The Tyro Lead Bowler in Triples

When you are the tyro lead bowler in triples, weight is a more important concern than line. If you are within three feet either side of the jack that is probably good enough for a back bowl, but being three feet in front of the jack almost guarantees that that bowl of yours will not enter into the scoring. Think of being lead as being slightly blind. You see the jack position but that is quite likely not where the jack will be resting when the score is taken; therefore, what one should focus on is depth. If the jack moves it almost certainly will be away from you towards the forward ditch; consequently, it is rather desirable to be a yard on and indeed one should err on the side of being longer rather than shorter. Four feet short is a bad bowl; four feet long can be useful for the development of the head. Four feet short cannot be promoted easily so it is likely out of the scoring. Grassing two yard on-bowls gives your second and skip some things to work with in developing a scoring situation. A close bowl by a lead in triples rarely survives as shot. There are too many good bowlers to follow and a bowl close up to the jack makes an excellent target for through shots. Even if both the opposing lead’s bowls are 1^st and 2^nd shots, your side’s situation is not too bad so long as your bowls are behind the jack. Logic requires that if the opponent is first and second shot but you have all your bowls at a reasonable distance behind the jack, you must outnumber the opponent in back bowls.