India assured a historic first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in lawn bowls after defeating New Zealand 16-13 in the semi-final of the women’s fours event on Monday. They will now take on South Africa in their maiden final on Tuesday, hoping to clinch gold.
India have taken part in lawn bowls events at Commonwealth Games since 2010. Image: SonyLIV screenshot
India assured a historic first-ever Commonwealth Games medal in lawn bowls after defeating New Zealand 16-13 in the semi-final of the women’s fours event on Monday. They will now take on South Africa in their maiden final on Tuesday, hoping to clinch gold.
The women’s fours team comprises Lovely Choubey (lead), Pinki (second), Nayanmoni Saikia (third) and Rupa Rani Tirkey (skip).
As India aim to create history in lawn bowls by winning a gold medal, let’s learn everything about the sport.
What is lawn bowls?
Lawn bowls, also known as lawn bowling, is an outdoor sport that consists of a ball (known as a bowl) that is rolled toward a smaller stationary ball, called a ‘jack’. The sport is generally played on a flat lawn, about 40-42 yards (37-38 metres).
The bowls are also called ‘woods’ as they were originally made of wood, but are now made with composite plastic as it helps the bowls last longer, and also allows for manufacturers to make the bowls to the same specification each and every time.
Also, lawn bowls are not perfectly round as their one side will be slightly bigger than the other, this is known as the ‘bias’. They are biased or flattened on one side so that they follow a curved course when rolled. Notably, it’s the extra weight on one side of the bowl that generates the curve. Moreover, different models will have different biases, the bigger the bias the more the bowl will curve. This allows a bowler to select a bowl that generates the curve they need.
How to play lawn bowls?
The main objective in lawn bowl is to roll one’s bowl in such a manner that it comes to rest near to a smaller ball, which is known as jack or ‘kitty’. The bowls needed to be rolled on the floor from a distance.
The teams have to throw the bowls from 18 ends to complete the match and it happens in a circular manner. The team with more points after 18 ends of throws will take the contest.
What are the different formats of lawn bowls?
Lawn Bowls has four formats – singles, pairs, triples and fours. All the formats are named after the number of people in each team.
What are the rules of lawn bowls?
The game starts with a toss. The toss winner takes the first turn while the other team rolls the jack towards the opposite end. The distance between the jack and starting point is decided with this roll at the start of the match. The jack needs to travel at least 23m. After covering the distance the point at which it stops becomes the final target for the players to place the bowl.
The bowls needed to be rolled on the floor from a distance. The player/team which manages to place its bowls closer to the jack are awarded the points. Hence, the teams have to make sure their bowls are closer to the jack than those of their opponent. This can also be achieved by knocking aside an opponent’s bowl or the jack.
It is worth mentioning that, in the fours, or four-player, format, each team gets eight throws, or rolls, from one ‘end’. One end means the completion of one round. In individual events, competitors get four bowls per end. In team events, each member gets two bowls per end.
What is ‘jack high’ in lawn bowls?
‘Jack high’ refers to a bowl that finishes directly parallel to the jack. Both the jack and the bowl were delivered with the exact same force (or weight). This is the ideal result for a delivery in the lawn bowl.
How are points awarded?
The number of points awarded is determined by the number of bowls a team has managed to place closer to the jack compared to its opponent.
For example: If team A places two bowls closer to jack compared to team B’s closest bowls, it will win two points for the end.
In case team A had managed to place three bowls closer to the target than team B’s closest bowl, it would have been awarded three points.
However, in a single game, the result can be decided when a player reaches a specified target number of shots (usually 21 or 25).
India’s record in Lawn bowls at CWG
India lawn bowls teams took part in 2010, 2014, and 2018 editions of the Commonwealth Games before the 2022 event. The country has managed to reach the semi-finals just twice and has finished fourth on other occasions. However, this year, India has already assured a silver medal in the sport and the country will be aiming for gold now.
Click here for our complete coverage of the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
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