Rain and Green Debits

The nightmare of Lawn Bowls in the Rain is not the wet clothes but the wet greens and the "Lonnie" size Debits.  Yes, good lawn bowlers should not cause debits but "should", "would" and "could" are three little pigs which love to destroy the greens.
There are two basic debits  (hole in the lightly rooted grass surface)  The dropping of the bowl at the front of the mat, and the long throwing bounce at the 3 foot from the mat distance.  Both cause damage to the green because the bowl is not rolling as it hits the green and uses the surface to begin it rolling movement.
   A good delivery will have a finger flick or roll of the finger type delivery which make the bowl roll before hitting the green.  Otherwise, the soft wet green will be one debit for each bowl delivered. (over 100 per team)
If on a beautiful sunny day someone made a debit because they did not roll their bowl; we all will see and say that the bounce or digging into the green has removed delivery weight which caused the shot bowl. We immediately do a better delivery as we fight to get into the head.
 On rainy days, the thought is, "I am short because of the rain slowing the bowl" and "oh a debit that happens because of the wet green". And because we know why, we easily forget that last bowl and it debit, as others are rolled and new debits made. Immediately instruct your self of the  need for a smooth rolling delivery, and be concern for the green.  Your bowl will be better and you will stop making debits.
   Footwear also make rather strange debits.  Over the past years more and more clubs accept flat sole footwear like sailing shoes or sandals. But there is more to the right footwear than a flat sole shoe. When you need to catch your balance or break  that forward movement made with that front "long stride" delivery;  does the side of your footwear causes quite ugly debits?  If weight adjustment means changing your step.. be sure your footwear does not cause debits.
WHAT CAN YOU DO ??   Yes, see the debits,  see the need for proper footwear.  But what about your bowls or how you bowl.. can you adjust and still bowl well.
      First, if you have more than one set of bowls, use the smaller bowls as you will find  a better grip and delivery easier when hands are wet.  Use a different type of Gripoo.. (I have seen one which is so sticky that in wet weather it still grips)  If Gloves are allowed... try those Kitchen rubber gloves with grip ridges.  Maybe even change your grip... The Claw grip requires your finger grip the bowl where cradle grip requires a  rolling bowl movement.
 If you Bowls  have what are called "grips" it may help grip better, but also it might  cause bad debits when you have one of thoseoff-bias rolls as the debits from "Bowls "grips can be  the cause of Green damage.

      Second, the mat does not need to be always at the same placement. Learn to find the line with mat placement in different places.So often the mat stays at the 2 meter mark and end after end replaced there.  As lead laying down the mat. look at the delivery area of the green where your team's bowls will be deposited.  Remember, you left handed team member and also as you move the mat forward your jack distance stays the same.  A short jack or medium jack is still 21-24 meters and medium 24 - 27 meters.
      And Third, although, we do not want to tell an opponent that they have made a bad debit; we can still before rolling our bowl, walk forward and repair that last debit. Just a light foot push back of that crescent moon shape grass rolled out.  Eventually the debits will become a point of concern.
             Remember, if the greens keeper see a team is making a lot of debits; he will call for the screens to be placed and that changes the games as rule says the mat-line must be at the edge of the screens.  Mat always at same location. Skips have a responsibility to tell the opponent about their player's debits.
         Strange, in Petanque, a french sport of throwing and rolling the metal balls to the jack, rules prevent a player from arranging the receiving area of their delivery. The exception is that players are allowed to fixing of the last made debit. (They play in sand or gravel so the full moon debit must be fixed).
  So if at a club, rather than close our eyes to opponents marking debits, if every player before delivery repairs that last debit made by the opponent; it shows and tell the advice to be careful.    Interesting fact of Boccie, another bowls like game now played in the 2012 London Paralympics games played this week... Players can have different bowls in their six balls. soft balls for hard to remove once at the jack and hard balls for those slam takeouts. http://paralympics.channel4.com/inside-stories/newsid=1232776/index.html#Talking boccia tactics by David Smith the Canadian Gold Medallist.