Head Reading at Lawn Bowls Using Motifs

The labelled boxes enclosed by the dashed lines are the motifs

Here is a lawn bowls head to illustrate the motif method of analysis. The mat is situated at the bottom of the diagram. The bowls with crosses belong to the opposition. The plain bowls are yours. Your skip has the last bowl left to play. The little yellow circle is, of course, the jack. You are down one in the head.

The motif analysis is illustrated in the diagram above.

A.   A jack high wing bowl can sometimes improve probable outcomes of a draw from the same side; however, in this case it is disfavored because of the risk that you might touch the standing bowl in Motif C. Even a slight touch on the opposition’s C bowl will roll it closer to the jack. Of course this will not put you further down. It is already shot bowl.

B.   A double takeout motif often presents a pocket for an overweight draw that can push two bowls and allow the delivered bowl to slide through to the jack. The difficulty here is that one of this pair is a standing bowl that will roll closer to the jack rather than being knocked out!

C.   A standing bowl is the opposing shot bowl. As already discussed any touch on it, directly or indirectly, will not take it away from the jack but closer.

D.   Another double takeout possibility. The risk of removing your own second shot to put your side down a multiple rules out a heavier shot of this kind.

E.  Your side has the backest bowl. Any backward movement of the jack can favor your side.

F.   This is the plant motif. Here, it is very favorable for the white side. If the crossed bowl in F is hit either directly or indirectly, your side’s bowl touching it will be propelled towards the jack. If it moves just a bit it will become shot. If it moves more and moves the jack back in the space between your 'backest bowl' (E) and your wing bowl (A), you will gain a multiple. A draw aiming to run through the crossed bowl in Motif F with a couple of feet of weight is the highest percentage shot. If you hit the crossed bowl in F, no matter what weight, your own bowl in the motif will move towards the jack. If your delivery is a bit narrow you can still rattle through between the opposing bowls on this right side of the green while still jolting your bowl in the F motif. If you are a bit wide you may end up with a rest on your 'backest bowl' (E), again making shot. If you are wide and a tad short you could just draw shot!