Respecting Your Opponent

Sportsmanship is generally a large part of any sport but when lawn bowling becomes something that’s much more than a hobby and you begin joining clubs and competing in tournaments, sportsmanship becomes a very large part of lawn bowling etiquette and knowing the small details of how opponents treat each other in lawn bowling is important to know. In general, you should remember that lawn bowling is a sport in which competitors highly respect each other and are friendly towards each other. It is a proper sport and there is no reason for trash talk or disrespecting your opponents. Be sure to congratulate your opponents when they throw a good bowl and be humble when they return the same favour to you. When a match has been called and should you find yourself running late, it is your responsibility to let the other player or players know when you will be arriving. Otherwise, they do have the right to force a forfeit in their favour. No player should ever leave the bowling area unless they have first obtained the permission of one or both Captains. Should it be necessary for you to leave the playing area, it should never be for more than 10 minutes as play will be stopped the entire time you are gone. Once a match has ended, it’s courtesy for the losing player to be the first to shake the winner’s hand and congratulate them.