Summer Sports - Bowls
Patrick competing for England in 2009 at the junior international series
of the green was next to a bit of grass and a hedge which encircled the green, and there was no real side ditch for the bowl to stop in. The jack was moved out to the edge of the rink and my skip drew what looked like a good bowl, only to see it slope not only into the side ditch but, because there was not really a side ditch, it went onto the grass and into the hedge - this was a slow draw shot and the slope had altered its course that much! As humourous as this was, we lost the game and the surface was not really playable. My bowling green that I play at slopes down ever so slightly (our club secret, please do not share it), but it is consistent - there are no humps and hollows, just a
“The quality of the green surface is fundamental to whether it is in my hands, or whether Zeus decides it is good or not”
gradual decline from one end to the other, and this is perfectly playable. It is when the green is uneven throughout the surface that alarm bells will ring for an international player.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, consistency is key! I do not mind slow surfaces, I do not mind tricky surfaces - in fact, I enjoy them, as I know they rile many bowlers and I feel that gives me an advantage. The green can be as tricky as it likes - as long as it does the same thing time after time, I am not fussed.
Ultimately, I want to know, when it leaves my hand, that that bowl has a
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chance. If I delivered it well, and it felt good out of my hand for how the rink is playing, I hope and expect it to be somewhere near the jack. In this respect, I feel it is in my hands to make the shot, not in the lap of the gods. The quality of the green surface is fundamental to whether it is in my hands, or whether Zeus decides it is good or not.
In addition to being an England International, Patrick Hulbert is also the editor of Bowls International magazine.
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