Lawn bowls is a game of precision rather than power. Players roll weighted bowls across a flat grass surface, trying to finish closer to a small target ball than their opponents do. The rules are simple once you understand the order of play, how points are counted, and what happens when something goes wrong. This guide explains the whole game: the equipment, the team formats, how an end is delivered, how scoring is measured, and the situations that most often confuse new players.
What Is Lawn Bowls?
Lawn bowls is played on a large, closely mown grass area called a green. The green is divided into parallel strips called rinks, and each rink hosts one game. Players roll bowls from one end of the rink toward a small white or yellow target ball called the jack.
The key feature of the game is the bias. Every bowl is shaped so that it does not travel in a straight line. It curves as it slows down. Skilled players use this curve to roll around blocking bowls and finish near the jack.
The game is played in ends. An end is one complete sequence of deliveries in one direction. When the end is finished, points are counted, and the players turn around and bowl back the other way.
The Equipment and the Playing Area
The bowls
Bowls are round but not perfectly symmetrical, which creates the bias. They are heavy enough to roll steadily and are available in different sizes so players can choose a comfortable grip. Bowls are usually marked with a small symbol or colour pattern so players can identify their own.
The jack
The jack is the small target ball. It is much lighter than a bowl and rolls in a straight line. Everything in the game revolves around getting closer to it than the opposition.
The green, rink, and ditch
- Green: the whole playing surface.
- Rink: the marked strip of green where one game is played.
- Ditch: a shallow trench running around the edge of the green that catches bowls and the jack.
- Bank: the raised edge behind the ditch that stops bowls from leaving the area.
- Mat: a small rectangular mat placed on the rink. Players must deliver their bowl with a foot on or over the mat.
Team Formats and How Many Bowls Each Player Uses
Lawn bowls can be played as a singles match or in teams. The number of bowls each player delivers depends on the format.
- Singles: one player against one player, usually four bowls each.
- Pairs: two players per side, usually four bowls each.
- Triples: three players per side, usually three bowls each.
- Fours: four players per side, usually two bowls each.
In team formats, the players have roles. The lead bowls first, followed by the second, then the third, and finally the skip. The skip is the team captain, who stands at the far end of the rink, directs the play, and normally bowls last. Exact bowl counts can vary, so always check the conditions of the competition you are playing in.
How an End Begins: The Mat and the Jack
Each end starts with a coin toss or a similar method to decide who plays first. The winner chooses whether to deliver the first bowl or let the opponent go first. Going first is not always an advantage, because the player who bowls last in an end can respond to what is already on the green.
The player who starts the end places the mat on the centre line of the rink within the allowed distance from the rear ditch. A player then rolls the jack down the rink. For the end to be valid, the jack must travel a minimum distance and stay inside the rink boundaries.
If the jack is delivered too short, goes into the ditch, or leaves the rink, the opposing player takes over and delivers the jack instead. If the jack comes to rest too close to the side boundary, it is usually moved back to the centre line at the same distance before play continues.
Once the jack is correctly positioned and centred, it stays where it is for the rest of the end unless a bowl moves it.
Taking Turns: The Order of Play
Players then deliver their bowls alternately. The simple rule is that the side currently furthest from the jack plays next. This means the player or team that is behind keeps bowling until they get closer or run out of bowls.
In singles, the two players simply alternate, with the player further from the jack going first. In team play, the order is fixed by position: leads bowl against leads, seconds against seconds, and so on. The skip usually bowls last, which is why the skip is often the most experienced player.
After every bowl is delivered, the end is complete and the score is counted.
Scoring: How Shots Are Counted
Scoring is the part of lawn bowls that people most often ask about, and it is simpler than it looks.
Only one side can score in an end. The side with the bowl closest to the jack wins the end. That side then counts every one of its bowls that is closer to the jack than the nearest bowl of the opposition. Each of those bowls is worth one point, called a shot.
For example, if a team has three bowls nearer to the jack than the opponent’s best bowl, that team scores three shots. The other team scores nothing for that end.
Measuring
When two bowls look equally close to the jack, a measuring device is used. Only bowls that are clearly further away are removed before measuring. The umpire or an agreed official measures from the centre of the jack to the nearest point of each bowl.
If the closest bowls of both sides are exactly the same distance from the jack, no score is awarded for that end. The end is replayed.
Special Rules and Situations
Touchers
A bowl that touches the jack during its run becomes a toucher. It is marked so everyone can see its status. A toucher remains live even if it later falls into the ditch, which means it can still count for scoring. A bowl that is not a toucher and goes into the ditch is dead and takes no further part in the end.
The jack in the ditch
If a bowl drives the jack into the ditch but the jack stays within the rink boundaries, the jack remains live. Play continues with the jack in the ditch, and bowls must be delivered toward it. Scoring still uses the same rule: the closest live bowl to the jack wins the shot.
Dead ends
An end becomes dead if the jack is driven outside the rink boundary or into a position where it can no longer be played. In that case, no score is recorded, and the end is played again. Some competitions use slightly different procedures, but the principle is the same.
Foot faults
On delivery, the player must keep at least one foot on or over the mat until the bowl has left the hand. If the foot slips off the mat too early, it is a foot fault. In casual play this is often corrected quietly. In formal competition, repeated faults can lead to the bowl being removed from play.
How a Match Is Won
There are two common ways to decide a match.
- Fixed ends: a set number of ends is played, such as 18 or 21, and the highest total score wins.
- Shots up: the first side to reach an agreed number of shots, such as 21, wins the match.
Singles competitions often use sets play. A match is divided into short sets, for example nine ends each. The player who wins the most ends, and therefore the most shots, within a set wins that set. The match is usually won by taking two sets. If the sets are level, a tie-break end decides the winner.
Common Fouls and Etiquette
- Do not bowl out of turn. If you do, the bowl is usually returned and replayed.
- Do not disturb bowls in the head, which is the cluster of bowls around the jack.
- Stand still and stay quiet while another player is on the mat.
- Stay behind the mat or outside the rink when not bowling.
- Avoid walking through the head or across other rinks.
Lawn Bowls Terms at a Glance
- End: one complete round of deliveries in one direction.
- Head: the area where the jack and the bowls have come to rest.
- Shot: a single point, or the bowl that is closest to the jack.
- Skip: the team captain, who bowls last and directs play.
- Toucher: a bowl that has touched the jack and remains live.
- Ditch: the trench around the edge of the green.
Conclusion
Lawn bowls rules and scoring come down to a few clear ideas. Play an end from the mat, roll the jack, deliver bowls alternately, and let the side furthest from the jack bowl next. When all bowls are delivered, only the closest side scores, and it earns one shot for every bowl nearer to the jack than the opponent’s best. Touchers stay live, dead ends are replayed, and a match is decided by a set number of ends, a target score, or sets play. Once you have played a few ends, the flow becomes natural, and the strategy of blocking, drawing, and driving starts to make sense. For more straightforward guides on sports, games, and everyday how-tos, explore the other articles on the site.