How much do you really know about the sport of Bowls? There are 4 sections to 'Test your Knowledge'. Answers are at the end of each section (so try not to cheat)
Lets start off with some 'easy' questions 1 - What is the White Object Ball called? a -a - Jim, b - James, c - Jack, d - Jill Jim,
b - James,
c - Jack,
d - Jill
2 - How many bowls are used in a traditional game of singles? a - 4, b - 2, c - 3, d-7 3 - What is known as the 'Shot'? a - The bowl furthest from the Jack, b - A Bowler who delivers a wrong bias, c - The bowl closest to the Jack, d - The player most likely to have a gun in his pocket 4 - In a game of Fours, how many Bowls does each player have? a - 2,
b - 3,
c - 4,
d-5
5 - If attempting to 'Draw', what would you be doing? a - Putting a 'blocker' in, b - Writing the score on the scorecard, c - Bowling with precise weight to the Jack, d - Painting by numbers 6 - What is the Bowler called that delivers the Jack in a game of Pairs, Triples & Fours? a - John , b - Skip, c - Captain, d - Lead 7 - Every Bowl is shaped so that it travels in an arc, what is this commonly known as? a - Line, b - Bias, c - Size, d - Weight 8 - If a Bowler says you were too 'heavy', what do they mean? a - It was bowled too wide,
b - You bowled with too much weight, c - It was a wrong bias, d - You ate all the pies 9 - In a game of Triples, how many Bowls does each player traditionally have? a - 3, b - 4, c - 2, d-1 10 - The main aim of Bowls is to? a - Hit the Jack, b - Score a strike, c - Get as close to the Jack as possible, d - Drink your opponent under the table.... So, how do you think you did? Got them all correct? Well, let's find out......
Answers 1c, 2a, 3c, 4a, 5c, 6d, 7b, 8b, 9a, 10c 10 out of 10 - You have the makings of a great bowler 8-9 out of 10 - Not too bad, but you need a little more practice 5-7 out of 10 – Try playing tennis
So, lets move onto section 2 - 'Medium' questions. 11 - Size '00' are the smallest sized bowls, but what are the largest? a - 8, b - 6, c - 4, d–7
12 - How many feet need to be placed on the Mat when you deliver a bowl? a - 0, b - 2, c - 1, d-3
13 - How many times can a Jack be delivered illegally? a - once, b - twice, c - three times d - unlimited
14 - Which explorer was a well known bowler? a - Sir Francis Drake, b - Sir Walter Raleigh, c - Christopher Columbus, d - Scott of the 15 - What is the space around the Jack commonly referred to as? a - The House, b - The Target, c - The Head, d - The Madhouse 16 - What is used to measure the Bowls when the woods are very close to the Jack? a - A Yard Stick, b - Meter Stick, c - Calipers, d - Measuring Tape
17 - What is described as a 'Dead-End'? a - Every Wood has been delivered with a wrong bias, b - The Jack has left the boundaries of the rink, c - A winning score of 21-0, d - Someone has just passed away on the Green 18 - What happens when a delivered bowls ends up in the ditch? a - It is removed from play,
b - It is removed from play unless it has hit the Jack when delivered, c - It can be placed anywhere on the green, d - It is chucked over the hedge.... 19 - What happens if you have accidentally delivered the wrong bowl? a - The end is declared void, b - A maximum score of 8 shots is given to your opponent, c - Replace the bowl with the correct bowl where it has come to rest, d - Go straight to Spec-Savers.......... 20 - Where are the Indoor World Championship usually held? a - Potters, b - The Crucible, c - Alexandra Palace, d - Wembley So, how are you doing now? Think you've got them all right so far? Or is it time to give up......?
Answers 11d, 12a, 13b, 14a, 15c, 16c, 17b, 18b, 19c, 20a 20 out of 20 - You can become a Great Champion 18-19 out of 20 - A Championship Final beckons 14-17 out of 20 - A good run to the Semi Finals 11-14 out of 20 - Knocked out in the first round..... Less than 10 - Save some time, up Bowls and take up Dominoes...
