t play on his part, and
his bowls would be better off the green than obstructing the path of
subsequent bowls. So he will endeavour to be "on the jack," the ideal
position being a bowl at rest immediately in front of or behind it. The
skip plays last, and directs his men from the end that is being played
to. The weakest player in the four is invariably played in the second
place (the "soft second"). Most frequently he will be required either to
protect a good bowl or to rectify a possible error of the leader. His
official duty is to mark the game on the scoring card when the leader
announces the result. He keeps a record of the play of both sides. The
third player, who does any measuring that may be necessary to determine
which bowl or bowls may be nearest the jack, holds almost as responsible
a position as the captain, whose place, in fact, he takes whenever the
skip is temporarily absent. The duties of the skip will already be
understood by inference. Before he leaves the jack to play, he must
observe the situation of the bowls of both sides. It may be that he has
to draw a shot with the utmost nicety to save the end, or even the
match, or to lay a cunningly contrived block, or to "fire"--that is, to
deliver his bowl almost dead straight at the object, with enough force
to kill the bias for the moment. The score having been counted, the
leader then places the mat, usually within a yard of the spot where the
jack lay at the conclusion of the head, and throws the jack in the
opposite direction for a fresh end. On small greens play, for obvious
reasons, generally takes place from each ditch. The players play in
couples--the first on both sides, then the second and so on. The leader
having played his first bowl, the opposing leader will play his first
and so on. As a rule, a match consists of 21 points, or 21 ends (or a
few more, by agreement).

[Illustration:

FIG. 1.--Drawing.

FIG. 2.--Guarding.

FIG. 3.--Trailing

FIG. 4.--Driving.

(In every case F is the Footer, B the Bowl, J the Jack.)]

Certain points in the play call for notice. In throwing the jack, the
leader is bound to throw (i.e. roll) a legal jack. A legal jack must
travel at least 25 yds. from the footer and not come to rest within 2
yds. of either side boundary; but it may be thrown as far beyond this
as the leader chooses, provided that it does not run within 2 yds. of
the end ditch or either side boundary. In English practice the le