This also spells trouble for the Sumka 2014 competition, the large annual sporting event that features lawn bowling, and that is set to be held in Malaysia in a few years. And, the Sumka 2010 event is bound to only attract even more attention to lawn bowling. Great for lawn bowling clubs and participants in the area, but not so great when there might not be enough umpires to go around. 

Both Level 1 and Level 2 umpires are needed, and interested individuals should look up the local Sarawak Lawn Bowls Association. The Association holds courses throughout the year for those who want to train to become an umpire and move on to becoming an umpire for many years, and continually advancing on to higher levels of lawn bowling umpiring. The latest course was held from July 18 – July 20 and was attended by 24 coaches, teachers, and players. However, the Association has reported that only ten of these have gone on to become an umpire.

If you’re interested in lawn bowling and you live in Malaysia, then contact the Association. Not only is the area desperate for lawn bowling umpires at the moment, but lawn bowling is a great sport and jolly fun to become a part of!

One of the biggest examples that this problem is found is within the United States. While countries and continents such as India and Australia are highly known for the amount of young people involved in the sport, there are almost none in the United States. And this is because young people in the States seem to have the idea that lawn bowling is not for people of their age. And while this doesn’t seem like a big problem, it could be when you look at the future of lawn bowling in the United States, and in other countries that have this same type of problem.

The problem is that if no young people are going to start getting into the sport, then it could become obsolete when the older people that are keeping the sport alive, are no longer here to play. And with no younger generations to pass the game onto, it does seem as though the sport is in danger of becoming extinct in countries such as the States. But the United States isn’t the only country that lawn bowling isn’t popular among other people. Countries such as China and Canada also don’t see a huge popularity in lawn bowling among young people.

It seems the only answer is to start engaging these young people in the sport now, and promoting the sport among young people. The game doesn’t need to change, it simply needs to be presented in a way that will be more pleasing to those who might be future up and comers in the game of lawn bowling. Otherwise, these countries may not be able to enjoy it for that much longer, and lawn bowling clubs all around the world might just have to fold. Which is undoubtedly a shame that no one wants to see.

If you’re thinking the community center, you’d be wrong. Not only are they being gracious enough to allow the Club to come play in the first place, but the greens will not be used by them. So why would they pay. The Club had this exact same question though and decided to apply for a grant to the federal government to try and get the funds to pay for the expansion. The grant was approved and so, sure enough, you’d think that the Canadian government was going to pay, right? Guess again.

Since the time the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club has been approved for the grant, the federal government has now come forward to say that they won’t be paying for it, or at least not all of it. The government says that they will only pay for the land within the designated area and that any design, construction, or maintenance will be the responsibility of the Club’s. Still seems to be somewhat fair, if you don’t consider the fact that all of those inclusions were detailed in the grant application before it was approved.

Currently, the situation seems to rest with the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club sitting on their hands. They have filled in their local MP about the situation, and they have now been referred onto the Ministry.

The event comes after Chris Smith, president of Bowls England, visited the California club back in 2000, and enjoyed himself so much that he’s decided to bring his club back across the pond for a fierce competition of lawn bowls. The competition itself will be tight, as in 2000 the Palo Alto Club beat out England Bowls, only by a slight margin. Smith hasn’t forgotten the loss and is looking forward to coming back. But this time, to return to Britain as champion. And, with the variation on the game this time being the English variant of playing rinks instead of partners, as the Palo Alto Club traditionally plays, it just adds one more element of fierce competition and excitement!

But the two clubs are also enjoying spending some time together again. The game is set to have an early start, and all the players are looking forward to the time they’ll get to spend together afterwards feasting, catching up, and sharing their general love of lawn bowls.

Traditional fare is to be served, including Californian chips and delicious guacamole, English biscuits and of course, plenty of tea to go ’round!

But you’ll probably also soon find that lawn bowling clubs are not the cheapest option to finding lawn bowls. And you’ll also quickly find just how pricey lawn bowls can be, if you weren’t already aware. Because of this, the world is beginning to turn more and more to the Internet. And as lawn bowling remains a very popular sport all throughout the world, the world begins to search for ways to find cheaper lawn bowls online – just like they do with everything else!

Simply typing in “buy lawn bowls” into any search engine will pull up a huge listing of sellers that have lawn bowls for sale. This is a great way to quickly compare prices online and because there are so many options, it’s also one of the best ways to find the exact bowl that you want! If you want even cheaper lawn bowls, looking at online auction sites such as eBay are also great ways to save money on lawn bowls. These are used so of course, always make sure that the bowls are in good condition and that the seller is reputable.

Everyone’s going online for whatever they need these days. Why should lawn bowls be any different?

Start by making sure that you always enter the green by the path provided. If there is no clearly defined path, walk around the sides until you reach your mat or green. Never cross rinks or other playing fields in an attempt to get to your own – even if no one else is playing on it. This will cause excessive wear on the green, which can result in inefficient play.

It’s also important to make sure that you never drop your bowl right onto the green. Doing this could scuff the green and damage your bowl. Also try to notice if you’re causing any damage to the green when you deliver your bowl. This can actually be a common problem, especially for novices, and should be corrected. Also, if there are banks around the green, never sit on them. When people do this, they also tend to hang their feet over the side of the green. This can cause damage to both the bank and the green.

