Лаун-боулинг как хобби

Lawn Bowling Rules

There are various rules involved in lawn bowling. Some people also add their own rules over time.

Some of the most common guidelines include:

• The first player to play is decided by the toss of a coin. This bowler rolls the Jack over the green.
• The Jack needs to travel 23 meters to be in play. It is then moved to the center of the rink.
• The players take it in turns to bowl, acquiring points when their ball ends up closer to the Jack than the competition.
• At the end of each game, play can recommence in the opposite direction.
• Bowls that fall into the ditch (the sloped segment at the end of the pitch) are disregarded.
• You can strike other people’s bowls with your own to gain an advantage.
• If the Jack is knocked into a ditch, it’s still alive and in play.

Participating Countries

We have already mentioned that lawn bowling has stood with time. After its invention, it became so popular in England that the king and the parliament passed a law to ban the game because archery was considered as a prime sport during that era. But currently it is very famous and is being played in more than 40 countries.

Other countries like USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany are at the top in this sport. As this game is a prime sport in the Commonwealth Games, maximum teams from the subcontinent also play lawn bowling which includes India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Lawn Bowling – Equipment

The equipment needed in this game are listed as follows along with a brief description for each one of them for better understanding of its usage.

Playing Surface

Bocce and Lawn bowling have different playing surfaces. The playing area for lawn bowling is usually a flat, rectangular region known as a rink. The rink is typically constructed of grass but can also be constructed of synthetic turf or other materials. The state of the grass will have an impact on the game. Typically, the rink is about 40 meters long and 5-6 meters wide.

Players can play Bocce Ball on flat surfaces, including bocce courts, beach sand, yards, and parks. The court can be made of various materials, such as grass, dirt, or clay. A large area is required to make the game more challenging. A standard Bocce Ball court is 76 feet long and 12 feet wide. The game, on the other hand, is just as enjoyable without the court.

A Renaissance Of Bowls

Despite the general decline in membership since the 1970s, lawn bowling still has its fans. In fact, in some areas, its popularity has grown in the last decade.

The Pasadena club had eight members in 2006. Today, it has 62. The Hermosa Beach club, which was down to 14 members in the early 2000s, now has more than 40. In Orange County, the Newport Harbor lawn bowling club requires prospective members to complete three days of training before they receive a club key. Sullivan attributes the growth to a “convergence of retiring, healthy baby boomers and millennials turning away from traditional sports.”

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In Pasadena, Sam Schoenberg, 31, has been playing the sport since he was an undergrad at UCLA. He stumbled upon the sport while commuting to campus and fell in love. In school, lawn bowling served as a fun distraction. “Part of the initial draw was the camaraderie,” he says, “Also, it’s a game of skill. You want to get the bowl as close as you can. It requires hand-eye coordination and has a more meditative component to it.”

But there are challenges to growing the sport. It requires a fair amount of space, plenty of water and people to maintain all those glorious green lawns.

It’s also slow. A game of lawn bowling often lasts more than three hours. “The success of places like Newport Harbor, which are surrounded by young professionals, is that people can easily play there after work,” says Berie Grobe, a team captain at the Coronado Lawn Bowling Club. Its membership fluctuates between 80 and 110 bowlers, most of whom are retirees.

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Tony Crutchfield, president of the Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club and a native of Australia sees a difference in the way young people have taken to the sport in Australia. There, “The sport was in a big decline because of the old system of wearing whites. Youngsters didn’t want to wear whites and they wanted to play barefoot,” he says. Since clubs have relaxed their dress codes, the number of participants in their 20s and 30s has dramatically increased.

Monetary incentives can also sway engagement. Some tournaments “in Australia have $365,000 jackpots, whereas the largest prize in Southern California is around $10,000 at the Walt Disney Tournament,” Crutchfield says.

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Signs of life abound. In September 2019, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park hosted the Lawn Bowling National Championships. Holmby Park, the site of the last operating lawn bowling club in the city of Los Angeles, holds diverse competitions to increase awareness of the sport.

