Bowls is like everything else in life. Baking a cake requires you to do the preparation which may require grocery trip, a kitchen baking session and finally a Cooking session. After the cooling of the master-piece is the final and most important aspect. The evaluation and approval and success. Same applies at work where preparation for a meeting often depends upon the success of the meeting.
Like-wise Lawn Bowls require a preparation and even a Cooking Session (if you call a player's Games lost an experience similar to a bad cooking experience); toward the final creation of a great Lawn Bowler "Lead".
Later when the Lead had gone on to become the skip at a National or International Competition after many years; their memory of such losts will at times influence a decision. But all starts with the Preparation of a Lead to knowing the game and their potential as a team member and a player.
Too often the Leads is put as the first player on a Lawn Bowls Team has been instructed with "Do what the Skip asks". A Lead is only as good as the teaching by the Club Coaches and their experiences during those first few years. One would say "Being Smart, or using your Head" would be good advice to a new bowler. But as they begin Club games as an inexperience "Lead" they have a lot to learn. Of course, they are certain to not want to out guess the Skip' by doing the opposite of what is requested. Communication is important and a Lead should never be afraid to ask questions. The "Lead" makes the mixture of bowls in the head which is the start of each end played.
The role of the team's "Lead" is often as simply " Place the mat" and "Delivery the jack" with each new end of play. But the "Lead" is not always taught the important these two action in a Lawn Bowls game.
Recently, yesterday, I skipped against another old-time skip and I asked him "Do you remember how we were taught to place the mat and measure if it was Legal ? " and added " Flip it over 3 times as you placed it ahead toward the matline ?" Yes, that was the taught method of measuring the correct distance of the mat to be legally place 2 meters from the Ditch. Today we see the "2 step - Mat down" method as those smaller players put the mat illegally and everyone accepts it.
If a jack was thrown out-of-bounds would you simple put it back on center line or send it back to the mat for the opponent to place it ? O a"Short Jack" not over the Hog-Line?" and simply kick it a little further. NON that "Oh it is ok, it is only a few inches short or "out-of-bounds"?. Why does a club and club coaches accept the illegal mat placement of a New member ?.
Of-course, the rejection of an illegal mat placement can only be contested before the first bowl is rolled. But the leads in cooperation should accept that the player is in their first serious competition and help them. It is surprising to heard that lead say "I didn't know that".
Recently, while playing a club game, with both teams each having new players as "Lead", yes even in a club trophy game; I explained that "A mat which does not have it front end beyond the "Mat Line" is legal and can be contested by the opponent skip and result in the lost of the jack".
Why the club did not have "Mat-Lines drawn or why the new members where not taught really surprised me; but each club has different ways of club game play. During the following ends of play, it did my game a sincere joy to see the two leads each help the others to place the mat correctly.
After seeing it 4 or 5 times seeing this interaction of the leads, I was so happy that after the game it was my treat to pay everyone their drink of choice. The above photo is from a August 23 2024 Canadian Nationals photo and shows according to the rule book; the mat-line drawn and indicated with a "Matline Marker".
Placing the mat is defined in the rules as being on the "Center line" and being at or beyond the "Mat-line". Know these two terms (Mat Lines and Center Line) and their meaning is important. Even if a club's decision that the Green does not have a Mat-line marker on the side boards; this should be taught to all new bowlers.
But I remember many years ago, during "Governor Generals" as I was playing lead, my 3rd told the skip with a sign that the mat was illegal, After at least 6 times in our game of Triples he said to me "I don't know why Stephen does not contest the mat placement. Finally, before last end of play the skip called for the umpire and a verification of the mat with a measure. With jack in hand, the skip asked our lead to throw a long jack which resulted in a gain of 4 points and finally winning the game. (Was it good ethics to wait so long ? Rules are rules and should be applied always from minute one to the last bowl of the game.)
Centering the Mat before the jack is thrown is another important aspect of the jack throw. When the mat is brought forward several meters the "Centre line" can be hard to identify. So the "Leads in Learning" should be shown how to place the mat and then stand to the side while expecting the Skip to indicate that the mat in on "Center Line" and then adjust it for a correct "Placement of the Mat". New members are shown how to "Center the Jack" after it has been thrown up the green but seldom are taught or shown how to let the skip "Center the Mat".
Placing the mat where the skip has asked that it be brought forward , often finds that the skip will allows some freedom as to the choice of where the best place to lay the mat; as long as it is on "Center Line". ( before jack is rolled). Why ??
In the past when the use of "Protective Screens" ahead of the mat was less important the lead was expected to do a wise choice of the "Receiving area" directly in front of the mat. The. "Receiving area" is that area of the green directly in front the mat where their team would be placing their bowls as they did their delivery. In earlier years when less "Protective Screens" were being used the lead had a responsibility to find an area of the green in front of the mat without anyy inprefections (sand, worm holes or even debits).
As a lead progressed into a level of competitions; they became aware of many other thing about their teammates delivery. Their placing the mat might be different for how their team mate stand on the mat or even deliver their bowls. Also a left or right handed playing teammates may deliver to a different area of green infront of the mat. Remember left and right handers roll their bowls 2 feet apart in distance (Shoulder distance) and can make a big difference toward a draw around a block or frontal bowl.
As the player is taught to bowl they also learn that some players will bowl from the "center-line" as their first contact of bowl to green; while other players may be bowling their bowls in a standing on the mat which has the bowl arrive on the green nearly a foot away from center line and more off to the "mat's corner".
If the "receiving area" you have picked as lead (and even today will be covered by the protective screen) is always a smooth area of greens, then when their bowls are rolled, there is a good chance they will not be affected during those first few moments of Delivery. Every year as a Leads learn more about various choices their team mates make in a delivery; will result in them asking questions like "Why did you Walk the Mat?". A lot more than just throwing down the Mat and the jack up the green. Many small details can affect the actual winning your game.
"Rolling the Jack" means putting it where the Skip has asked for it. "Unless, he says "Your Choice" which means to put it at a distance where you (the lead) can best bowl. Probably your "Natural Distance". Opps, I hope that the lead has been taught "Natural Distance" and know what it mean.
Don't try to second guess the Skip and decide the distance best for the team or best against the opponents unless the skip has given that instruction in the "Pre-game" instruction. Although, some competitive teams will allocate this decisions to the lead because the leads responsibility is to start a good Head, sometime "Your Choice" means.. "Where ever you can start a good Head". (Photo of a local Montreal Club in the early 20th Century) I used this photo to show that not always has greens been nice and smooth as we see them today.
The lead should practice to roll the jack to the distance requested by the skip. The skip depends upon this ability especially when at the end-game and end-strategy the "Jack Distance" may be what will win the game. Because the lead is the first to roll their bowl after the jack has been centered; they should always watch the Jack roll, and watch for its changes in direction especially as it arrives at the final stop. I was once playing an inter-provincal competition and the jack rolled left like a bias bowl finishing it roll indicating a slight indentation at that location.
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