The Roles in Bowls

In lawn bowling, each team is made up of 4 people. These 4 people each have their own role within that team and each role has their own responsibilities. The 4 roles are called The Lead, The Second, The Third, and The Skip. Here’s a brief explanation about what each does.

The Lead – The first player to bowl is called The Lead and they will approach first, lay down the mat, position the target or jack where The Skip would like it, and deliver the first bowl. Generally The Lead tries to position their bowl just in front of the jack or just behind it. The worst thing The Lead could do is deliver a short bowl, which could hinder the other players on his team, or deliver a wing shot, which could help players of the opposing team.

The Second – The Second is the second person on the team to bowl. The Skip may offer them tips on how to deliver their bowl, depending on whether or not The Skip thinks they are in a good position.

The Third – The Third is the third person on the team to bowl but is generally a more experienced player. This is because they will require a greater level of skill as there will already be several bowls in the playing green and they will need to know how to maneuver around them. The Third may actually tell The Skip what they think is best but ultimately, they must leave the decision to The Skip and carry out what they think is best.

The Skip – This is the hardest role within lawn bowling. Not only must The Skip be extremely knowledgeable about lawn bowling and its techniques and strategies but they must also be able to throw just about any shot there is. In addition to all of this, they must be able to advise other team members on what they should do and should also offer support throughout each match.

Get a Grip!

When you decide that you want to take up lawn bowling, one of the first things you’ll be taught how to do is how to grip your bowl. This is very important because there are 2 main ways and what you choose will depend on how comfortable you are with the bowl and what delivers the best shot for you. 

The first kind of grip is the claw grip. When holding the bowl like this, your thumb is placed at the top of the bowl so that the bowl sits between your thumb and your fingers and most of your palm doesn’t even rest on the bowl. If your fingers want to spread out on the underside of the bowl and the grip feels good to you, this is probably the grip that you’ll most want to use.

The second type of grip is called the cradle grip. Start by placing the bowl flat in the palm of your hand and with your middle fingers slightly close together. This is actually the most preferred kind of grip for most bowlers however, some feel as though there’s not enough control over the ball this way. It’s important to remember no matter how you want to hold your bowl that it should sit upright in your hand otherwise it will turn onto its side while rolling.

About the Bias

One of the main things that people will look for when buying lawn bowls is the bias that the bowl has. The bias is the part of the bowl that has been designed to allow the bowl to curve when it is thrown. The bias that the bowl will have will depend on the type of bowl and the manufacturer. Bowls can either have a large bias or a narrow bias and bowlers will choose one based on how they like to throw the bowl. A narrow bias will allow for bowls to get into small spaces and will roll straighter. Large biases are able to go around other bowls and will have a very large curve when they are thrown. How fast the greens are will also depend on the bias of the bowls. There are strict regulations pertaining to biases however, players still have a wide range of bowls with different biases to choose from.

Redneck Lawn Bowling

For all of you out there who love the game of lawn bowling fiercely but simply don’t have enough money to invest in equipment, buck up knowing that there is a very simple way to enjoy this game by gathering a few friends and family and not minding leaving the game with a few more bumps and bruises than when you started. Follow the link to watch the video of how to make this game a true DYI project. The video was obviously set up as a complete gag but it goes to show how lawn bowling is a sport that can bring out a sense of humour in anyone!