The sport itself often serves as the most visible billboard. “There are onlookers every Saturday that are passerbys in the park of all ages,” Schoenberg says. “People see something going on and they’re curious. We give them instructions and if there’s not a lot going on, we invite them into the facility and they can try to learn, hands-on.”

tra bowls

tra means ‘hollow road’. tra bowling is a game where the rolling path is curved. this game is very famous in belgium and netherlands and is also one of the most popular lawn bowling games in all the scandinavian countries. other lawn bowling normally has flat or smooth terrain but tra bowl’s track is completely different which allows the ball to curve in its path greatly. the bowls used in tra bowling are bigger than the normal bowls. the length, thickness, and the weight of the ball is different from the normal bowling ball as well.

the scoring of tra bowling is slightly different from the normal lawn bowling. here, the points are awarded for every shot which brings the ball closer to the target than any other player’s ball, so pure blocking strategies are less effective.

the balls are unsymmetrical in nature and travels in a curved path. the main objective of the game is to place the ball as close as possible to the jack. there are different techniques used by the players while rolling the ball on the ground. before throwing the ball, the player has to hold the ball strongly in his hand. he must feel the bowl and understand which side of the bowl is biased. the player must position his middle finger along the edge of the ball so that he can get the grip.

the edge or the running edge is the line that directly runs between the shaved sides and the face of the bias. if a player grips the bowl perfectly then he can throw it in a perfect direction. while getting into the position to roll the bowl, the player must stand in a perfect position. the player must keep his shoulders square and aim to the line on which he is going to roll the bowl.

Sense of community

Bowling clubs have historically been a focal point for community activities, and there are those who see their decline as a tremendous loss, particularly for older people seeking companionship and exercise.

Measuring the distance between a lawn bowl and the jack.(ABC Gold Coast: Damien Larkins)

“Sport has the ability to breaks down barriers of ethnicity and age, ability, all sorts of things and through breaking down those barriers you can create tight knit communities,” sports administrator Peter Robertson says.

“We seem to have lost the relevance of that in the conversation at times and I think we’ll be the poorer for having lost those really important social structures in the community so I think we need to protect them.”

Balmain’s Paul Cooper says he hopes a compromise can be reached to allow the historic club to not just survive, but thrive.

“The club is a meeting place of locals. It is the fabric of how Balmain exists as a village,” he said.

Inner West Council Mayor Darcy Byrne says local councils need to work more closely in repurposing lawn bowls clubs to ensure their future.

“They may not have as many lawn bowlers as they’ve had in the past, but there’s no reason that through a combination of live music, hospitality and a family-friendly environment that we can’t change bowling clubs and other community clubs and future-proof them for the century to come,” he said.

Is Lawn Bowling a Good Workout?

Lawn bowling may not seem like a physically intense sport, but it does provide a variety of health benefits that make it a good, low-impact workout. The gentle movements required for delivering the bowl improve flexibility and coordination, while the walking involved boosts cardiovascular health. It can also help tone arms, shoulders, chest, and lower body muscles, enhancing overall strength and flexibility. 

The sport also demands balance, precision, and control, thereby improving these aspects over time. Lawn Bowling also offers significant mental health benefits; the focus and concentration required can aid in stress reduction, while the social interaction associated with team play can boost mood and well-being.

Playing outdoors offers added advantages of fresh air and potential vitamin D from sun exposure. Lawn Bowling, while not as vigorous as some workouts, is a valuable addition to an active lifestyle.

An explosion in popularity

There was steady growth in lawn bowls after its inception in the 1800s, but the real explosion in lawn bowls clubs happened across NSW after WWII.

There were about 800 clubs across the state at the height of its popularity according to the authors of a book celebrating 125 years of lawn bowls in NSW, John Archer and Rex Davies.

“The thing was that after the diggers came back from the war, alcohol was very hard to come by, the pubs closed early and they wanted to take up a sport,” Mr Davies said.

