The object of the bowlsplayers is to gain as many points as possible by getting the bowl nearer to the small white jack than their opponents. The bowl is shaped asymmetrically and therefore it rolls in a curve towards the jack, which has been placed on the mat beforehand.
In this respect the game is similar to jeu de boules but more interesting, because of the curve made by the bowl.
One point is awarded for each bowl that ends closer to the jack than that of the opponent.
The player of the team with most points wins.
Bowls is mostly played in pairs, triples or fours but in singles as well.
In the Netherlands indoor bowls is played on a green needle punched felt mat which can be rolled, and is some 90 feet long and 12 feet wide.
On this mat a few dots form the line on which the jack is placed.
This jack line begins at some 7 feet from one end of the mat and is about 4 yards long.
The same holds for the other end of the mat, as the game is played from either end alternately.
The ditch indicates the end of the rink; it is 10 inches wide, and bounded by a fender.
On the website of the Nederlandse Indoor en Outdoor Bowls Bond (www.bowlsnederland.nl).