There is a saying, very common in the days of all
wide-bias bowls, that a jack-high shot bowl doesn’t stay shot on slow to medium
greens. With the wide-spread use of narrow bowls, this has become true even on
fast greens. The reason for the aphorism probably is that the wick into the jack off this wing
bowl is very attractive because the other possibilities for deliveries from
that side are also inviting: a better shot bowl or a trail of the jack away from the jack-high shoulder bowl.
If the wick occurs it usually results in the delivered bowl becoming
shot and the former jack high bowl being turned away.
Whether the jack-high bowl is
yours or an opponent’s, bowling to achieve this wick is good tactics; however, whether
one should change hands to try this is debatable. If the shot also requires that you both switch hands and bowl the wider
side it may be, on balance, unwise. Whatever the case, the novice needs to follow the skip’s instruction. Do not select your bias and step onto the mat until you
receive that call. The reason: wrong bias bowls are most frequently delivered
when you misguess the skip’s shot selection.
