PAPER BOWLS GAME

SOURCE: 

http://www.businessballs.com

For groups of six to thirty people.Play as a team game in pairs, threes, fours or fives, which keeps everyone involved all the time, and introduces teamwork and tactics.The game is essentially team bowls (played like beach bowls or green bowls) using balls of newspaper.

Scoring is one point for each ball closest to the 'jack' ball. If a team gets say three or four of its balls closer than the balls of any other team then three or four points would be scored accordingly. The potential to score high - notably for big groups split into big teams - means a winning team can emerge surprisingly late, which sustains full involvement of all players.

EQUIPMENT:

A floor or corridor giving at least 5'x15' playing area.

A sheet of newspaper for each player.

A different coloured roll of electricians insulating tape for each team
(to differentiate their balls from other teams).

Tape measure for the facilitator.

The larger the floor area then the more energetic the game will tend to be. The game can also be played outside provided there is no strong wind. (For a more messy game outside for kids, supply a bucket of water and instruct that the balls should be wet..)

INSTRUCTION:

The winner is the player/team who rolls or throws their ball(s) to stop nearest the 'jack' (a smaller ball, suitably different, rolled by the facilitator or a contestant to the far end of the playing area). Decide order of play, which should be a player from each team in turn.

VARIATION/RULES:

Play a specified number of 'ends' (rounds), totalling the points to produce the eventual overall winning team. Or play 'ends' until a team reaches say five points. Or more points for a longer game. (Decide a points target mindful of total maximum score per round per team - for example teams of five can potentially score five points in one round.) A player may roll or throw his/her ball at another player's/team's ball to dislodge it or achieve a position nearer the jack.You'll need a clearly understood rule in the event of the jack being hit out of the playing area, if this can happen. (For example replace the jack to its starting position, which should therefore be marked by the facilitator; or mark the position at which the jack left the playing area as the target.) If you are running this as a reasonably big activity, offer a trial game first for players to practise, develop tactics, and to clarify rules.In any event, you can offer players the chance to practise rolling their balls a few times before the start of the game (they'll probably do this anyway..).

The game is very adaptable. Consider and decide your own rules and scoring for your own situation.If playing the game with individuals (for example in a small group of five), allow players two balls each. This makes the game more interesting for individuals, in which the order of throwing can be reversed for the second ball, making it fairer for all, assuming playing only one 'end'.Or play big 'marbles' instead - best on a square playing area - in which players eliminate other players by rolling their ball to hit another player's balls. Players take turns to roll their balls. The winner is the last player remaining whose ball has not been hit by another ball. Players have to decide how close to risk leaving their balls to other balls, so it becomes quite a tactical exercise. Simplest rule here is to eliminate only the first ball hit with each roll, not rebounds.

REVIEW POINTS, optional, chiefly for team play, for example:

Would you use different tactics, knowing now how the game is played?

Was the teamwork good or could it have been better, if so how?

Did the construction (of the balls) affect the quality of play/performance?

How competitive did the exercise feel? Why?

What advantages arise from playing in a team?

How would you change/develop the game to improve it?