“Bowling clubs have always been at the heart of the community, because they’ve always had halls and meeting venues, and they’ve been the focal place for wedding receptions and all sorts of community activities.”

“The clubs proliferated well into 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and even in the 1980s there were over 100,000 bowlers in NSW,” Mr Archer said.

But as society has changed and the game’s followers have aged, clubs have closed and those that are left have had to change direction to attract a new generation.

Some clubs have spectacular views, like Clovelly lawn bowls club in Sydney’s east.(Supplied: Ed Costello)

Horseshoes

Marlene Ray and Maxine Griffith, also known as the TN Twins, the first women inducted into the Tennessee Horseshoe Pitcher’s Association Hall of Fame (1997)  

“Horseshoes is a mental game that requires concentration.  Two vital parts of the game are keeping focused and the correct repetition of each shoe thrown. This comes from many hours of practice — you want your body to take over. I believe this is the edge over other horseshoe pitchers. Stay calm and have the confidence in your shoe.” —Marlene Ray

“Horseshoes at the top level becomes 100% mental and about focus during practice and competitions. It’s a zone that takes over your body mechanics and everything falls into place.” —Maxine Griffith

scoring system

the scoring system in this lawn bowling varies from tournament to tournament. if it is a singles game, a target number of shots are there for the players and that target is normally 21 or 25. for a team, there is a higher score after a specified number of ends.

if a draw has occurred, then the opponents may be required to play an extra shot to decide the winner because in the lawn bowl games, the games may be drawn to a specified number of ends. in lawn bowling singles game, the first player to score 21 shots is the winner.

in pairs, doubles or triples the team is declared a winner who after 21/25 ends of play has scored the most shots. a set scoring system is often used in some competitions where the first to seven points are awarded in a best-of-five or in a best-of-three set match.

in the singles competition, a team may consist of two or three or four players. in this situation, teams bowl alternately. if there are four players in a team, then each player within a team will bowl all their bowls then hand it over to the next player. the captain of the team is called the skip. the captain always plays last.

the current method of scoring in a professional tourney is sets. each set is of nine ends and the competitor or the bowler with the most shots wins the set.

every country has its governing body to make and update the rules of lawn bowling. some of the important rules that one should know before playing the game are as follows.

• lawn bowling is played either on natural grass or on an artificial turf. but it is normally played on a large, precisely levelled, manicured and rectangular field which is also known as bowling green.

• this rectangular field is also divided into rinks (also known as parallel playing strips). in a normal competition, one of the two opponents will flip the coin to decide the winner of the mat.

• the one who wins the toss wins the mat and he rolls the jack to the other end of the mat to set it as a target. after sometime, the jack will come to rest due to the friction and it will be aligned to the center of the rink. after everything is set, the players take their ball and roll it according to their turns.

• the players roll the ball towards the jack to build up the head.

• a ball normally curves in its path outside the rink but it has to come to rest within the rink boundary so that it will remain in play.

• a ball which falls into a ditch is treated as a dead ball and is removed from the game. but if the ball touches the jack and after touching it falls into a ditch then it will not be treated as a dead ball.

• the balls which touches the jack are called touchers and they are marked with a white chalk. this ball remains alive in the play even if it falls into a ditch.

• similarly, if the jack or the kitty is knocked by a player into the ditch it is still treated as alive. according to the international standards, the jack will be again placed at the center of the rink.

• after each player has rolled down all of their balls, the distance between the jack and the balls are measured. in this process, the minimum distance between the ball and jack awards a point to the bowler.

• each bowler has to roll four balls if it is a singles or doubles match. each player will roll three balls in a triples match and two balls in fours.

• after the game, the distance between the balls and the jack is measured and the player whose ball is at a minimum distance from the jack is awarded with points or in lawn bowling it is called shots.

lawn bowling is organized every year in different parts of the world through many championships and tournaments. the list of some of the most prominent championships is as follows.

• world indoor bowl championship
• commonwealth games
• world outdoor bowl championships
• usa lawn bowling championships
• european lawn bowl championships

let us now have a look at some of the champions of lawn bowling and their careers.

