Lawn Bowls with a narrow bias

BrianWilliams

For playing Bowls indoor either short Mat or Long Mat I understand Bowls with a Narrow Bias are preferable. I am looking to purchase a second hand set as I do not want to spend a lot of money on a new set. I was wondering what brands types of bowls have a narrow or straight bias. Thank You

AnneMarie4687

You could try Hensilite Tiger, Almark Sterling Slimline or Drakes Pride Fineline .All these I believe have a narrow bias. Often Bowls clubs themselves have bowls for sale . Alternatively look on E Bay or Gumtree but then you are buying blind. If possible best to try out the Bowls before you buy or at least get the feel of them for grip, size and weight.

captainbeaker

If possible I would suggest sticking to the same manufacturer as they should have similar grips and feel to your current model. what bowls are you currently using? On a fast indoor surface it is probably better considering a heavyweight bowl so they are harder to dislodge.
It may also be good to see if someone could let you borrow there bowls for an end or two so you can see the difference between those and your own.

ThirdThoughts

Hensilite Tiger are straight bowls and are probably in my opinion more suitable to short mat bowling than outside lawn Bowls. You will lucky if you find a sceond hand cheap set, I have been looking for some time and have found nothing yet. I only require them as a second set and don't want to buy a new set at the high price. I prefer my Drake Pride set with a bias for outside bowling

JohnM1946

I was looking to purchase a second hand set of Bowls off E Bay or Gumtree as I do not want to purchase new one due to a restricted budget. Many of them that are for sale are from charities (like the British Heart Foundation, Air Ambulace etc) and they do not state the size and weight etc. However there is usually a photograph of the bowls . Where from the photograph of the bowls can I decypher from the witing the size weight etc.

Ollie_Orpin

The size and weight is always on the Bowl somewhere. Some manufactures bowls size are eaily identifiable otheres like Drakes Pride can be more difficult to find. Remember if buying Bowls off the internet-EBay etc- they are sold as seen. So you should be fully aware of the size and weight you require before purchasing. If you play bowls outside and are considering playing Short Mat bowls you may want to buy a second set of Bowls for the latter with a narrower bias. I have found this helps me.

Tinks74

The size is not always on the bowl, I use a pair of Thomas Taylor crown green bowls and the only writing is Thomas Taylor, Glasgow, Full Bias, no mention of a weight at all.
These are an old pair, I have used them for 10 years and my mother used them for years before me, so they are possibly of a similar age to ones you may find if you are looking to buy from a charity shop.

It might be worthwhile going to a few games and speaking to a few bowlers, some of them are quite friendly and may let you have a few ends with theirs to see if you like them, some of course may not but you can always try lol.
If nothing else you should be able to have a look at some of the names on the bowls.

I found this guide online which may help
http://www.whiteheadbowls.co.uk/page/choosing-bowl-size/40/

And this store seems to offer some good advice
http://www.bowlsworld.co.uk/second-hand-bowls/
For the record I have no links to and have not knowingly purchased anything from this store so cannot vouch for them in that sense.

Good luck anyway.

LadyDee

BrianWilliams wrote: »

For playing Bowls indoor either short Mat or Long Mat I understand Bowls with a Narrow Bias are preferable. I am looking to purchase a second hand set as I do not want to spend a lot of money on a new set. I was wondering what brands types of bowls have a narrow or straight bias. Thank You

I play with Taylor Slimline which seem to work well for Lawn or Short Mat - never played on Long Mat but I should think they'd be fine. Check out the Julian Haines website, there are often secondhand bowls available through the forum there and lots of very good advice available too.

bushhillbowls

For Short Mat Bowls, a narrow bias is the wrong bias! In order to get around the centre block and back to the middle in such a short distance, you need a really wide bias bowl. I would suggest a Taylor Lignoid as the most appropriate model.
Jerry Sanders - Bowls England Level 2 Bowls Coach

bushhillbowls

Henselite makes 4 different models of Tiger bowls - Tiger, Tiger Evo, Tiger Pro and Tiger II

They all have different biases, and none of them are 'straight' when used indoors. Even outdoors they have a significant curve, with the Tiger II being the narrowest of the range.

They differ from the Henselite Classic model in that the classic has a lateral hook at the end of its run, drawing it back in very quickly to the centre line as it slows down.