Bowls

A game played between individuals or teams within a defined playing area. Players try to outscore each other by rolling bowls towards the jack. The team with their bowls closest to the jack at the end win the points.

What is bowls?

The objective of bowls is to roll a ball called a bowl towards a marked position; this marked position is called the jack. Players have a set number of bowls to roll, the closest bowls to the jack wins.

Traditional bowls balls are biased. This means they are designed to travel a curved path towards their intended target. This bias is created by the shape of the ball and how the bowler rolls it.

Bowls is played on a flat surface which is often artificial turf or grass. Bowls is normally played outdoors but it can be played inside.

Find out more about how to play bowls.

Equipment needed

A level playing court (similar to a badminton or tennis court)
Balls (four of one colour per player, and one of a different colour to represent the jack)
Cones / tape to mark out the court

A brief history of bowls

The origins of bowls have been traced back to the 12th century. The world’s oldest surviving bowling green can be found in Hampshire at the Southampton Old Bowling Green - this venue was first used in 1299.

The sport has been included in all but one of the Commonwealth Games.

England Bowls is the National Governing Body for bowls in the UK.

See their full range of bowls formats suitable for schools

Visit England Bowls' website

Get involved

The School Games is inclusive to all young people and provides opportunities for everyone to get involved, either within school, against other local schools, or at county or regional level.

School Games Organisers

School Games Organisers (SGO) help schools coordinate appropriate competitive opportunities for all young people from Key Stage 2-4, to recruit, train and deploy a suitable workforce, and to support the development of club.