Рентабельность бизнеса

Рентабельность – отношение чистого дохода к грязному, умноженное на 100%.

R=1 500 000/3 500 000*100=43%.

Окупаемость боулинг клуба на основе приведенных показателей составляет полтора года. Это с условием того, что бизнес будет не просто сам себя окупать, а приносить регулярный доход. Если говорить об окупаемости проекта в чистом виде, не учитывая ежемесячные расходы, то клуб выходит в прибыль на 8-й месяц работы.

Планируя открыть боулинг клуб, предприниматель в первую очередь сталкивается с проблемой финансирования, потому что оборудование стоит больших денег, как и аренда помещения площадью 1 000 кв. м. Требуется либо спонсор, который становится соучредителем проекта, либо кредит в банке под залог недвижимости. Оба варианта предполагают риски остаться без бизнеса или квартиры, если начать организацию боулинг клуба без бизнес-плана. Только продуманные действия с финансовыми расчетами помогут успешно стартовать в этой сфере.

Origins and History

Lawn Bowling

Lawn Bowling dates back to ancient Egypt, where evidence of a similar game has been found in tombs from around 5,000 BCE. The game eventually spread to other regions, with its modern form and rules originating in England. Throughout history, Lawn Bowling has been popular among European countries, especially in Italy, France, and Scotland.

In the 13th century, the sport became organized in England with the formation of the Southampton Old Green Bowling Club. This long-standing tradition made its way across the Atlantic, with the first American Lawn Bowling club being established in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1632.

Bocce Ball

Bocce Ball’s roots can be traced to ancient Rome, where it was played using stones or coconuts. The game eventually evolved and became popular in Italy, where it is known as “bocce.” The sport of Bocce Ball then spread throughout European countries over time, becoming a popular pastime among both the nobility and common people.

Throughout its history, Bocce Ball has undergone several transformations, with modern bocce originating in the Italian region of Liguria around the 16th century. Here are some key dates and events in the history of Bocce Ball:

• 5200 BCE: Evidence of a similar game found in an Egyptian tomb.
• 1st century AD: Roman Empire adopts the sport under Emperor Augustus.
• 16th century: Modern bocce originates in Liguria, Italy.
• 19th century: The sport spreads throughout Europe, especially France and Germany.

Today, both Lawn Bowling and Bocce Ball continue to be played by people of all ages and skill levels. As they share similar origins and histories, it is no surprise that the two sports have a passionate following and continue to grow in popularity.

End Of An Era

In 1976, disaster struck Arroyo Seco Park’s lawn bowling club. After more than 40 years of continuous use, the clubhouse was ransacked. Windows were smashed, trophies were stolen, records were destroyed or damaged. Information regarding the vandalism is incredibly scarce and not well documented. It’s unclear if the crime was ever solved but its repercussions were profound.

Because of the vandalism, many members of the Arroyo Seco Park Lawn Bowling Club transferred to nearby clubs in Pasadena, Santa Anita, Glendale and Alhambra. By the late 1970s, the number of members playing at Arroyo Seco Park had dwindled from hundreds to a tenacious few. Membership dues, which funded the maintenance of the club’s greens, plummeted and the verdant fields were eventually abandoned.

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Some lawn bowlers also think the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, which decreased property taxes and restricted annual increases of assessed real property value, left the city and county with less money to spend on recreational spaces. They believe the city of Los Angeles began prioritizing sports facilities, such as tennis and basketball courts, that didn’t require as much maintenance or water.

The last lawn bowling game at Arroyo Seco Park was held in January 1982. Within a year, the city replaced three of the greens with tennis courts. The fourth green was left to grow wild. However, the terraced rock stone walls surrounding the fields, which served as a favorite perching spot for many spectators of the sport, still stand, as does the clubhouse.

In the mid-1990s, the clubhouse was taken over by the L.A. Department of Cultural Affairs and converted to an art center. It now hosts visual and urban art classes for children. Remnants of its lawn bowling past are still visible in the building’s fireplace screen, which features the silhouette of a lawn bowler mid-jackball-toss.

