COACHING

It is a requirement of our Club that new members who are without prior bowling experience attend a six week coaching course which is run on Saturday mornings. This course provides an across the board explanation and participation that will give new members a sound beginning to the game of Lawn Bowls.

To participate telephone Senior Coach Bobbie Hitchcock to establish when the next course is scheduled to commence. The cost is $1.00 green fee for each lesson.

Coaching for other players is available on Thursday and Saturday mornings. Contact the coaching staff to arrange a day and time.

ETIQUETTE

• The etiquette of the game of bowls is a combination of good manners, sportsmanship and sociability.

• Be conversant with the Laws of the Game and observe them.

• Respect the decision of the Umpire.

• Be punctual to commence play at all matches and come to each game correctly attired.

• Laws of the Game demand that you inform your opponent if you wish to leave the green.

• Always allow your opponent the right to the head as spelt out in the Rule Book. Failure to do so decreases the enjoyment of the game.

• Walk close to the centre of the rink with minimum delay when changing ends as you could distract play on the next rink.

• Keep quiet and still when players are on the mat.

• Stand well back while your opponent bowls.

• Delaying play - players must play their shot with minimum delay.

• It is courtesy to stand still at the head when a player is about to bowl. Movement at the head or talking at the mat end is very distracting.

• Always pay your skip the respect of waiting for directions before stepping onto the mat.  Don’t step onto the mat and indicate which way you intend playing – wait for skip’s instructions.

• Don’t deliver your bowl until the previous bowl has come to rest (playing prematurely).

• Keep your mind on the game and be ready with your bowl in hand when it is your turn to bowl.

• Everyone at the mat end should assist in moving bowls after the end is declared (behind and to the left side of the mat).

• Never applaud unlucky bowls.

• Respect the green surface and always bend to straighten the mat.  Don’t drop bowls from the bank onto the green. Be careful not to walk in the ditch etc.  Take care to protect and conserve our expensive greens.

LAWS OF THE GAME

• The skips shall toss for possession of the mat on the first end.

• The winner of each subsequent end can take possession of the mat, or hand it to opponent.

• The mat shall be placed on the centre line in front of the 2 metre mark.

• One foot shall be on or above the mat at time of delivery, otherwise a foot fault may be called.

• The Jack must be rolled a minimum of 23 metres from the front edge of the mat to the nearest part of the Jack.  If not, the Jack is then re-rolled by the opponent without affecting the order of play.

• If a Jack is rolled out of bounds or into the front ditch by a player, it is improperly rolled and the right to re-roll it goes to the opponent without affecting the order of play.

• A Bowl must be delivered a minimum of 14 metres.

• A Bowl or Jack is out of bounds when ALL of it is outside the line between the outside edges of the boundary pegs. (Subject to individual clubs interpretation for season 2006/2007).

• A bowl is “Dead” if it stops out of bounds when first rolled, or is moved out of bounds, or enters the ditch, unless it has first touched the Jack before entering your rink’s ditch.

COMMON BOWLING TERMS

END – You have completed one end of a bowls game when the jack has been rolled and all the bowls from both teams have been played in the same direction on a rink.  The next end is then played in the opposite direction.

GAME – A game of bowls consists of a nominated number of ends.  The team with the highest score at the completion of the set number of ends is the winner of the game.

HEAD – This means the jack and such live bowls that have come to rest within the boundary of the rink.

LIVE BOWL  - This is a bowl that has come to rest within the boundary of the rink or if it is a toucher it is in the ditch within the boundary pegs.

DEAD BOWL – This is a bowl that is outside the boundary of the rink including being in the ditch without being a toucher or which has not traveled 14 metres from the mat when delivered.  All dead bowls are removed from play.

TOUCHER – A bowl that touches the jack in its original course on the green.  Even if the bowl goes into the ditch within the boundaries of the rink it is called a toucher and is considered to be a live bowl.  To identify it as such, it is marked with a chalk mark.

JACK HIGH – This means the front of a bowl (the surface nearest to the mat) and the front of the jack are level.

YOU’RE NARROW – This means that your bowl will cross the centre line.

YOU’RE TOO WIDE – This means that your bowl will not come back to the centre line.

TAKE MORE GRASS – This means that you should aim wider on your aiming line.

DON’T CROSS THE HEAD – This means don’t bowl narrow.

PRACTICE ROUTINES