Books on Bowls. Bowls Codes

Introduction

One of the most interesting statistics that this site's tracking software has brought to light is that visitors have come from 120 countries (February 2009). The majority were from bowls-playing countries and most will have arrived via a link or search engine, but the remaining visitors will probably have arrived out of curiosity or by mistake. To many, bowls will probably be totally unknown, or at best poorly understood, and this has been borne out by a number of emails. So, in the hope that such visitors in the future will alight on this page and learn a little about our game and its various versions, and for anyone else who's interested, I've put together some brief notes and links on codes of bowls played in England; if I've omitted any please .

Don't overlook the laws of these codes under 'Laws and Rules' (horizontal menu above).

Flat green bowls

flat green bowls Known also as 'lawn bowls' and played in roughly 50 countries, this is the most universally popular code. In England alone, 2,700 clubs are in membership of the English Bowling Association.

Here are links to two recommended bowling club sites that give brief details of the game:

Highworth Bowls Club - a one-page primer with neat use of animation
Vale of Leven Bowling Club - a well-written, more detailed description of the game, including a glossary of terms

Crown green bowls

Crown green bowls is a thriving though localised form of the sport played mainly in the midland and northern counties of England, in north Wales and the Isle of Man.

Among the more obvious differences to flat green bowls are: the playing surface slopes upwards to a roughly central 'crown' about 9 inches (230 cm) to 15 inches (380 cm) above the green's periphery; the jack is larger and biased; the 'mat' is small and circular and known as a 'footer'; games are nearly always played as singles with each player bowling two woods at each end; an end can be played in virtually any direction and several games can take place simultaneously. For a flavour of the game, click here to see the closing ends of the classic 1982 final of the prestigious Waterloo Championship. The British Crown Green Bowling Association (BCGBA) is the national governing body for the sport and provides this detailed explanation of the differences between the two codes, and a glossary of crown green terms.

Indoor bowls

Many flat green, crown green and federation bowlers turn to indoor bowls when the English outdoor season finishes in late September or early October.

There are about 330 clubs affiliated to the English Indoor Bowling Association and the laws governing the game are very similar to those of the flat green code. The surface is carpet-like and laid on a level surface prepared to very small tolerances so that bowls run truer and faster than on the majority of outdoor greens.

Federation bowls

Federation bowls appears to be little known outside those areas of England in which it is played, namely East Anglia, the North-east and parts of the Midlands. To a spectator, the game appears very similar to that of flat green bowls.

The game is played on a flat green with ditch and bank, but differs from flat green bowls in a number of ways. For example, there are no touchers, only bowls within two metres of the jack can be counted for shots, and players may alter the order in which they play after each completed end. The national governing body for the sport is the English Bowling Federation.

Short mat bowls

Short mat bowls is played throughout the British Isles and is a game that can be played almost anywhere indoors provided the surface is reasonably flat and level and large enough to accommodate one or more short mat carpets.

Village halls, scout huts, and sports and community centres are all popular venues.The portable carpets usually have a foam backing, are rolled out in seconds and easily rolled back after use. Fenders made of wood are placed at each end of the carpet and a piece of timber, known as the 'block' that must be avoided in play, is positioned in the centre of the carpet. Click here to see a captioned photo of a carpet showing these features, together with a brief explanation of the markings. The national governing body for the sport is the English Short Mat Bowls Association.

Carpet bowls

Carpet bowls is played in similar venues to short mat bowls and on portable carpets that are much the same width but shorter.

The bowls used are smaller than in any of the other codes described and, unlike the short mat code, bowls are delivered with the bowler standing off the carpet. Note also the absence of fenders. Carpet bowls also uses a block placed in the centre of the carpet that must be avoided in play, but its shape, unlike in short mat where only one shape is defined in the laws, 'may be circular, a spar, a diamond or similar'. The national governing body is the Engish Carpet Bowls Association (ECBA) to which ten counties/areas in England currently belong.

Long mat bowls - a plea

This is a game I know very little about other than it appears to be localised in areas of England including parts of Shropshire and Derbyshire. I'd like to be able to add a photograph and brief details similar to those shown on this page for the other codes, so if you're able to help in any way with this request I'd be delighted to hear from you via the email link on the left-hand menu.