Playing Bowls

Watching the Indoor Bowls Championship today on television reminded me of the days when I played the game.  Not flat green but crown green.  The two games are as different as rugby league and rugby union.  Flat green bowls is played in lanes with a jack which has no bias. Each player has four woods.

Crown green bowls, as the name suggests, is played on a green with a pronounced hump in the centre, a biased jack is used and each player has two woods.

Crown green bowls is not played in lanes.

My experience of playing crown green bowls was gained on a green behind a pub. 

The lead off player would always show the position of the jack's bias.  Some players sent the jack over the crown, others would play down the sides, either with the bias facing the hump (going straight-peg) or facing the edge of the green (going round-peg).

One character we played often was Mr Wilmott, who was of venerable age, contrived to win the toss and would set the jack off round-peg on his favoured piece of 'land', along one side of the green..  This was known as 'Wilmotts's Alley'.  Opponents had to play with patience,  it was known that Wilmott would tire, make a mistake and lose control of the jack. When this happened Wilmott's opponents would hurl the jack over the crown from one corner to the other.  Cue for Mr Wilmott to take the hump and stalk off the green.