Close-up of a lawn bowling game

© Graham Turner/Alam

Let’s have a ball

You know a game must be fun if it’s stuck around for eight centuries – and that’s how long folks have been playing lawn bowls (in some form or another). It was the invention of the lawnmower in 1830, allowing for smooth, freshly-cut playing fields, that really popularised the sport. Our homepage features balls called ‘woods’ or ‘bowls’, that competitors use during game play. The objective is to roll the grapefruit-sized balls towards a smaller ball called a ‘jack’, and points are awarded to the players that are closest. Fancy a game?