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Bowling Etiquette

1.  Greet your teammates and opposition players before the game. Identify your teammates’ bowl insignias to know which bowl belongs to each player or team.

 

2.   Look after the green!  Don’t drop your bowls onto the green and make sure you don’t loft your bowl during delivery. This can cause scuff marks, divots or otherwise damage the green. 

 

3.   Be quiet when another person is bowling. If you are at the same end as the player delivering a bowl you must stand behind the mat so that you are not in the players line of vision.

 

4.   Be ready to bowl.  After delivering your bowl pick up your next bowl to clean.

 

5.   At the head end, keep still while a player is delivering a bowl.

 

6.   Only the two vices should be in the head to measure upon the completion of the end.

 

7.   After a bowler has left the mat, no one from his/her team is allowed to enter the head until the next time their team has the mat. No one from any team can check the count unless they have the mat.

 

8.   Do not move or remove any bowl until the score has been agreed upon by both vices.

 

9.   Do not walk across other greens during games.

 

10.  Bowlers who are not raking bowls should assist by kicking bowls together to facilitate raking.

 

11.  Common practice is for the losing team’s lead to rake, while the scoring team’s lead will set the mat, ready to start the next end.

 

12.  Let the vices measure and determine the score.

 

13.  Always show good sportsmanship by acknowledging good skill displayed by another bowler.

 

14.  Help less experienced bowlers with positive suggestions on improvement.


15.  Whether you win or lose, always acknowledge your opponents and thank them for the game. 

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