Lawn Bowls can be described as a fun sport and can be played successfully by both sexes. It is a non-contact sport where one player stands on a mat and rolls a bowl towards a smaller white/yellow ball (the jack). Unfortunately, the bowl is not a perfect sphere and requires some skill in rolling it towards the jack. Should the larger bowl get close to the jack you get that “feel good” feeling. You can play the game on your own, with friends or be competitive and remember you are playing outdoors on a lovely flat grass surface.
The history of lawn bowls can be traced back to 5000 BC when tentative evidence exists of the ancient Egyptians playing a form of Bowls when the object of the game was to ‘hit’ a target. In the 13th Century, the first official record of the game describes Bowls as “A game of delicate skill, the object being to get bowls as close as possible to the target.” Even the legendary Sir Francis Drake finished his game before taking on the Spanish Armada.
Today, a favoured leisure pursuit of people the world over, bowls has taken its place as one of the most popular sports of all time. It is recommended as a good form of exercise, as most of the muscle groups of the body are used with gentle, non-impact movements. The game is now played in over 35 countries – United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Thailand, India, Japan, Spain, Israel, South Africa, U.S.A. and Holland – to name just a few.
Lawn Bowls has been played in Hong Kong since the turn of the 20th century when a small group of enthusiasts acquired a plot of land in Kowloon and founded the first lawn bowls club in Hong Kong. The first league competition began in 1910 and this has now increased to 103 sides from 33 clubs competing in 8 divisions for men and 4 divisions for ladies.
The Hong Kong Lawn Bowls Association was established in 1961 to govern and manage the sport of bowls in Hong Kong.