Match Secretary Information
GENERAL
Please contact our Match Secretary if you would like to arrange a friendly, use our Green for an external competition or have any specific queries relating to Club ties and competitions. His contact details can be found on the Contact Us page.
INTERNAL COMPETITIONS
Competition sheets are pinned to the noticeboards in the locker rooms.
Please pay attention to any closing date for entries to be received. Extensions will only be granted for exceptional circumstances and must be requested to the Match Secretary for consideration at least 7 days prior to the end of the round.
Please only enter any qualifying competition e.g. Bowls Scotland, WFBA, FWBA etc. if you are willing to represent the Club externally should you be successful.
Bowlers are reminded that it is the responsibility of the first drawn name on the sheet to contact the opposition to organise the tie and arrange a marker where required.
EXTERNAL COMPETITIONS
Dalgety Bay Bowling Club ladies and gents enter bowlers and teams into varioius external competitions including Bowls Scotland, West Fife Bowling Association and Fife Womens Bowling Association. Generally speaking there are 4 types of competition as follows:
- Singles/Singlehand - 1 bowler - plays 4 bowls - first to 21 shots wins
- Pairs - team of 2 bowlers - each play 4 bowls - play 17 ends
- Triples - team of 3 bowlers - each play 3 bowls - play 15 ends
- Fours - team of 4 bowlers - each play 2 bowls - play 17 ends
There may be variations with 3 bowl pairs, 2 bowl pairs, 2 bowl triples, sets competitions, Aussies pairs etc.
Team Games
In team games (2 or more bowlers), there are different positions, each with their own jobs as described below.
Pairs Game
- Lead - places the mat, rolls the jack, plays first in an end trying to get bowls close to the jack, directs skip as required, decides shots
- Skip - makes decisions about shot tactics, directs lead, records shots on scorecard, settles score disputes
Triples Game
- Lead - places the mat, rolls the jack and plays first in an end trying to get bowls close to the jack
- Second - plays second after lead, directs skip, decides and records shots on scorecard
- Skip - makes decisions about shot tactics, directs team, settles score disputes
Fours Game
- Lead - places the mat, rolls the jack and plays first in an end trying to get bowls close to the jack
- Second - plays second after lead
- Third - plays third, decides and records shots on scorecard, directs skip
- Skip - makes decisions about shot tactics, directs team, settles score disputes
Measuring for shot(s)
When shots are being measured, only the person measuring plus their opponent should be at the head - all other bowlers should step away. If they cannot decide then the skips are required to settle any dispute.
Note that in official games, an umpire will be present and may be asked to perform a measure.
GLOSSARY
Lawn Bowling Terms
| Term | Definitition |
| Bias | Bias is the amount of curve that a bowl will take during its course to the jack. Bowls are available with several different biases from wide to narrow for use in different conditions and competitions. |
Burnt End | A Burnt or Burned end is one where the Jack has been moved outside the boundaries of the rink by a bowl in play. In normal competition, burnt ends must be replayed. If it is stated in the Conditions of Play that "Burnt ends count", this means that the end is not replayed, it is marked up with a score of nil-nil and play continues onto the next end. |
| Cover | A cover shot is a bowl played to a position that restricts the opposition from getting to the target. Can also be known as a "guard". |
| Delivery | The delivery is the action of throwing or rolling a bowl. |
| Draw | The term Draw can have several meanings in bowling. As a noun it can refer to the type of shot being played e.g. a "dead draw" is an attempt to deliver the bowl as close as possible to the target (generally the jack). It can also be used as a verb - a skip may issue an instruction such as, "Just draw to the jack". |
| Drive | A Drive is type of shot in bowling where the player delivers the bowl with maximum force toward the target (jack or opposition bowl). |
| End | Bowls are played from one end of the green to the other alternately. An "end" of bowls comprises the placing of the mat, the delivery of the jack and the delivery of all the bowls of all of the players in one direction on the rink. |
| Guard | A "guard" is a bowl played to a position that restricts the opposition from getting to the target. Can also be known as a "cover shot". |
| Head | The Head refers collectively to the Jack and the bowls that have been delivered and have come to rest within the boundaries of the rink. |
| Heavy | When a player delivers a bowl beyond the jack or the intended target it is described as being Heavy. |
| Jack | The Jack is the small white or yellow ball that is the target in bowls. You may also hear it referred to colloquially as the "White", the "Kitty" or the "Sweetie". |
| Jack High | If a bowl is Jack High it means that it has reached a position such that its nearest part is laterally aligned with the jack. Effectively it means that the bowl and jack are precisely equidistant from the mat. |
| Lead | A Lead is the person who plays first in a pairs, triples or fours (rinks) game. The lead is responsible for setting the mat and delivering the jack to start the end. |
| Line | The Line or Road is the curved route taken to the jack e.g. "You are a yard short but your line was good." |
| Running Bowl | A running bowl is a heavy shot with less force than a drive shot. |
| Second | The Second in a triples or rinks (fours) game is the player who plays second. In a triples game, the second is usually responsible for counting shots and measuring. In a rinks game, the second is normally responsible for marking the score card. |
| Short | A bowl that does not reach the jack or the intended target is described as being Short. |
| Shot | Shot can have several meanings. The shot(s) are the number of points scored in an end. It can also mean the type of delivery e.g. a drawing shot, and during an end, it can be used to describe the bowl that is currently nearest the jack. |
| Skip | The Skip is the captain of a team in pairs, triples or rinks play. The Skip is always last to play and is responsible for directing the play during an end. The other players in a team must follow the Skip's instructions. The skip may mark the scorecard or may delegate to another player. The skips are responsible for settling any disputes during the game. |
| Third | The Third is the third player to play in a fours (rinks) game. The third is normally responsible, with his corresponding opponent, for deciding the result of an end i.e. who is lying the shot and how many shots have been scored. The skips however have the final say in this in the event of any dispute. |
| Toucher | A Toucher is a bowl that, during its original course, touches the jack before finishing within the boundaries of the rink. A toucher remains live even if it finishes in the ditch. It should be marked with chalk or nominated as a toucher before the next bowl comes to rest. |
| Weight | Weight is the term used to refer to the power applied to a delivery. |
| Woods | Before the introduction of plastic composition bowls they were made from the heaviest most dense wood available, Lignum Vitae. At this time bowls were often called Woods and some people still use this as a generic term for bowls. |
| Yard On | A "yard on" shot is a deliberately heavy bowl with the intention of moving the jack or opposition bowl(s) in order to score more shots. |
