When You Need a Big End to Win a Set and You have the Mat

 

I am not a fan of set play at lawn bowls. Set play was devised to make the game more suitable for television broadcasting. When there is no such media necessity, I see no reason why we should abandon the traditional 21-up game.

But if the authorities select set play and repotting of any jack out of bounds centered on the forward T, then, strategy should be directed to take advantage of these rules.

At set play, it doesn’t matter by how much you lose a set. When your side is behind by more than 1 point going into the last end you should play to at least tie the set. If you fail it doesn’t matter by how much you lose.

Your object is to get a multiple in the end. To achieve that you need to retain the maximum number of ways this can happen. You have the mat in this scenario but your opposition has the last bowl. Your goal is to have at least the required shots to tie the set when your opponent comes to the mat to deliver that last bowl.

To retain the most chances for this to occur you need a short jack and you need to have the respot position about 2 meters behind this jack. To do this you should place the mat about 5 meters behind the closer hog line and deliver the jack to about 2 meters in front of the forward respot position.

You play the end trying to score in the usual way. If the opposition delivers a very close bowl you should prepare to remove it but you do not need to try the removal immediately. All your side’s bowls need to be behind the jack either scoring or as potential catchers.

The idea is that when your side comes to its final bowl you want to have several alternative plays:

• Draw the shot for the required multiple
• Remove their closest bowl for the required multiple
• Trail the jack for the required multiple
• Knock the jack out of bounds with repotting for the required multiple
• Push the jack into the ditch for the required multiple

No matter how difficult the shot that will give you the required multiple, there is no point in playing a simpler shot that even if successful will be insufficient to win.

Then you must just cross your fingers and hope the opposition's last bowl doesn’t destroy your work.

Remember that if you are playing the first set or if you have already won or tied the first set, all you need is a tie.