🟢 On the Jack – Blog #17“The Head – Where the Real Game Happens”To someone watching lawn bowls for the first time, it can look rather simple.A bowler steps onto the mat. They deliver a bowl. It rolls down the green.And everyone waits. But then something interesting happens.The players...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #16 (New Season)“The Skip – The Person with the Plan”There is always someone on a bowls rink who knows exactly what is going on.They stand behind the head. They study the bowls. They look at the jack.They glance at the opposition. Then they quietly say:“I think...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #15 (New Season)“It’s All in the Weight”Ask any experienced bowler for the secret to a good shot and you will hear a familiar answer:“The weight was right.”Not the strength. Not the speed. The weight.It is one of those wonderfully unique bowling expressions that...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #14 (New Season)“Reading the Green – Bowls’ Greatest Puzzle”If you ask a newcomer what they are aiming at, the answer is usually quite straightforward.“The jack.” thenAsk an experienced bowler, and the answer might be quite different.“About two feet outside...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #13 (New Season)“The Perfect Draw”Ask ten bowlers to describe the perfect draw and you’ll probably receive ten different answers.Some will tell you it’s all about the line.Others will insist it’s the weight.A few will quietly whisper, “A little bit of luck never...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #12 (New Season)“The Bowler’s Toolbox”Ask a carpenter to show you their toolbox and you will find hammers, chisels, and saws.Ask a mechanic, and you will discover spanners, sockets, and screwdrivers.Ask a lawn bowler…and you’ll be shown a polishing cloth, a...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #11 (New Season)“One More End!”There are few phrases in lawn bowls more familiar than:“Just one more end…”It usually arrives just as players are beginning to gather their bowls, the evening sun is sinking lower in the sky, and thoughts are turning towards a...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #10 (New Season)“The Measure of a Good Sport”“The tape measures the bowls - Good sportsmanship measures the player.”There comes a moment in many bowls matches when every player instinctively leans forward.The bowls have all been delivered.The head is complete.The...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #9 (New Season)The Last Bowl of the EndThere’s a special kind of silence that falls over a bowls green when the last bowl of the end is about to be delivered.Conversations stop.Supporters teacups pause halfway to mouths.Even the seagulls seem to pay attention.Because the...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #8 (New Season)“The Tea Break: Bowls’ Most Important End?”Ask any newcomer what lawn bowls is all about and they will mention skill, precision, concentration, and sportsmanship.Ask a long-standing member and they will often reply:“The tea break.”Now, before anyone...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #7 (New Season)“The Bowl That Almost Was”Every bowler has one.A shot so magnificent, so beautifully judged, so perfectly weighted that it deserved to be remembered for generations.Unfortunately, it missed by about a sixteenth of an inch.Welcome to the world of “The...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #6 (New Season)“The Jack Has a Mind of Its Own”There’s an old saying in bowls that if you can follow the jack, you’ll win more matches.The trouble is, nobody has ever told the jack.For a small white/yellow ball, it has an astonishing ability to find trouble. One...
🟢 On the Jack – Blog #5 (New Season)“Bowls Weather: Four Seasons in One End”There are many skills required to become a successful bowler: touch, patience, concentration, and tactical awareness. But perhaps the most underrated skill of all is the ability to survive the British weather while...
🟢 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...