LAWN Bowls, while an easy game to learn and play can at the same time be simple and complicated.

It’s also true that it has many variations upon its main theme.

Trevor Barclay, Karuah Bowls Clubs Senior Umpire agrees, saying, “While It’s true that you always want your bowl to be closest to the jack, there are many ways of achieving that depending on which game you are playing.”

Bowlers can play in teams of four, three in triples, two in pairs and one in singles.

Each of those games can be either of mixed genders, or of only one gender.

Karuah Bowls Club Game Secretary Stephen ‘Gillie’ Gilchrist said, “That to make it even more interesting, each style of the different varieties can be played with a different number of bowls, four, three, two or in a game newly introduced, only one bowl per bowler, each end.”

This last weekend, Karuah Bowlers played a particularly popular variety of this great game, mixed pairs.

In this fast paced game, one bowler of each gender is in each team and players four bowls in two separate turns at the mat per end.

Kay Freeman, the Ladies President at Karuah said, “Anyone who thinks that bowls is a sedentary sport should try mixed pairs, 84 bowls and 42 trips up and then back on the green can be quite a work out.”

Long story short, there is a game of bowls for every one.

As well as both genders, there is huge diversity on bowling greens.

Ages vary from primary schoolers through to the odd pensioner, all cultures, ethnicities and drinking habits are accepted and catered for.

If you’d like to give the game a try, simply ring the Club at Karuah, you will be made very welcome.

 

By Trevor DAVIES