Who plays first in lawn bowls?
I · Intermediate · The game · 1 of 7Before a game, one trial end is played in each direction. The skips, or the singles players, toss a coin, and the winner chooses whether to place the mat and deliver the jack and first bowl, or to make the opponent do so. After that, the winner of each scoring end starts the next.
How it works
- Trial ends: one each way before the game, or before finishing a game on another day.
- Domestic play: the controlling body may allow none, or one in one direction.
- Bowls in trials: no more than the number used in the game; any mix of sets.
- The toss: skips, singles players or side coaches toss a coin.
- The choice: play first, or make the opponent play first; the opponent cannot refuse.
- A toss before the trials: the choice applies to the first trial end and the first end of the game.
- The start of play: the delivery of the jack in the first end.
- Later ends: the winner of the previous scoring end places the mat and plays first.
- After a tied end: the same rule, except that a tied first end means the same player starts the second.
The glossary has the trial ends, the toss for opening play, the mat, the jack, the tied end and the skip.
Tricky cases
The toss winner wants the opponent to go first. Can the opponent refuse?
No. The opponent must place the mat and deliver the jack.
The second end is tied. Who starts the third?
The winner of the last scoring end, which was the first end.
Can players use more bowls in the trial ends than in the game?
No. A player using too many loses the bowls remaining in the trial ends.
Can trial ends be played on another rink?
No. They must be on the rink the game will be played on.
Why the rule exists
Trial ends let players read the pace and the bias on the day. Letting the winner of an end start the next gives them control of the mat and jack length.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Trial ends | One each way | WB Law 5.1 |
| Toss | Winner chooses | WB Law 5.2 |
| Sets play | Toss for the first set; first set winner starts the second | WB Law 56.4 |
From the rule book
World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition (August 2022), Laws 5 and 24. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Bowls Laws of the Sport of Bowls.