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the jack

as we have mentioned above, the target is a small white ball which is as big as a billiard ball. this ball is known as the jack. before the match starts, the jack is rolled out on the field where the match will be played and it becomes target for the game.

then each player will roll the ball on the field and will try to place the ball as close to the jack as possible. the lawn bowls are biased but the jack is unbiased. the person who begins the game will roll the jack on the field in a straight line, unlike the bowling balls the jack’s movement path is straight line as it is unbiased.

when the jack stops, it becomes a target for the players. the players while rolling the ball are allowed to hit the jack with their own bowl and can also move the jack. so this little white ball is the center of the play.

Spikeball

Tyler Cisek and Peter Jon Showalter, No. 1 ranked Spikeball Roundnet team

“Learn to hit low. It’s natural to hit the ball with a volleyball swing-type motion when you first start, hitting the ball straight down into the net. Doing that causes the ball to go farther up in the air, giving your opponent more time to get to it. Rather, if you wait till the ball falls to within a few inches of the net and then hit it horizontally, even if it is with far less speed, you will have much more success and give the other team almost no time to get to the ball if they’re not already where you are hitting.” —Peter Jon Showalter

“When you set, you don’t want to hit it on your fingers or on your lower palm (almost to the wrist), you want to hit it right where your fingers meet your palm. This is where you will be able to get the most control over the ball. We call it the ‘sweet spot.’ Setting is arguably the most important part of the game and requires a lot of precision. The better you can make your setting, the easier it will be for your team to finish the ball.” —Tyler Cisek

Variations

If playing Triples they are played over 21 sets. There are three teams of four players. One player is the skip, another is the bowler and the third plays as the middleman.

The skip throws two bowls, the bowler delivers two bowls, then the skip delivers his remaining two bowls, and the bowlers then deliver their remaining bowls.

The game is played over 21 ends and there is an extra pair of bowls thrown by the middlemen.

Fours is played the same; 21 sets over 21 ends. There are four teams of four players. Two players are designated as the skip and the bowler.

The skip throws two balls, the bowler delivers one ball, then the skip delivers two bowls, the bowlers then deliver their remaining bowls, then the skip throws the extra pair of bowls.

Another variation is short mat bowls. Short mat bowls is an indoor winter sport that requires no special equipment.

It is suitable for any venue including village halls, schools, social clubs, and sports and social clubs. Short mat bowls is often played by those who aren’t as mobile as others and are a good sport for anyone physically disabled.

As with normal bowls the jack is placed at the start line and the players use their balls to try to knock the jack over. If a player knocks the jack over then he/she will score points.

The first player to reach the end of the track wins. There are two types of short mat bowls – singles and pairs.

Bocce

Joe Quartarone, East Coast vice president of the United States Bocce Federation

“Number one, pointing (rolling the bocce ball towards the pallino) is usually more accurate than hitting (trying to knock another player’s bocce). If you try and hit it hard and you miss, their ball is still closer to the pallino and your ball is gone — probably not even in play. Being the better pointer is better than being a good hitter, and that works in any type of bocce, even the most advanced. Number two is keeping the bocce in front of the pallino, because you always have the chance of your opponent hitting it forward, and it protects the pallino more than if you’re behind. You can bump your own ball up too. And number three is: just have fun.”

rolling the ball

before rolling the bowl, the player should step forward a little towards the throw line. he must bend his legs and roll the ball smoothly on the grass. for stability, he can lean his free arm against the leg. this lawn bowling might look like a simple game but it requires every part of your body to get involved in the work. by following the steps, the player can reach to his maximum and with utmost stability, he can score with ease. but this is not the end. the player must use his index finger and thumb to keep the bowl stable on each side.