Now let's make the questions slightly 'harder' 21 - What Century was Bowls first Invented? a - 14th, b - 15th, c - 16th, d - 17th 22 - What are the 3 main variations of Bowls called? a - Indoor, Long Mat & Outdoor, b - Short Mat, Long Mat & Outdoor, c - Indoor, Outdoor & Short Mat, d - Outdoor, Long Mat & Indoor 23 - When playing Bowls what does the 'Bias' refer to? a - It describes the weight of the Bowl, b - The inside of the Bowl that helps it follow its correct path, c - Someone losing their balance, d - A cheating Marker.. 24 - The white ball (sometimes yellow) is NOT referred to as? a - Dolly, b - Jack, c - Pill, d - Penny 25 - What is the maximum you can score in a 21 end game of Fours? a - 168, b - 8, c - 160, d - 42
26 - Which legendary Bowler won Pipeman of the Year twice? a - Willie Wood, b - Greg Harlow, c - d - David Bryant 27 - What is the maximum age limit of a player? a - 100, b - 65, c - 90, d - Unlimited 28 - How many sets of Bowls can a player use in the trial ends? a - 1, b - unlimited, c - 2, d-3 29 - What was the 2003 Film made about Bowls called? a - Jack High, b - Blackball, c - Golden Eye, d - Shot Wood 30 - What is the Italian name for Lawn Bowls called? a - Bocce, b - Boules, d - Spaghetti
Think you're still 100%, 1 or 2 you're not sure of - let's find out.....
Answers 21a, 22c, 23b, 24d, 25a, 26d, 27d, 28b, 29b, 30a 30 out of 30 - An International call up is yours 27-29 out of 30 - You could be a County Champion 24-27 out of 30 - You've just been nominated for a County friendly 19-23 out of 30 - You're a reserve for the next Club match Less than 18 - Stick to the Tea Duties.....
The 'Final Section', now onto the 'difficult' Questions 31 - Which player has won the Indoor World Championship 5 times? a - David Bryant, b - Greg Harlow, c - d - Alex Marshall 32 - What size are Greens normally? a - 37 to 44 Yards, b - 45 to 52 Yards, c - 25 to 31 Yards, d - 32 to 36 Yards 33 - Which Country First Invented a Dress-Code? a - Scotland, b - Australia, c - Italy, d - Qatar 34 - Which US City is home to 'Bowling Green Park'? a - Philadelphia, b - San Francisco, c - New York,
d - Chicago
35 - On the World Bowls Tour who is known as the 'Devon Destroyer'? a - Greg Harlow, b - Ian Bond, c - Alex Marshall, d - Mark Royal 36 - What size are 'Rinks' normally? a - 4.3 to 5.8 meters, b - 5.9 to 6.5 meters, c - 3.1 to 4.2 meters, d - 6.6 to 7.5 meters 37 - What happens if a Bowl is damaged during a game? a - The Player automatically loses the game, b - The damaged bowl is removed and the game continues with less bowls, c - You can replace the damaged bowl with another from the same set, or the whole set needs to be replaced with another set of bowls, d - Everyone has to have a whip-round to buy another set of bowls 38 - If your bowl hits the Jack out of the boundaries of your rink, what happens next? a - You count a maximum of 8 shots, b - You are declared the winner of the Match,
c - The 'end' is declared dead, d - It's your round at the bar..... 39 - Where were the last Outdoor World Championships held? a - Canada, b - Australia, c - Russia, d - New Zealand 40 - What happens if the Jack rebounds off the ditch and back onto the rink after it has been hit by a bowl? a - The Jack is then placed at the 2 meter mark from the ditch, b - The end is declared void, c - It remains in play and play continues from where it has come to rest d - The 'Fat Lady' has sung and everyone goes to the Bar.....hooray....
Confident of a Maximum 100%, fallen at the final hurdle, or have you just decided to head for the bar........?
Answers 31d, 32a, 33a, 34c, 35b, 36a, 37c, 38c, 39d, 40c
40 out of 40 - You have just won the World Championships!!!! 36-39 out of 40 - You've just won the National Championships!! 30-35 out of 40 - You're on the list for an International call-up 25-29 out of 40 - Always a Runner Up.... 21-24 out of 40 - At least you'll get picked for a Club Friendly... Less than 20 - Oh Dear, Bowls on the fire.....
It's only a bit of fun - I Hope you've enjoyed it..... play............