🟢 On the Jack – Blog #4 (New Season)“The Characters of the Club”Every bowls club has them. In fact, no club would feel complete without them. The greens may be immaculate, the clubhouse polished, and the tea hot enough to remove wallpaper but it is the characters who truly bring a bowls...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #3 (New Season)“The Sound of a Good Bowl”Every sport has its soundtrack. Cricket has the crack of leather on willow, football has the roar of the crowd, and lawn bowls… well, lawn bowls has that sound.You know the one.The gentle click of wood against wood. The...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #2 (New Season)“Finding Your Line”There is a moment early in every season when reality gently taps you on the shoulder and says, “You might need a bit of practice.”The first few ends are always a voyage of discovery. The green looks perfect, the sun is shining, and...
🟢 On the Jack – Season Opener“Back on the Green Again” Blog #1There is a certain magic about the start of a new bowls season. The green look suspiciously perfect, and suddenly the clubhouse is alive again with chatter, laughter, and the familiar phrase:“I’m sure these bowls didn’t...
"May I offer all our members and supporters a very warm welcome to a new season of bowling at Marine GardensIt gave me immense pleasure on Saturday to officially declare our new bowling season open!It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces on our opening drive on Saturday, and a particularly...
🎄 Seasonal Message from the President Marine Gardens Bowling Club Dear Members, Friends, and Supporters,As we reach the close of another year at Marine Gardens, I want to extend my warmest seasonal wishes to each and every one of you. Our club thrives not just because of bowls, but because of the...
On the Jack – Blog #25: Club News and Activities🗞️ Marine Gardens Bowling Club Monthly ReportMonth Ending Friday, 31st October 2025Although the bowling season has drawn to a close, our members continue to enjoy a lively and varied social calendar, thanks to the thoughtful planning of our...
🧭 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...