b'Come on out.Youll have a Bwl!Trends and fads come and go.But longevity suggestsitll move, so the target can easily shift during an end.that something of quality and substance has been created. Similar to curling, the object of lawn bowling is to Lawnbowlingcantraceitsoriginsbackcenturies.have one or more of a teams balls closer to the jack than Legend has it that Sir Francis Drake, midway throughtheopponents;eachoneincloserproximityscoresa a game in 1588, insisted onnishing before tackling thesingle point. And as with curling, achieving that objec-Spanish Armada. Derivations of the game have been re- tive is complicated by the science behind the object being ported throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. thrown.The Scots get credit for consolidating the rulestheseLawn bowling balls have a biastheyre not per-variedamonglocalitiesinScotland,wherethegamefectly roundwhich means they wont roll from one was widely popularin the mid-1800s. Perhaps, then, itend of the playing surface to the other in a straight line. should come as no surprise that the object and strategiesWhat distance they travel, and how great an arc each ball of the modern game resemble curling, another Scottishmakesthose depend on the weight of the throw and the invention. conditiondryness or dampnessof the grass.In curling, the house [the circular rings into whichAccurately repeating that task and adjusting to vari-stones are aimed] is stationery, explains Brian Mark, cur- able conditions, as is true with so many games, is lawn rent President of Port Perrys 110-year-old Lawn Bowlingbowlings central challenge.Club. In our game, the jackits the small white ballYes, achieving consistencys the essence of our game,lands in a di erent position for each end. Players aimBrian agrees.for that. The Port Perry Lawn Bowling Club began operation The jack is rolled from one end of the grassy playingin 1908 with two dozen members; today, the Club boasts surface to the other to begin.While this represents play- a roster of 55.ers initial target, it is possible tond the jacks positionIncreasing that membership number is my priority, changed by the time an end is completed. Brian says.Of course, we want to maximize the use of The bowling balls are larger and heavier than the jack, Brian says.If its bumped by one of them, which is legal,Please turn to page 26FOCUS - MAY 201925'