Your Skip May Want to Accept a Jack that is Actually Too Short

When an opponent throws a jack that appears not to have travelled the requisite distance from the front mat line (21 meters in Australia and Canada), your skip might not raise an objection. Similarly, you as lead may deliver a jack that is actually too short and the opponents may say nothing. A short jack may be what your skip wants.  When the opposing skip raises no objection that jack, after being centered, will be played to. Neither you as a lead nor any other team member, should say anything. If asked by your skip how far the mat is from the rear ditch, you should give a good estimate but make no comment about jack length. According to the World Laws of Bowls, Third Edition, once the first bowl has been rolled the jack length cannot be disputed.

As part of good team communication it would be good to quietly draw a teammate’s attention to the shortness of the jack before he or she rolls your side’s first bowl. In a singles match, it is the marker who is responsible for making sure the jack length is at least the minimum length.