Aston Ingham Bowling Club
TERMS USED IN LAWN BOWLING
"Back bowl" - a bowl that comes to rest beyond the Jack.
“Be Up” – means – dont be short – short bowls are wasted bowls.
“Bias” – the “weighted” or “small button” side of the bowl.
"Blocker" - a bowl placed strategically short of the head to block the path of subsequent bowls.
“Burned End” – the jack has been knocked out of bounds. The end is not counted and played again.
“Draw a Shot” – bowl so as to finish with the closest bowl to the Jack.
“End” – bowling to the opposite end of the green is called one end, returning is another end.
- The number of ends played decided by the tournament committee.
“Grass” – direction line the bowl takes in order for it to curve or bend in to the Jack at the finish of its run.
“Hand” – the side on which the bowl is delivered – either the forehand or the back hand.
“Head” – the bowls that are grouped around the jack.
“Jack” – that white ball against which all bowlers wish their bowl will lie when it comes to rest.
"Lead" - the person who starts off the play. Also places the Mat and rolls the Jack if their team “has the mat”.
"Length" - a good length is a bowl, bowled with the right amount of weight to reach the head in a perfect position.
"Mat" - the actual mat, that is placed by the team winning the last end, to start the next end.
- This is also known as having the Mat.
- The team with the mat always rolls the Jack.
"Line" - the curved line or track a bowl takes to reach the head.
- A good line will curcve and reach the head, a bad line will not.
“Narrow” – sometimes called tight, means that you did not take enough grass, or start the bowl out far enough from the center line to the jack.
“Rink” – the normal rink is a 15 foot wide area running from one end to the opposite end.
“Shot Bowl” – the bowl lying closest to the jack.
“Take the Green” – a warning from a skip to a player who is delivering his bowls at a wrong angle to correct his fault by increasing the angle of delivery.
“Toucher” - a bowl which has hit the jack between the time of its delivery and its coming completely to rest.
- The bowl remains in play even if it goes into the ditch within the confines of the rink.
- It should be marked with chalk for recognition as a toucher.
“Weight” – the amount of power applied in delivering the bowl.
- Heavy weight means that the bowl stops further than desired.
- Light weight means that it stops short of the spot desired.
