of all cricketers. He was also a qualified medical practitioner.

Nor was W.G. an ordinary bowls player. He became an enthusiast when he moved to London as manager of the London County Club in 1900. He contributed greatly to the founding of the English Bowling Association (EBA) in 1903 and was elected their first president. He also helped found an international competition with Scotland, Ireland and Wales. He captained the English bowls team in their inaugural international at Crystal Palace in 1903, and went on to do so until 1908.

Whilst EBA president, W.G.Grace was also instrumental in introducing the game of indoor bowls to England when, in 1888, he laid a carpet across the floor at the Crystal Palace, London.

Move the mouse over the image for a more conventional portrait of W.G.


Almost as simple as football . . .

The Game Of Bowls - From 'The English Rule Book of All Sports' - 1856.

This is almost as simple as a game of football, requiring only a bowling green and an indefinite number of bowls, one for each player. Unlike football, however, it is a very quiet game, and calculated rather for the steady gentlemen, then for his rackety son.

The bowls are spheres of Lignum vitae, or any other wood ; and they are generally made of one side of a tree. The heart being heavier than the outside, makes one side of the bowl heavier than the other ; the consequence is that each bowl has a bias of it's own, and every player must learn it's peculiarities before he can play it successfully.

The bowling green is, or should be a perfectly level piece of turf, square in shape or nearly so, and 30, 40, 50 yards wide, according to the capabilities of the ground. This should be kept smooth and closely shaven, by means of the scythe and roller; and from it's possessing these qualities in perfection the expression has arisen,"as smooth as a bowling green " !

The game is very simple in theory, and consists only of each player endeavouring to bowl his own so as to remain as near as possible to a particular bowl. The bias creates the difficulty, which is greater than might be imagined ; and 30 or 40 elderly gentlemen will often amuse themselves every evening throughout the summer without arriving at anything like an absolute control of their erratic instruments !.

Quoted from:- http://www.scottishindoorbowls.org.uk/origins.htm

 Bowler


Character figure of Sir Francis Drake bowling from a boxed set made by
Charbens of England. (From ...
http://evertonblogcouk.blogspot.com)


Barefoot Bowl

Barefoot lawn bowls.

Casual, only mildly competitive, bowling - with clubs hiring out their facilities for an afternoon or an evening's entertainment for groups of family, friends or workmates - has become a recent phenomenon in Australia.

The rules: no shoes, colourful clothing, lots of beer and don’t be afraid of the occasional dance . . .

I quote from Australia's Wo! Magazine ...

"The lawn is perfectly manicured, the sun is spilling out warming your face and the grass feels tickly soft between your toes. There is happy chitchat everywhere and two little waddling toddlers are rumbling their dad at the sideline. It is Sunday noon at Paddington Bowling Club and the ambience is peaceful. At the rink there is concentration and backslapping banter among the bowlers, whilst others laze about on the verandah soaking up the atmosphere and sipping their favorite drink . . . Lawn bowling has reinvented itself . . ."

(The full article can be found at: http://www.wo-magazine.com/website/Issuetwo/bowling.html)


Our own British 'Daily Telegraph' outlines the story of 'Barefoot Bowls' in a recent 2007 article ...

... a funny thing (has) happened: Aussies discovered that lawn bowls is the perfect outdoor social activity, combining as it does fresh air and sunshine with a beer and a game everyone can play. The game's revival in Australia began at the turn of the millennium, as clubs recognised that their foundation post-war generation membership was dwindling and few young people were interested in taking up what was perceived as an activity for seniors.

The game seemed destined to wither away, until a handful of clubs began inviting non-members to play on Sundays. The spark lit a fire, and by the time a hit TV show featured its groovy young cast drinking beer and trading banter over a "barefoot bowls" session, it had become a social phenomenon.

Clubs around Australia now encourage non-members to play and welcome visitors from overseas Barbecue facilities and stereo speakers carrying pop tunes and disco classics feature at many clubs on Sunday afternoons - some even put on live jazz bands. And you could hardly ask for a more relaxed club dress code than the bare feet, T-shirt and shorts that comprise the standard uniform of the social lawn bowler.

It's an unbeatable way to mingle with the locals, too: as one of Sydney's leading bowls clubs associations has it, "Have a Beverage, BBQ, Bowls& Bonding session with us and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere on the greens secure in the knowledge that everyone - no matter what level of fitness or age - can participate".

(From: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/main.jhtml?xml=/travel/2007/10/15/et-bowls-115.xml)


n.b. Many clubs place a warning on their website to the effect that a variety of chemicals are often used on bowling greens and suggesting the advisability of protection against contamination by wearing flip-flops.
Perhaps 'Flip-Flop' Bowling will eventually replace the 'Barefoot' variety.
Barefoot Bowls


Lawn Bowls & its Variants

  1.   Crown Green Bowls

    A Crown Green is a square lawn slightly higher in the middle than at the edges and play is conducted all over the lawn in any direction. More information can be found at:- 'bowls.org' and at 'Federation Bowls'


  2.   Indoor Bowls

    The indoor version of lawn bowls played on artificial surface of approximately the same length as the outdoor rinks. More information can be found on the English Indoor Bowling Association website or at the British Isles Indoor Bowling Council.

  3.   Short Mat Bowls

    An indoor variant in which standard lawn bowls are used on a specially designed mat. More information can be found at the English Short Mat Bowling Association, or at the Short Mat Bowls website.

