Just because your lawn bowling opponent(s) can successfully bowl to a jack twenty-seven meters from the mat doesn’t mean at 30 meters the same success will persist. It is that last little stretch in length that so often makes the difference.
Even if you are worried that you might deliver the jack into the forward ditch, it shouldn’t deter you from trying to deliver a really long jack, if you have reason to believe that that would benefit your side. Even if you do lose the jack occasionally in the front ditch and give away the mat and jack length to the other side, isn’t it better to have an authentic long jack some of the time if that is what you think would provide an advantage?
The other day I was leading for my side in a triples match where the opposing skip bowled with one knee on the mat. This meant that he was bowling with arm strength alone…..there was no possible contribution from body momentum because he could not step forward. He was able to bowl fairly well to 27 meter jacks but when the length went to 30 meters he was either erratic or three meters short. This provided the tactical advantage to win the match, even though I delivered the jack into the front ditch twice and lost the mat advantage those times. When I did succeed in placing the longer jack we were able to score several multi-point ends.
Good morning. I’m in my first season bowling and have played pennants twice a week since the start of the season, late October 2023. After yesterday’s (Saturday) game, I’ve asked not to be selected for a while as my contribution to my team and therefore my club is not brilliant: inconsistent result, varying weight where there should not be variation and just not being able to “find” the aiming point. I’m 69 and I have never played ball- a/o team sports; the saying was always that “I have no eye-hand coordination”. I have stopped saying that - I’m teaching myself to gain this coordination. I’m a bit down as I try hard but seem to fail equivalent success yet I feel that I have progressed so much the last 5 months. This morning I found your blog and I absolutely LOVE reading your articles. Reading your articles convinced me that I am on the right track and that, before too long, I will be an asset to my team members and my bowling club.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thank you for that. Lianna, Perth, Western Australia
Thank you for your thanking comment- Greenbowler
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