Flat green and crown green bowls
Britain plays two kinds of outdoor bowls. Flat green bowls is played on a level green divided into lanes. Crown green bowls is played on a green that rises to a low dome in the middle, and play can go in any direction.
Both share one idea. You roll your bowls towards a small ball called the jack, and you score a shot for every bowl that finishes closer to it than your opponent’s nearest.
At a glance
| Flat green | Crown green | |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | Level | Raised in the centre |
| Direction of play | Up and down a marked lane, called a rink | Any direction across the green |
| The jack | Unbiased | Biased, like the bowls |
| Usual game | Singles, pairs, triples and fours | Mainly singles, also pairs |
| Where it is played | Across Britain and worldwide | The North of England, the Midlands and North Wales |
The bias
A bowl is not perfectly round and is weighted to one side. As it slows it curves towards that side. Players choose which way to deliver the bowl so that it curves in towards the jack.
In crown green bowls the jack has a bias too. The player who sends the jack sets a line that the opponent then has to read.
How an end works
- A player delivers the jack to set the target.
- Players take turns to deliver their bowls.
- When all bowls have been played, the shots are counted.
- Only one side scores in each end.
An end is one round of play. The next end is then played from where the last one finished.
Flat green
The green is divided into parallel rinks, so several games run side by side. Each game goes up the rink for one end and back down for the next.
| Format | Players a side | Bowls each |
|---|---|---|
| Singles | 1 | 4 |
| Pairs | 2 | 4 |
| Triples | 3 | 3 |
| Fours | 4 | 2 |
Singles is usually played to 21 shots. Team games are played over a set number of ends, and the higher total wins. Some competitions use sets instead.
In team games each player has a role. The lead plays first and places the jack. The skip plays last and directs the others from the far end.
Crown green
The crown, the high point of the green, changes how every bowl runs. A bowl sent across the slope can swing further or be held straight, depending on whether the bias works with the fall of the ground or against it.
Because the jack can be sent anywhere, games cross one another on the green. Players wait for a clear path.
Each player has two bowls, and games are usually played to 21.
Indoor bowls
Indoor bowls is flat green bowls on a carpet. The surface is faster and consistent, and it lets clubs play through the winter.
Etiquette
- Stand still and stay quiet while another player is on the mat.
- Do not walk across another game’s line.
- Wait until the end is finished before moving any bowl.