  4.   Carpet Bowls

    The concept of the game is similar to Indoor Bowls the only difference is that it is played on a carpet. One of the best features of the game is that it can be played in most small halls. More information can be found at the English Carpet Bowling Association, or at bowlsclub.org

  5.   Target Bowls

    Target Bowls takes place using a target mat placed over a shortmat. As in darts, the object of the game is to direct your bowls (but not by throwing them!) at scoring zones, the closer to the centre (bull/jack?) - the higher the score.
    More information can me found on the Blackbird Leys website.

  6.   Bocce (or Bocci, or Boccie)

    "Bocce is played on soil, oyster shell or asphalt courts approximately 20 to 27 metres in length and 2.5 to 4 metres wide, sometimes with wooden boards of approximately 15 centimetres in height surrounding the court. Bocce balls can be made of bronze or various kinds of plastic. Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias." The foregoing description of bocce is quoted from the Wikipedia entry. Go to Wikipedia to read the full article.

  7.   Table Bowls

    In this game a miniature set of bowls and jack are played on a standard 12 x 6 feet Billiards or Snooker table. The bowls and jack are rolled down a wooden chute which is placed slanting on the table edge with one end on the table. No impetus is allowed to be given to the bowls - it is purely the angle of the chute and how far up it the bowl starts that determines its final position. More on Table Bowls at Mastergamesand at 'Bowls 247'.

  8.   Barefoot Bowls

    See the previous entry on this webpage.

    Click on the highlighted links above to discover more.

    n.b. An informative article on 'VARIANTS ON THE USUAL BOWLS GAME' can be found at:- 'lawnbowls.com'.

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SOME SHOTS in LAWN BOWLS

Think the 3Ls - LINE;  LENGTH;  & LUCK
The Drawing Shot

This is the basic shot in bowls and really has to be mastered before any other. Important factors in playing this shot are good judgment of line, length and green conditions. The aim is to deliver your bowl with enough weight and line accuracy to allow the bias to take effect before finishing near the jack (target). Expertise at the drawing shot can only come with constant practice at varying lengths of play. It is also recommended to the new bowler that he/she plays as a lead for several seasons before moving up the rink.

The Wrest

The wrest shot is a drawing shot designed to rest on another bowl already in the head or with slightly more weight in order to wrest or remove an opposing bowl from a scoring position.

The Trail

The trail is regarded by many bowlers as the trickiest shot to play within the game. Similar to the drawing shot, the trail shot is employed to carry the jack a short distance. Therefore it is vital to find the extra bit of weight required to make the trail shot successful. This can prove increasingly difficult on fast greens. Ultimately, the trail shot is played in order to move the jack towards one of your already waiting bowls in the head or to a place of safety or if the jack is at full length - to the ditch.

The Wick

Often thought of as a lucky shot - sometimes this can be the case, but top players can visualize playing for a wick as a "percentage shot". The bowl is played in order to glance off another bowl in the head into a position closer to the jack. Probably easiest to successfully play the wick shot on a medium paced green.

The Cannon

Similar to the wick shot but played with extra weight. Also a "percentage shot". The player may also allow for the fact that more than one bowl may be used in order for his bowl to arrive in the desired destination

The Yard - On

A firm delivery / yard-on shot is played by taking less green and a narrower line of delivery and is employed to open up a head, take out one of the opposition's bowls or create a back bowl. Weight and line is vital and the faster the green, the more difficult the shot is to play successfully.

The Drive

A crowd pleasing shot for some, for others a hushed tutter of disapproval. The drive can be a spectacular shot but should be used economically. The inexperienced bowler may too often play this shot when a yard on shot would be sufficient. For many bowlers, it can be hard to immediately return to a normal drawing shot with satisfactory results, straight after a driving shot.

The Block

Employed as a safeguard, the block, when correctly used, can prove to be an effective defensive shot. Blocks are placed short of the head in various positions depending on the state of said head. Mainly employed to stop the opposition firing at a certain part of the head or placed short of the head but in the opposition's drawing line. It can often be difficult to place a blocker exactly where the bowler wishes it and therefore often ends up as a wasted bowl.


  (From: http://bowls247.co.uk/guide/shots.php)
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JACK &
the
BOWLS-TALK

Did You Know . . . ?

Apart from being a small fish, about 10 inches long when mature, which swims in large shoals and is caught in long nets on the western side of Grenada and the Grenadines, a JACK is the essential ingredient of the game of lawn bowls.

The earliest documented use of the word 'Jack' as used in the game of Bowls is from 1611 ...

    "Was there euer man had such lucke? when I kist
      the jacke vpon an vp-cast, to be hit away?"

The 'jacke' here is a 'Jack-Bowl' - in this context meaning a slightly smaller version of a larger object. In 1697 R. Pierce wrote "He had not Strength to throw the Jack-Bowl half over the Green". The word was later shortened to 'jack'.
Bowl & Jack


THE GAME OF LAWN BOWLS
BEGINNERS' GUIDE & Some Notes on ETIQUETTE

A sport with such a long history as bowls has many conventions and rules. These are largely unwritten, and are seen as a matter of etiquette, and all bowlers should be aware of them. Some guidance on ...

  • What Is Bowls?
  • How To Play
  • Bowling For The Beginner
  • Various aspects of Bowling Green Etiquette
  • The Players' Roles in Team Games
  • Etiquette for Markers.

    • ... can be found by clicking on the 'Handshake' image on the right -- >>>


    		 Handshake