🧠On the Jack – Blog #24“The Skip: Strategy, Steel, and the Spotlight”Every team needs a leader. In bowls, that is the skip—the tactician, the motivator, and the one who must deliver when the pressure is at its peak. The skip does not just play the last bowl—they carry the weight of...
🧠On the Jack – Blog #23“The Thinking Three: Brains, Balance, and Banter”Every good team has its heartbeat—and often, it’s the three. Not quite the general, not quite the foot soldier, the three is the tactician, the translator, and sometimes the therapist. They’re the ones who nod...
🛠️ On the Jack – Blog #22“The Two: Backbone of the Rink”If bowls were a symphony, the two would be the rhythm section—dependable, unshowy, but essential. They are the ones who step in when the head’s messy, the jack’s shifted, and someone needs to tidy things up. Not glamorous but...
On the Jack – Blog #21: “The Lost Art of the Perfect Lead”Every rink has its characters: the booming skip, the tactical three, the nervous newcomer, and of course, the humble lead. While the skip might steal the glory with a last-bowl miracle, it’s often the lead’s careful and quiet work...
🎳 On the Jack – Blog #20Superstitions, Rituals, and the Search for the Perfect BiasEvery sport has its quirks, and lawn bowls is no exception. While cricketers cling to lucky bats and footballers perform elaborate pre-match rituals, bowlers have their own quiet superstitions — charming,...
🏆 On the Jack – Blog #19The Art of the MeasuringIf there is one moment guaranteed to hush even the chattiest of bowlers, it is the sight of the measuring tape being summoned to the green. Conversations stall. Spectators lean in. Skips adopt the expression of poker champions guarding a royal...
🟢Blog #18🎳“The Bias of Life”If you have ever wondered why bowls have such a hold on people, here is one reason: it is a perfect metaphor for life. You line yourself up, set your sights straight down the green… and then the bias gently nudges your best-laid plans off course. Sound...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #17“Wrong Bias, Right Laugh”Every bowler knows: it’s not if you’ll send one down the wrong bias — it’s when. It’s the great leveller of our sport. Even the most seasoned skip has felt that cold, creeping realisation mid-delivery… followed by a polite nod, a...
🟢On the JackPost #16 “Lines, Lengths & Lawn Lore – What Makes a Great Lead?”There is a saying often whispered along the green’s edge, usually by skips under their breath or in the clubhouse afterwards. “A good lead is worth their weight in gold - and a bad one in gravel.While that...
🟢"On the Jack"Post #15; Ends, Edges & Etiquette – A Bowls Beginner’s Survival Guide.🧠Bowls Survival Guide – Especially for Newer Bowlers.We have all been there — standing on the mat, holding a bowl like it might explode, wondering what bias actually means and...
🟢“On the Jack”Post #14: The Long and Short of It – Measuring Matters⚖️ LAWS & ETIQUETTE – THE GREAT MEASURING DEBATE There are few moments as tense as a close end. Measuring etiquette is an art form:✅ Always ask first.✅ Only measure if it is close (no need to measure if...
🟢 On the JackPost #13: Rinks, Heatwaves & Riddles – A Midseason Ramble🎯 Spotlight on Skills – How to Judge Weight (Without Guessing)Let us be honest — every bowler has launched a rocket when they meant to float a feather. Judging weight is an art, not a science (unless you are...
“On the Jack”Post #12: The Bowls Before the Bias – A Bit of History and a Lot of Etiquette HISTORY CORNER: – How Long Have We Been Rolling These Things?Unbelievably, lawn bowls is one of the oldest sports in the world. Records date back to 13th-century England, and a version was played in...
Blog post #11 A light breeze and brilliant sunshine greeted members of Marine Gardens this week, at home and away. Marine Gardens delivered the forecast: some dominant moments with patches of brilliance, with a little cloud, wind, and turbulence also in the mix. LAWS OF THE LAWN – Jack...
A Week of Wicks, Wisdom, Questions, & Tea & BiscuitsBowls & Behaviour – The Mystery of the Misplaced Mat & Jack. BOWLS & BEHAVIOUR – The Mystery of the Misplaced Mat & JackThis week’s etiquette dilemma: if you forget to move the mat up after a lost end, and no one...
Post #9: Trouble on the Green - Tales of Tension, Triumph & Tactical Tea & BiscuitsThere is nothing quite like a week of competitive lawn bowls to stir the soul, raise the eyebrows, and provoke at least one minor dispute over whether someone stood in the head “just a touch too long.” And...
New from “On the Jack”Ever wondered why nobody steps on the line or in the eye line? Or what “Good weight! “ really means?In this week’s blog, we decode the unwritten rules of bowls: etiquette, tea-time analysis, and why some bowlers are always up to something. “On the Jack”Post #8:...
Ah, the Skip — part tactician, part magician, part agony aunt. Whether they are striding down the green like Napoleon at Waterloo or waving their arms like a man trying to land a plane in a wind tunnel, the Skip is the mysterious force that steers our bowls… and occasionally our sanity.This...
On the Jack – Post #6: Ends, Ends, Ends – And the People Who Survive ThemHave you ever been stuck in an end that seems never to end? Dive into this week’s blog for hilarious mid-end conversations, legendary club history ends, and tips on staying sane when everyone is still measuring.📖 Read...
A Bowler’s Guide to Survival. Ever wondered what secrets lie in the ditch? It is not just a place for misbehaving bowls—it is where legends are made, and laughter ensues. From touchers that defy the odds to the classic skip one-liners, this week’s blog dives deep into the humorous side of lawn...