That's the spot: Division two skip John Boyd signals to his lead bowlers in Saturday's match against Mathoura, which was brought forward by three hours to avoid the predicted 38ºC heat of the afternoon. Photos: Rohan Aldous
Sign language is an important part of lawn bowls, participants in the popular year-round sport developing their own unique language during the years — probably a result of the 40-metre distance that generally separates the bowler and the skip, situated at opposite ends of the rink.
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Finger pointing, upturned hands, hat tipping, thumbs up and, my personal favourite, the “I once caught a fish this big’’ signal giving bowlers an indication of where they sit before sending down their next bowl.
At the Rochester, Rich River and Mathoura bowling clubs on Saturday all of those familiar gestures, and more, were on full display as three matches went to the wire — teams separated by only one shot at the end of the morning.
Competition in the Campaspe playing area on Saturday was brought forward four hours to avoid the 38ºC heat of the afternoon — but the scorching temperature did not temper the often animated body language of the lawn bowlers.
Cliffhanger: Rochester’s sixth-ranked Division four weekend pennant team lost by just one shot to third-ranked Mathoura on Saturday in a tense battle which caused Bev Hetherington to clench her fists as a result of a misplaced bowl.
Hot and bothered: Mick Ellis shows the frustration of his rink’s 15-shot loss on Saturday in the Division-three match with Mathoura. Ellis bowled as third to Jenny Major, the team losing 13-28 as the visiting team won all three rinks
That's a handful skip: Kevin Burrow throws a handful of fingers in the air signafiying a five-shot end win to skipper David Murray in Saturday’s Division-three match against Mathoura at the Rochester Bowls Club.
