Barefoot Bowls
Bookings preferred for our Barefoot friday night evenings. Please phone 3379 2338, or message our Facebook page. Also remember that we can prepare special food packages, including food platters for your booked event. Come along and enjoy a relaxed evening, either bowling, or sitting outside with a cool drink, or inside in air-conditioned comfort.
Club Bowls
Phone the Games Room on 3379 2338
- Wednesday afternoons from 12.30pm (hosted by the Men’s Section, with ladies welcome) – Prize Money Day!
- Thursday mornings from 9.00am (hosted by the Women’s Section, with men welcome)
- Saturday afternoons from 12.30pm (all welcome)
Book a Game
Men and Ladies are invited to our regular bowls days –
- Wednesday and Saturday afternoon games – before 11 am
- Thursday morning games – before 8.30 am
A GUIDE TO BOWLS – How to Play
It’s an easy game to play, but a hard game to play well. The aim of the game is simple. Get your bowls as close as possible to a white ball called the ‘kitty’ or the “jack”. It might sound easy, but the fact that the bowls do not travel in a straight line creates quite a challenge. The bowls are not quite round and are shaved on one side, which gives them a “bias”. A bowl has rings and an emblem printed on each side and the smaller set of these is on the side with the bias. Remember, the little ring goes on the inside! As the bowl slows, it begins to roll in the direction of the bias. But, if you bowl too fast the bowl won’t curve, and if you bowl too slow the curve can begin early and take you off your course.
Basics of Play
After a coin toss, the first bowler (the lead) places the mat and rolls the jack to the other end of the green as a target. The jack must travel at least 21m and, when it comes to rest, it is moved across to the centre line of the rink. The players then take turns to bowl. When all the bowls have been played, a competitor or team gets one point for each of their bowls that is closer to the jack than the opponent’s closest bowl. The result is marked on a score card by the skip (team captain who is the last one to play each end). After all the bowls have been delivered, the direction of play is then reversed. Each completed direction is called an end, and play continues for an agreed number of ends before a game winner is declared.
Bowls in the Ditch
Bowls reaching the ditch are removed from play. However, if they touch the jack before heading into the ditch they are marked with chalk and remain ‘alive’ and in play. If the jack is knocked into the ditch it remains ‘alive’ unless it is out of bounds to the side of the rink. If the jack goes out of bounds, the end is dead and is replayed.