🟢 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...
🧭 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...