Interesting game : Bowling

Bowling is a game in which balls are rolled at an object or group of objects with the aim of knocking them over or moving them Bowling can refer to two distinctly different types of game. The first is played along an "alley", most commonly made of synthetic material imitating a wood surface. Historically, bowling lanes were made of wood, however most centers around the United States have upgraded to the synthetic playing surfaces. Several sports involve a ball rolling towards a target, in this case pins, here the players attempt to score points by knocking the targets down. ... Many consider bowling to be a simple game, but it is actually a complicated sport.To begin to understand why bowling is so complicated you will need a little back round information first. Such as the different kinds of lanes, what oil is, the different lane conditions, how to keep score, the different kinds of approaches, what ball reactions are, what the difference is between the three kinds of bowling balls, and how to bowl. (Richardson) First you need to know that there are two different kinds of lanes. The most common type lane is the synthetic lane. This type of lane is called synthetic because it is actually man made imitation wood. The other type of lane is wood. Wood lanes are called wood lanes because they are made of wood. The synthetic lane is seen more often today since it is easier to maintain then the wood lane.(Richardson) The synthetic lane is easier to maintain because the wood lanes have to have an oil finish on them to protect the lane from the ball when it is rolled on it. So since the balls are rolled over and over on the lane the oil wears away and has to be applied at least twice a day. Where as the synthetic lane are still oiled, but not to protect the lane. In the sport of cricket, bowling is the action of propelling the ball towards the batsman. A player skilled at bowling is called a bowler. A single act of bowling the ball towards the batsman is called a ball or a delivery.

There are rules in the Laws of Cricket governing how a ball must be bowled. If a ball is bowled illegally, an umpire will rule it a no ball. If a ball is bowled too far wide of the batsman for him to be able to hit it, an umpire will rule it a wide.

In the early days of cricketing history, underarm bowling was the only method employed. Initially, all bowling was performed with an underarm action. Later, an English woman, who used to play cricket alongside the gentlemen and whom was attired in the dress of the day for a lady, a long, widely blousing dress, was having difficulty in bowling with an underarm action due to the blousing dress and to counter this she began to bowl with an overarm delivery method. Soon after, a gentleman who witnessed this action began to employ it in club cricket matches, however, the overarm method was quickly banned and determined to be illegal. It was not until 1864 that the method was finally accepted by cricketing authorities and grew rapidly in popularity amongst all players. By the 20th century, underarm bowling had disappeared from the game.

An infamous "underarm bowling" incident occurred during a One-day International match between the Australia and New Zealand teams, in which the bowler took advantage of the fact that underarm bowling was still legal by rolling the ball along the ground. By doing so he avoided the (unlikely) possibility that the No. 10 New Zealand batsman would score a six from the last ball to tie the match. As a result of this incident underarm bowling was subsequently banned as not within the spirit of the game.

To achieve the goals of bowling, a variety of tactics have been developed. Naively, bowling directly at the batsman's wicket seems a good idea, as this provides chances to get the batsman out bowled or leg before wicket. However, most batsman are capable of defending against such deliveries, especially if they expect them. A more promising line of attack is to bowl away from the wicket, and entice the batsman to play a shot at the ball in the hope of scoring runs. A mistimed stroke or deviation of the ball in flight can result in the ball being hit in an unintended direction, either on to the wicket or - more likely - to a fielder for a catch For more information on Bowling please visit the Bowling resource center.