Bowls Glossary

A piece of equipment used by an umpire or a player, to judge the relative distance between the jack and one or more bowls at the conclusion of an end, which will determine the number of shots held by a player or team.

Also known as indoor bowls. A variation of outdoor bowls, played on a rectangular piece of carpet that is laid out on the floor, and can be rolled up a stored away between games. Carpet bowls have different types of bowls, which are smaller than an outdoor bowl, and the rules that govern play are unique to this particular form of the game.

Represents the midpoint of a rink between the boundary pegs. Some greens will have center lines drawn on the rink from the 2-metre mark towards the middle of the green at both ends, extending for a few meters. The jack is aligned with the center line after being rolled by a player at the start of an end.

Used to indicate a bowl that has touched the jack as part of its initial delivery during an end. A layer in charge of the head will use a piece of chalk, or chalk spray, to place a mark, which must be done before the next bowl comes to a rest, and must be removed before the bowl is delivered in the next end.

Once all bowls have been delivered by players standing at the mat end of the rink, they will move to the other end of the rink.

Following your own bowl down the green after delivery. If permitted by the rules of the competition, the player is expected to be positioned behind the head on or before the bowl comes to rest.

A piece of material placed under a bowl to hold it in place on the green. When a measure is called for, and a bowl is leaning on another bowl, it is sometimes necessary to chock the bowl so that one bowl can be removed without changing the position of the other. Materials used include rubber and foam wedges, or short lengths of rope.

A method of holding the bowl in your hand, where the running surface of the bowl sits along the fingers of the hand, with the thumb held at or near the top of the bowl as a balancing mechanism.

A derogatory term used by experienced bowlers to refer to a novice bowler.

Shorthand term describing the material used to manufacture a bowl. Most modern bowls are made of a hardened composite plastic material. Before composite plastic was used, bowls were made from a hardwood material, usually lignum vitae. Composite can also be used to describe a team in a competition made up of players from several clubs.

The organisation with immediate control over the conditions of play of any given bowls competition.

The number of shots received by a player or team at the conclusion of an end.

A bowl that is closer to the jack than an opponent’s nearest bowl is considered a “counter”.

A description of the weight required to complete an ideal shot. The objective is to play the bowl such that it gently hits the target and moves it slightly, or has a flow on impact to move a bowl or jack that is touching the target.

A method of holding the bowl in your hand, where the running surface of the bowl sits cradled between the fingers of the hand, and the palm, with the thumb positioned alongside the fingers in a cupping style.

In a team game, when all players at the mat end of the rink have delivered their bowls, they will move to the opposite end of the rink, and the player in charge of the head, usually the skip, crosses over to the mat end to deliver their bowls.

Describes a variation of outdoor bowls, which is played on greens that have an undulating surface, with a peak in the middle. Play also differs as there are no rink boundaries, and the jack also has a bias.

Refers to the official laws of the Sport of Bowls from World Bowls.