Indoor Bowls – A Fun Game that Everyone can Play and Enjoy
The game of indoor bowls is wonderful because it’s easy and people of all ages and skill levels, including the wheelchair-bound and partially sighted, can play and enjoy it. Plus, you get a chance to meet new people and make new friends, as a bonus. If you haven’t yet tried this game, you should. Here is some more information about it to increase your interest.
What is Indoor Bowls?
Indoor bowls is played between two teams and with two kinds of ball (bowls). Your aim as a player should be to get your ball as close as you can to the jack (the small white ball). The rules of the game are similar to lawn bowls, if you’ve played the latter. The only difference is the location to play. Indoor bowls is played in a 40m long and 100m wide indoor bowls rink.
Feel that it’s kid’s play? Think again! Getting your bowl near the jack can be very tricky as bowls tend to travel anywhere except in a straight line.
Basic Rules
The rules are very simple:
- While bowling, players should keep one foot on the mat.
- The jack should travel at least 23 meters without going beyond the rink boundaries.
- If the jack goes beyond the rink boundaries, it is replayed.
- If the jack alights in the ditch, it remains in game.
- Bowls that alights in the ditch are out of the play, unless they touch the jack before coming to a halt – in that case, they are considered ‘alive’ and can be played.
- In singles and pairs games, each player can bowl four times from each end. If the team is of three, each player gets three bowls per end, whereas teams of four get two bowls per player per end.
Types of Delivery
The bowls are not fully round; they are shaved on one side. This offers them a bias which means that they are not able to travel in a straight line. This is where the indoor bowls becomes so tactical. When the bowl begins to lose speed, it will roll in the direction of bias. The pro players use this bias to their advantage while delivering the bowl to make sure it gets as close as possible to the jack.
Deliveries are of three types:
- Draw Shot: This delivery is used to aim the bowl to land on a particular spot on the rink, without touching other bowls already played. Right-handed players aim the bowl to the jack’s right side, so it curves to the left – this is called a forehand draw. When a player aims the bowl to the jack’s left so it curves to the right, it’s called backhand draw.
- The Drive: Bowlers use significant force to deliver the bowl so as to move the jack or bowl nearest to the jack out of play.
- Upshot or Yard On: This is similar to the drive and aims to move the jack or other bowls without having to end the game.
So, have you developed an interest in indoor bowls? Try the game and have fun!