The greens in lawn bowling are obviously very important, because these are the fields on which the lawn bowling will be played. It’s important to always treat them with respect and to never leave any garbage, cigarette butts, or spit on them. Not only are these very impolite things to do, but you can also be seriously fined by a club for doing any of them. Treat the greens right, and chances are that they’ll return the favour!

The first most obvious difference is that lawn bowling is traditionally played on a green, while bocce is played on a field that’s usually sand or asphalt. In both sports, there are usually boards placed up alongside the boundaries and in both cases, the playing fields are usually very long rectangular structures.

In bocce, the team to throw their ball first is chosen randomly and they are then given the chance to throw their jacks into a marked zone, somewhat farther down the playing field. Should they miss twice in a row, the other team is then given the same opportunity. Lawn bowls also use a jack, but in this case, it’s the jack that’s placed somewhere along the playing field. The teams then take turns trying to get closest to the jack, and the rules of play become quite complicated with ‘dead’ bowls and ‘live’ jacks.

Another difference between lawn bowling and bocce ball is the type of balls that are used. Jacks made for bocce are usually made from metal or plastic, whereas lawn bowls are generally made of wood. But one of the most glaring differences between the two different types of balls is that balls used for bocce are perfectly round and smooth and have no bias whatsoever. In lawn bowling, the specific bias or sphere of the bowls is essential to game play and plays a huge part in the player’s strategy.

Bocce ball is more known in Italy, although it’s starting to become very popular in the United States too. Lawn bowling is still known as a sport that’s more popular in areas such as New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada.

• When an opponent is on the mat, it’s most courteous to be as quiet as possible. Jeering, insults, and anything else that could be considered to be derogatory are definitely not permitted. But even talking and light conversation should be saved until after the opponent has finished his throw.
• Players at the head should always stand at least two feet behind the mat. Players too, should also stand at least two feet behind the mat. This isn’t just lawn bowling etiquette, it’s actually a rule.
• As players are traveling from the mat to the head, they should never interfere with another rink or its players.
• Running commentary while the bowl is traveling across the green is not only annoying, it’s also improper etiquette.
• At certain times during the game, an umpire might need to come out and measure the distance between the bowls. Should this happen, all players are to leave the head until the umpire has finished measuring. Once that is done, the umpire will make his ruling and this ruling is final.
• No game should be raked until both teams have agreed to how many bowls were conceded.

Adhering to the rules of etiquette is not only a polite thing to do but it also makes the game of lawn bowling much more fun. No one wants their opponents calling out to them and interfering with their play. Just as you want people respecting your play, they do too. And lawn bowling is so much more exciting when the game doesn’t need to always be stopped so that the rules of etiquette can be abided by.

Block – This is a bowl that sits right in the line of fire. Bowlers will strategically block their opponent to keep them from scoring or winning.

Bowl in Course – This can also be thought of as ‘any bowl in motion.’ From the moment you release the bowl from your hand, to the moment it rests somewhere so it is no longer moving, the bowl is in course.

Covered – This is what it’s called when a bowl is in front of another bowl, or in front of another bowl. In this instance, the bowl in front would be ‘covering’ the other bowl.

Dead Bowl – A dead bowl can occur on the green for many reasons. One instance of a dead bowl is if any bowl, with the exception of the toucher, should come to rest in a ditch. A bowl can also become dead if it touches any side of rink and comes back to the green, or if it touches any jack or toucher that sits in a ditch. If a bowl stops 15 yards or less from the mat, this bowl will also be considered a ‘dead bowl.’ Any bowls that come to a stop anywhere outside of the boundaries of the rink are also considered to be dead bowls.

Dead end – Any end that has within it a dead jack is considered to be a dead end. The jack becomes dead if it has rolled outside the boundaries of the rink. Should an end become dead, the two skips will decide mutually in which direction the end should be played out. Traditionally, the round is replayed in the same direction that it was originally being played.

Fast Green – A fast green refers to the conditions of the actual green being played on. If the grass has been cut too close or the green has been allowed to dry out, it will be a fast green. The bowls will have a wider curve on them and the ironically, the course will take longer to play.

Four – This is the type of team that is playing the round. Four members logically enough, make up a Four and within this Four, each member has a specific role. Within a Four are: the lead, the second, the third, and the skip. Each player delivers two bowls each round.

This time, we’ve found too many new terms to bombard you all at once with them! Check back soon for another installment of our Lawn Bowling Glossary. And if you have any suggestions on terms that we’ve missed, drop us a line and let us know!

To begin, place a jack at the 2-meter mark, at each hog line. Center them and draw a chalk line underneath each. Place a mat at the near-two metre mark and then draw two bowls to the short jack and two draws to the long jack. Then take your mat and leave the jack at the 2-metre mark where you had been standing. Then gather all four bowls at the other end. Once you’re finished, repeat the entire drill in reverse by going to the other end and starting from there.

Even if you’re doing this drill on your own, it’s still a good idea to keep score. Scoring is easy. Give yourself one point for everything within one metre, and no point for anything else. When you’re finished the drill, tally up your points and see how you did!

If you really want to make your lawn bowling better, you can do this drill several times and keep track of your progress. Not only will you know what you need to do to beat your personal best, but it will also let you see how far you’ve come!