A Theory About the Lead’s Bowls Playing Lawn Bowls Triples

When the lead plays his bowls in a triples match at least 12 bowls are left to be played in every end. It cannot be guessed whether his team will need to be protective or aggressive. The skip and to a lesser extend the vice have indicators of how play is proceeding. What can the lead do to increase the value of those opening bowls?

I have an idea. The lead must try to create a head favourable to his side.

This is easier to do if his side has the mat but even bowling second there are superior and inferior contributions.

All thee lead bowls should finish behind the jack. To increase the probability of this, the lead’s first bowl must be weighted to be intentionally long.

Since it is the plan to be consistently further behind the jack with this bowl and subsequently subtract weight to approach nearer the jack, this first bowl should be delivered so that, more likely than not, it will come across the centre line. Since the intent is to be intentionally long, the opportunity should not be wasted to possibly trail the jack!

The lead’s 2nd and 3rd bowls will be delivered with better information both with respect to weight and line than that first bowl. The first bowl is in a sense a ‘sighter’ bowl. It provides feedback about the rink conditions.

This is all that can be expected from the lead that does not possess the mat.

If one’s side does possess the mat, more is possible. It should be prearranged that the skip will decide on jack length: short, intermediate, or long but the lead could be given authority to choose the mat position. If this permission is granted, the lead should choose the mat position so that whether a short, intermediate or long jack is called for, the jack will finish close to the forward T (2 meters from the front ditch).

Why do this? Because since we have already decided the lead’s first bowl is going to be intentionally behind the jack and more likely than not, narrow and If there is going to be a heightened chance that the jack will be trailed, the closer that trail takes the jack towards the front ditch the more difficulty for the opposition.

If your side has possession of the mat and your skip calls for a short jack, where should you locate the mat? The answer is 2 meters behind the closest hog line, because from there you can try to roll the jack to the forward T, but even if it is 2 meters short of the T, it will still have travelled the requisite 21 meters (in Canada). At the same time you have 2 meters behind your target length before you are too long and fall into the ditch and give the jack away!

If an intermediate jack is requested the mat position should be about 5 meters back from the closest hog line. If a long jack is called for, take the mat to the back T.

All this may be well and good but sometimes you, as lead, will deliver a bowl short of the jack. If your line is still good and your bowl only a little bit short, you may have a decent shot bowl! You still need to get behind the jack with your remaining bowls.