before the match, the players used to practice a lot on the playing ground. this is a very useful technique as by practicing on the same ground a player can understand the field a lot. if the grass on the ground is short, the bowling ball will move very fast and also if the ground is wet the ball will move fast. the player should first judge the distance of the target or the jack from his position and try to bowl the ball accordingly. there are two types of throwing the ball, one is forehand bowl and other is backhand bowl.

forehand delivery

a forehand draw is normally executed by the right-handed bowler. this delivery is called as finger peg delivery, which is initially aimed to the right of the jack and when it rolls, it curves towards its left. this shot is very tricky and widely used in the game.

backhand delivery

this type of delivery is simply the opposite of the forehand delivery. it is used by the left handers. it’s the other name of thumb peg delivery. the same bowler can also bowl it from their right hand. here the ball after being rolled is curved towards the right direction aiming to the left of the jack.

the bowls or balls

lawn bowling is played in sets and there are four balls in each set. each set is not only unique but also has its own special symbol which is etched in the center circle on both sides. in lawn bowling, the game is played with four balls. we can either call it as balls or bowls.

in lawn bowling, the bowls are biased and these are not perfectly round bowls. so, when a player rolls the bowl, it moves in a path which is curved in nature. it means it curves when we roll the ball. so this forces the player to roll his bowl in an outward direction with an angle to reach the target.

lawn bowling is much like alley bowling where the players or the bowlers roll the ball towards a target or a goal. in lawn bowling, the target is a small white ball, whose size is like a billiard ball and is known as ‘jack’. the points are awarded to the player who can locate his ball as near as the jack. this is the main aim of the game as to roll the bowl and get as close to the jack as possible.

How Do You Win at Lawn Bowls?

Getting the rules of the game down is essential in the beginning. But at some point, you may get serious about the sport and want to start winning those games. Here are some tips that can help you improve your game and increase your chances of winning:

• Consistent Delivery: One of the keys to success in lawn bowling is consistent delivery. Find a comfortable, repeatable delivery style and stick to it. The more consistent your delivery, the more accurately you’ll be able to predict where your bowl will end up.
• Practice Your Aim: Your aim is crucial in lawn bowling, and this only improves with practice. Spend time honing your skills and understanding how the bias of your bowl affects its path.
• Master Weight Control: Understanding and controlling the weight (the force behind your throw) is another critical aspect. You need to judge how much power is needed to get your bowl to stop near the jack. Practice different weights to get a feel for it.
• Understand the Green: Each green is different and can change throughout the day. Factors such as grass length, moisture, and even wind direction can impact the bowl’s journey. Take time to study the green and any other conditions that can affect your bowl’s trajectory, and adjust your play accordingly.
• Use Effective Strategies: Sometimes, it’s beneficial to play defensively and block your opponent. Other times, you might want to move the jack to a new position. As you gain experience, you’ll develop strategies that can disrupt your opponent’s game and enhance your scoring opportunities.
• Mental Strength: Patience and focus are vital in lawn bowling. Even if things aren’t looking good, stay calm, keep your focus, and play each end to the best of your ability. A defeatist mindset will reflect badly on your game. 
• Physical Fitness: Even though lawn bowling is not as physically demanding as some other sports, staying fit can improve your lawn bowling game. Good core strength can help with balance and delivery, while stamina can keep you focused and consistent, especially in longer matches.
• Join a Club or Group: Joining a lawn bowls club or group can be beneficial. You’ll get to practice regularly, learn from more experienced players, and get used to playing in different conditions.

Remember, like any sport, honing your skills at Lawn Bowls takes time and practice, so be patient with yourself if you don’t see immediate success. With persistence and dedication, your skills will improve over time. You might even find yourself competing in the World Championships one day!

A Brief History of Lawn Bowling

It’s believed that the history of Lawn Bowling goes back as far as the 12th century, offering people a fun way to get active, without requiring a lot of physical stress.

As the game of Bowls became increasingly popular over the years, it was banned in the UK for a short time, because the King and Parliament believed that the game might jeopardise how much time people spent practicing archery and other valuable war-related sports.

The first association designed for lawn bowling emerged in the late 1800s, and it was known as the National Bowling Association.

