How to Lawn Bowl
Lawn bowling can be traced back to the twelfth century. It grew to such proportions that it began to interfere with the practice of archery, an important activity that was used to protect the country. Various kings in England decided that it needed to be controlled. If you would like to find out how to play the sport that was so popular it was banned, read on.
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Things You'll Need
- Tape measure
- Tool to dig a ditch
- String and stakes to divide lanes
- Mat
- Jack
- 2 bowls (woods) per person
Instructions
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1
Create a playing field. The area must be at least 40 yards square and have a ditch around it that is 2 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Divide this field into 6 lanes that are 20 feet wide and 120 feet long. The first player on each lane places a 14-by-24 inch mat at one end 4 yards from the back edge on each lane for the first leg.
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2
Choose teams of 2 or play as singles. The first player begins by rolling the jack to the other end. One foot must always be on the mat, and the jack must travel at least 25 yards from the front of the mat or it is thrown over by the opponent. If it goes out of bounds, it is also thrown over. The jack is the target.
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3
Attempt to hit the jack with your ball. Each player has 2 bowls, or balls, and throws them one at a time, attempting to hit the jack. The object is to get as close as possible, much like horseshoes.
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4
Bowl your turn. If your bowl lands in the ditch or out of the lane, that bowl is disqualified, unless it touched the jack. It is okay to knock another player's bowls out of position, but don't knock the jack out. If the jack is knocked out, the other team gets to rethrow it while all bowls remain in place.
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5
Get 1 point for the closest bowl to the jack.
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6
Place the mat again on the second round. It can be put anywhere by the first player as long as it is at least 25 yards from the far ditch and 2 1/2 yards from the closest one.
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7
Play until one team reaches 21 points.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You can use many different kinds of shots to achieve points or negate the other team's balls. You can attempt to drive the jack out of bounds or block the jack with your balls.
The bowl, or wood, is a brown wood ball with one side slightly flat in one spot. It weighs 3 pounds and has a circumference of from 4 3/4 inches to 5 1/8 inches. The jack is a smaller white ball with a 2 1/2-inch circumference.
