When is a bowl dead in lawn bowls?
I · Intermediate · Touchers, dead bowls and the jack · 5 of 7A bowl is dead if it ends in the ditch without having touched the jack, stops less than 14 metres from the mat line, or goes out of the rink. A bowl that swings outside a side boundary on its way and curves back in is live. A dead bowl is taken off the rink straight away.
How it works
- In the ditch: a non-toucher in the ditch is dead.
- Rebounding: a non-toucher that bounces back off the bank, or off the jack or a toucher in the ditch, is dead.
- Too short: a bowl resting less than 14 m from the mat line is dead.
- Knocked out: a bowl pushed completely out of the rink by play is dead.
- Out on the wrong bias: a bowl leaving the rink on a curve that cannot bring it back is dead.
- Stopped outside: a bowl ending outside a side boundary is dead, even against a line jack.
- Not dead: a bowl that leaves the rink on its way but stops inside it; a toucher bouncing off the bank; a toucher resting on the jack or another toucher in the ditch.
- Deciding: the skips decide, later if needed; if they disagree, the umpire.
- Removing: a dead bowl is removed as soon as it is declared dead.
The glossary has the dead bowl, the ditch, the side boundary, the non-toucher, the line bowl and the original course.
Tricky cases
A bowl swings out over the next rink and curls back to finish near the jack. Live?
Yes. It is live if it stops inside the rink.
A bowl bounces off the bank back on to the green. Live?
Only if it is a toucher. A non-toucher that rebounds is dead.
Nobody noticed a dead bowl for three more bowls. Can it still be removed?
Yes. The decision can be made later, once someone realises it is needed.
A bowl is knocked so it rests half on and half off the rink. Is it dead?
No. It is a line bowl, still inside the side boundary in part.
Why the rule exists
Killing bowls that overrun into the ditch rewards control of weight. The 14-metre limit stops short bowls from being used as blockers close to the mat.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dead bowls | Ditch, short, out | WB Law 17.1 |
| Not dead | Back inside; touchers | WB Law 17.2 |
| Touchers | Live even in the ditch | WB Law 14.1 |
From the rule book
World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition (August 2022), Definition C.19 and Law 17. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Bowls Laws of the Sport of Bowls.