One of the first Lawn Bowls Tournament of 2026 on Youtube Live Sports and Australia Bowls Facebook is the Summerland Series with a Post Christmas Pairs (December 27 - 29, 2026 AST) and a Post New Years Day Singles (January 2 - 4, 2026 AST or January 1 - 3 EST) competitions at the Cherry Street LBC in Ballina, NSW. Google AI, when asked about this competition replied as:
"The Summerland Series is a prestigious annual lawn bowls tournament held at Cherry Street Sports " and " The 2025/26 series consists of two main disciplines: Pairs and Singles, offering a total prize pool of $25,600 ".
As I surf the web for recent Lawn Bowls' Activities during our Canadian Winter months; these Games or competitions, usually in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa often bring together the best bowlers from these countries as well as others "Money Tournament Chasers" from Northern countries.
For this year, as my 81 birthday approaches, I will attempt to keep my 2026 blogs to "Game Analysis" for Singles and Pairs and Subconscious Improvements. With over 170 written blogs since 2012, it is also time for a major Cleanup (and maybe Update) of the most frequent visit blogs. With more than 140,000 visit/reads to these blogs, it shows me that new and old readers value this information and opinion.
As I will attempt to start this years blogs with single's strategy and common game errors made by players and/or Markers; I realize that I must attempt to make shorter blogs. To cover the same detail and player's improvement instructions, I may be required to create more two-part Blogs like this one.
The screen capture (photo left) is of the third game of The Summerland Singles between Kenny Nelson and Duncan Elphick and show a important coaching instruction to Single players.
The first bowl of singles, after the trial ends, is usually suggested to be played a bit heavy (1 to 2 feet) with the intention of being behind the jack and accepting that with proper delivery line it will move the jack off center line. With Luck your bowl will also staying tight with the jack. I mention "With Luck" because I will often replace "Luck" in a game by what one can call "Success Percentage". Even at times, I will even suggest "Failure Percentage" where a decision to perform a risky shot is a good decision because there is a low percentage of causing damage with failure of the shot if tried.
In a March 2021 Blog titled "Percentage of Success on Bowls Delivery", I look at such a decision by a skip in a 2016 tied triples game between Australia and England. Here we find Aron Sherriff of Australia attempting a "Successful takeout shot" where he must take near miss shot (a 1/8 bowl) to win the game. Because of his "Failure Success" percentage being high and the last end of play, he tries and makes the shot. (2016 Two Bowls World Bowls Triples Championship)
"Once, during a club championship final, I made a 1/8 bowl runner shot like this and my partner said to me "If you can make those Shots, you can make anything." However, my decision to try the shot was base not upon the "Success Percentage" but that the shot had a High level of "Successful Miss" and of course was not my last end or bowl. " (Quote from March 2021 blog mention above)
In this game, we see immediately in the first ends of play a unique style of delivery as Kenny Nelson "off the mat" delivery offers discussion of a possible "Foot Faulting".
In this Summerland Series Singles games there is the opportunity to discuss the role of a Marker and it's important in a Singles game . The role of the Marker in Singles. Immediately (as per the photo) we see that Kenny Nelson's delivery is bordering on a rule about the players position on the mat. It is not the Marker's responsibility to address this incident although many markers may question this delivery.
Most important is that the Marker has two major roles. First to assist the players in their game by answering questions about the bowls in the head thus saving time of the need for the players to come to the head. In many Singles competition we find rules restricting the players movement to the head. Very often players are told that they are permit to visit the head only after their 3rd bowl. However, a player who wishes, can ask permission of the Marker to visit the head.
The second role of the Marker is as the official game's supervisor and marks the cards and makes decision on the actual condition of play.
But then again a player must allow the bowl to stop before rolling their bowl. This accident could have been serious even if it was the trial ends. I have not said "umpire" because on most competition there are a Game Umpire but the marker in some of their task are doing various actions which could be consider as being an umpire.
For example: The "Game Umpire" would definitely be expected by the Chief Umpire and Club adminstration to check this action if there was a possible "Foot Faulting" by Kenny Nelson. However, most "Marker's Courses" would not expect a marker to be concern or mention it to the player. However, if the opponent was to mention it to the Marker the Marker should reply "I will advise the Game Umpire of your concern" and not become involved or mention it to the player.
Also, good marker will do nothing which delays the game, which are usually timed to establish a continual flow of play. Sometimes games may be timed because of the Day's schedule of play..
Also the marker should do nothing which will interfere with the player's need for a "focus" or applied concentration when they are on the mat making their delivery. Marker's courses or instructions usually request the marker stand still and not become involved in conversations, but be 100% committed to performing their task as marker. Also to question a rule like "Foot Faulting" should not be considered their need to address.
For me, personally, in addressing the bowler's decision to position himself on the mat in this manner (Photo) during delivery; seems a unnecessary opinion or involvement unless as a club coach.
We learn and apply the rules as to our own actions on the green and the method of a player on the mat would seem a trap of distraction. Any player who becomes concern with such trivia as a delivery style is not busy with the focus on their game. The deliveries of Kenny Nelson (above photo), Corey Wedlock (above right) or Daniel Salmon (left) seems a common delivery stance discussion. An athletics, who has a strong "focus" or "Game Concentration" would have no trouble or distraction with these deliveries. I believe, as we see less opinions being presented by a umpires or their opponents, that maybe this is actually as unsportman like as not giving a handshake at the end of a game.
I could personally see such a close foot faulting incident as actually playing on the opponent's nerves, if the player was too much of a sticker for rules,. It would destroy their concentration or "Game focus". At the international level of play, these players don't see these things as a part of the game. Like the greenkeeper's role of cutting the greens, most athletics see the umpires job of controlling "Foot Faulting"and other major rules. In 2025 a rule change was introduced by World Bowls concerning stopping a bowl before it fell into the ditch because it was being over applied with constasted game decisions..
When World Bowls publish a photo of Corey on their webpage, or a Game Umpire ignores such close faulting; it should indicate to everyone that they should not be concern with the delivery style of their opponent. A Marker who realizes that they should not let such personal opinion of Game rules become a part of their Marker's responsibility.
If the Game Umpire does not see it as a problem, let it be an opportunity to learn to develop your own personal ability to ignore such questionable parts of the game. Myself, if I was marking a single competition, I would see how I could do a better job as Marker and ignore such distraction during the game. At a recent major competition where I was a spectator, the Game Umpire, with whom I had bowled a few competition; asked me to go outside the club fencing and to ask an individual to turn down their radio. But then again none of these players were elite level lawn bowlers and the radio could be considered a distraction. At another game, where I was team coaching, one of my players complained about her opponent constance chit-chat. I said nothing as to suggest she work at accepting it as part of the game would best be kept for after game discussions.
Amazing that during a recent qualification competition where this same Game Umpire mention above was performing as a Marker; he interrupted the player on the mat with a traffic direction open hand signal so he could marks a toucher. Always something strange that one can notice whether as a player, a Marker or just a spectator at the local games. Things which are never seen in international competition.
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| Day 2 photo ..No that is not snow. It is heavy downpour RAIN |
In part two of this Summerland Series Singles blogging, I will discuss how on 2nd day of play a heavy rain affected the game. Although the format of play for the last day was for the players to finish their qualification for the finals which would have been played afterward. The big money games were planned for the day's end.
In games of changing weather conditions it is important to know and understand how your game has changes and you knowledge of everything from green speeds to personal confort affects your personal skills. Also if a bad weather game is not called for "Rain" or stopped for a short break; it is important as an participant to know how to adjust for a "Timed Games" and allow yourself to wait the worst of the downpour to pass.
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