In Australia, the Victorian Bowling Association was the first to arrive in 1880. Now, there are more than 50 countries worldwide where Lawn Bowling is played regularly, and professionally.

What Is Lawn Bowling and How Is It Played?

Popularly known as Bowls, Lawn Bowling is played outdoors, on lawns as the name suggests. It involves rolling a ball (known as a bowl in the game) towards a smaller, stationary ball known as the jack. The bowl is biased, meaning itâs flat on one side. This makes the trajectory, when itâs rolled, a curved one. The objective of the game is to get the bowl as close to the jack as possible. Whoever or whichever team has the bowls closest to the jack will earn a point.

The player or the team that gets 21 points before the opposite player or team is deemed the winner. The game is played either in singles, pairs, triples or in fours. To understand the rules of the game better, watch the video below.

History of Lawn Bowling in India

The Indian team has been making headlines for bringing the medals home from Birmingham. Though the ones in the country are only finding out about the sport now, lawn bowling has existed in India since the 1800s. 

While the sport roots back to the 12th century in England, variations of it are believed to have been practiced in Ancient Rome. In India, the sport was brought by the Britishers as a recreational activity to substitute golf. The game was mostly played by the expatriates and the Anglo-Indian community in Calcutta. However, after the independence, the game became almost unknown as there were fewer active players. This led to clubs closing down as they were unable to maintain the facilities.

However, in the 1980s, the few active players of the sport decided to resurrect this game that is now soaring. The Bowling Federation of India was formed in 1985, and have been working on bettering the facilities and the accessibility of the game across India ever since.

Future of Lawn Bowling in India

Like most athletes who bring sports other than cricket to the limelight in the country, the Indian teams have got everyone from Kashmir to Kanyakumari talking about Bowls through their achievements. Prime Minister Modi has also officially congratulated both the menâs and womenâs teams on twitter for their admirable wins. 

Women’s Team after their win in Birmingham. (Source: Narendra Modi’s Tweet)

Though relatively newer for most Indians, Lawn Bowling has been part of the Commonwealth Games since its advent in 1930. 

The Bowling Federation of India is trying to promote the sport across all states and better the facilities. This includes the coaching received by both the players and coaches in the country. One can expect more funds for the sport and new talents and similar achievements in the future.

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Bocce

Bocce is a lawn game that’s played on a court, with players trying to throw balls closest to a smaller target ball called a pallino. Bocce is the Italian word for ball, and the origins of the game originated in Italy. Bocce is a fun game for all ages, and it’s especially great for kids. Even though most of the attention has been on bowling, there are many other fun aspects of the game. When bocce started to take shape in North America several hundred years ago, it wasn’t a very competitive game.

There weren’t many tournaments and the games which weren’t very well organized until the 1970s. As bowling grew more popular, organizers started to try creating they same fun atmosphere with a more competitive aspect. One of the biggest differences between bocce and bowling is the bowling pins. For bocce, the main target is the center of the lane marked by the pin. Each ball is governed by its own target ball, which is a hotly debated topic among bowling experts

types of delivery

• draw − in this type of delivery, the ball is rolled to a specific location or position by trying to avoid any disturbance to the balls already in the head.

• forehand draw − this is normally executed by the right-handed bowler. this delivery is called as finger peg delivery which is initially aimed to the right of the jack and when it rolls it curves towards its left. this shot is very tricky and widely used in the game.

• backhand draw − this type of delivery is simply the opposite of forehand delivery. it is widely executed by the left handers. its other name is thumb peg delivery. the same bowler can also bowl it from their right hand. here the ball, after being rolled is curved towards the right direction, while aiming towards the left of the jack.

whether it is a forehand or a backhand draw, the main aim behind the rolling of this ball is to get as close to the jack as possible. lawn bowls are also played by blind and physically handicapped people. though they are blind or physically challenged but it has been proved by them that they are more skilful players than the normal ones.

in this chapter, we will discuss the various types of lawn bowling played across the world and their format.