Overview
Roll a weighted, asymmetric bowl as close as possible to a small white target ball. Deceptively difficult, because the bowl does not travel straight.
Checked against World Bowls' Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition, in force since 1 April 2023. Law numbers below refer to it. National bodies may set their own standards for domestic play.
1. The green and equipment
The green is rectangular or square, 31 to 40 metres long in the direction of play (46), and divided into parallel rinks 4.3 to 5.8 metres wide outdoors (49).
The jack is a small white ball. Each bowl is biased — weighted on one side so it curves as it slows.
The bias means every delivery travels a curved path. You choose forehand or backhand, which curve in opposite directions, and aim wide of the target to let the bias bring it in.
2. Play
The first player delivers the jack, and it's centred on the rink (9). It must finish at least 23 metres from the mat line, and not in the ditch or off the rink, or it's been improperly delivered (10).
Players then take turns delivering bowls toward the jack. At the moment of delivery you must have all or part of one foot on or above the mat (7.1).
At World Bowls events (55.1):
| Format | Bowls each |
|---|---|
| Singles | 4 |
| Pairs | 2, 3 or 4 |
| Triples | 2 or 3 |
| Fours | 2 |
3. Scoring
When every bowl has been delivered, the end is complete.
One point per bowl closer to the jack than the opponent's nearest bowl. So if you hold the three closest bowls, you score three.
Only one side scores per end. Distance is measured between the nearest points of the jack and bowl (23.4). If the two nearest bowls are equally close, or both touch the jack, the end is tied: nobody scores, but it counts as a completed end (24).
At World Bowls events, singles is played to 21 shots and pairs and fours to 18 ends, unless another format is set (55.1).
4. Key terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Shot | The bowl currently closest to the jack |
| Toucher | A bowl that touches the jack in its course; stays live even in the ditch |
| Dead bowl | For example, a non-toucher in the ditch, or a bowl finishing less than 14 m from the mat line (17) |
| Drive | A fast delivery to smash the head apart |
| Draw | A delivery aiming to finish close, using the bias |
| The head | The arrangement of bowls around the jack |
5. Moving the jack
The jack may be struck and moved. Knocked into the front ditch within the rink, it stays live (18). It's dead, and the end is replayed, if it leaves the rink's boundaries, stops in a hollow in the bank, or finishes less than 20 metres from the mat line (19–20). Some competitions re-spot the jack instead.
A toucher is a bowl that touches the jack on its original course. It's marked with chalk and stays live even in the ditch (14–15).
Commonly argued
- Bowls curve because they are biased.
- Only one team scores per end, and they score one per bowl that beats the opponent's best.
- A toucher stays live in the ditch. A non-toucher does not.
- Moving the jack is legal, and a jack in the front ditch is still live.
- One foot on or above the mat at the moment of delivery.
- A tied end counts as an end, but nobody scores.
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