Where can a bowler stand when delivering?
I · Intermediate · The game · 2 of 7The player to start an end places the mat on the centre line, at least 2 metres from the rear ditch and 25 metres from the front ditch. When delivering, a player must have all or part of one foot on or above the mat. Breaking this is a foot-fault: a warning first, then the bowl is stopped and declared dead.
How it works
- The mat: 600 mm long and 360 mm wide.
- Placing it: lengthwise on the centre line, the mat line at least 2 m from the rear ditch and 25 m from the front ditch.
- The mat line: the front edge; all distances are measured from its centre.
- Wrongly placed before the jack: the first player corrects it.
- Wrongly placed after the jack: the opponent places it and re-delivers the jack, but does not play first.
- After the first bowl: the mat position can no longer be challenged.
- Feet: before delivery, at least one foot wholly or partly on the mat; at release, all or part of one foot on or above it.
- Wheelchairs: one wheel on the mat, and on or above it at release.
- Foot-fault: first a warning; after that the bowl is stopped and declared dead.
- Wet weather: a player may turn the mat over for better grip.
The glossary has the mat, the mat line, the foot-fault, the delivery, the front ditch and rear ditch and the umpire.
Tricky cases
A player's back foot is in the air and the front foot is off the mat as they release. Foot-fault?
Yes, unless part of one foot is on or above the mat at release.
A foot-faulted bowl cannot be stopped and moves the head. What then?
The opposing skip chooses: put the head back, leave it as altered or declare the end dead.
Can the mat be moved during an end?
Only to put it back, straighten it or recentre it. Otherwise it stays where it was.
Who picks up the mat at the end of an end?
A player or the marker, placing it beyond the rear bank, unless singles players agree to carry it up.
Why the rule exists
A fixed spot for delivery makes every bowl travel the distance chosen for the end. Letting the starting player move the mat lets them choose the length that suits their side.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Mat position | 2 m and 25 m | WB Law 6.1.1 |
| Domestic play | The 25 m may become 23 m | WB Law 10.5 |
| Foot-faults | Warning, then dead bowls | WB Law 8 |
| Players with disabilities | Supports and kneeling allowed | WB Law 41.5, 41.6 |
From the rule book
World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition (August 2022), Definition C.20 and Laws 6, 7, 8 and 50. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Bowls Laws of the Sport of Bowls.