Clare Bowls Club

Term	Meaning
Back bowl	A bowl that comes to rest beyond the jack or the main body of the head.
Backhand	When (for a right-handed player) a bowl is delivered so the curve of the bowl is from the left to right.
Bank	Outer wall of the ditch surrounding the green (raised above the playing surface).
Bias	Physical structure of the bowl which causes it to curve.
Block or Stopper	A bowl which prevents/impacts an opponent’s ability to play a certain shot, or to position their own bowl in a preferred location.
Bowls	A set of identical bowls (or Woods) manufactured and weighted to an approved specification.
Dead Bowl	Either a bowl which comes to rest in the ditch or is knocked into the ditch and is not a ‘toucher’, or a bowl that comes to rest outside the playing rink, either as part of itsb delivery path or from being knocked there.
Delivery	The point at which a bowl leaves a player’s hand, when on the mat.
Ditch	The gully or trough surrounding the Green.
Draw	A bowl delivered with appropriate weight and along a correct line, to arrive at the intended position (e.g., close to the jack).
End	A single round of play on a rink, which begins when a player places the mat and rolls the jack - and concludes after players have delivered all of their bowls.
Foot fault	A player who fails to deliver (or release) a bowl with part of their foot on or above the mat.
Forehand	When (for the right-handed player) a bowl is delivered so that the curve of the bowl is from the right to left.
Green	The total playing area, encompassing all rinks.
Head	Covers the jack’s location plus all bowls played during an end. NB: Bowls in the head may be on the rink or include ‘touchers’ in the ditch.
Jack	The small yellow or orange ball which provides a focus/target for players’ during an end.
Lead	The player who lays the mat, rolls the jack, and delivers the first bowl in an end.
Mark it or Chalk it	Refers to marking a ‘toucher’ with chalk to identify it as a live bowl, which remains active and in play, even if it falls into the ditch.
Marker	A person who monitors a singles game, to ensure conformity with applicable rules of play. He/she also centres the jack, marks any touchers, measures the distance between jack and bowls (when necessary), and keeps the score-card.
Mat	The rectangular shaped mat from which the Lead must deliver the jack and all players’ must deliver their bowls.
Narrow shot	When a bowl finishes inside (or "under") the correct line of green, ending up closer to the centre line than intended. Or, it can also describe a delivery played with extra weight that straightens the bias.
Pairs	A game of two players against two opponents, each using four bowls for a period of twenty-one ends.
Promote this bowl	An instruction (e.g., from the Skip) to a bowler to play his bowl onto a bowl belonging to his own team (e.g., so that a stationary bowl is pushed nearer to the jack).
Rink	A rectangular strip of the Green on which a bowls game takes place.
Rub-off	A bowl that, during its running course, comes into light contact with another, which may slightly affect the direction of roll.
Second	The player who follows the lead in a game of fours or triples. He/she also marks the score-card and keeps the score-board up to date.
Shot	The bowl nearest to the jack.
Skip	The captain in a game of fours, triples or pairs. He/she is last to bowl and is responsible for game tactics.
Stance	The position adopted by a player on the mat prior to delivery.
Triples	A game of three players against three opponents, each using three bowls for a playing period of 18 ends.
Toucher	A bowl that hits the jack during its original delivery course. This bowl counts even if it ends up in the ditch.
Weight	Refers to the force, pace, or momentum applied to deliver a bowl to a target distance (i.e., Controlling speed for the particular playing surface).
Wick off	A bowl that deflects off another bowl, definitely causing the moving bowl’s course to alter.
Wide shot	A delivery aimed significantly outward from the direct line to the jack, utilizing a bowl's bias to curve around obstacles, or a delivery that intentionally finishes wide of the central line.

BOWLS TERMINOLOGY