Ancaster Municipal Lawn Bowling Club

Leagues

Traditional league and interclub play are suspended.  Our bowling schedule has been modified to meet the current conditions of play, and will continue to change over the course of the 2021 season.  Please contact us for updates.
Summer Lawn Bowling

The outdoor bowling season begins in early May and concludes in late September.

Jitney — Mondays 6:30 p.m.

All members welcome

Usually two games, fourteen to sixteen ends in total

$2.00 per evening includes prizes and refreshments

Open Bowling/Practice for Interclub — Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:00 p.m. (Mondays when pre-empted by tournaments)

All members welcome

No charge

Pizza League — Thursdays 10:30 a.m.

All members welcome

One game (jitney), twelve ends

$2.00 per day, with pizza every fourth week and cash prizes every eighth week

Kut-Throat Kapers — Fridays 6:30 p.m.

All members welcome

Three six-end games

$2.00 per evening includes prizes and refreshments

Interclub Leagues
Traditional league and interclub play are suspended.  Our bowling schedule has been modified to meet the current conditions of play, and will continue to change over the course of the 2021 season.  Please contact us for updates.

Men's & Women's — Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.

Sign up to join our teams and enjoy the chance to meet and play against other clubs in our district.  Both leagues (women's and men's) use the same schedule and therefore play at the same locations on each date.  The leagues start at the end of May and run until early September.

All members are encouraged to participate.  Please check the clubhouse bulletin board for more information and contact our Interclub representatives to add your name to the list of bowlers.

Winter Indoor Short Mat Bowling

The indoor bowling season begins in October and concludes in April.

Short mat bowls caters to everyone from youngsters to active seniors and there are programs for beginners of all ages and abilities.

The game is played by rolling the bowl along the mat in an attempt to get as many bowls as you can closer to the jack than those of your opponent.  Unlike outdoor lawn bowling however, these bowls have to negotiate a small wooden block placed in the middle of the mat.  If you strike the block, or roll your bowl off the delivery mat, your bowl is considered "dead" and is removed from the game.

Contact: Joseph Hodgson 905-648-5976.  Additional details can be found here

Membership

Memberships may be purchased at the Club's Annual Open House or through our Membership Coordinator, Joseph Hodgson who can be contacted at Coaches@AncasterLawnBowling.com.  Fees for Indoor Short Mat Bowling are payable directly to the Program Coordinator who can be contacted at Coaches@AncasterLawnBowling.com.

Our fees have been decreased temporarily as we begin the gradual return to our full activity schedule.

Full membership
  • Outdoor Lawn Bowling (May-September) – $100; includes $30 OLBA annual fee
  • New Adult Members pay $100 plus one time assessment of $25
  • Indoor Short Mat Bowling (October-April) – $100 ($70 for bowlers who have already paid the OLBA fee)
Secondary membership
  • Outdoor Lawn Bowling - $70 - for bowlers who belong to more than one club and have already paid the OLBA fee
Junior membership (up to age 24)
  • Outdoor Lawn Bowling - $50, includes $30 OLBA annual fee
  • Indoor Short Mat Bowling - $65 ($35 for bowlers who have already paid the OLBA fee)
Associate (Social) membership
  • $10; does not include bowling
  • the fee for associate members wishing to participate in indoor short mat bowling is $90
Locker rental
  • N/A for this season

First year bowlers have first priority and first choice of club bowls.  Because there will be restricted access to the clubhouse during our return to play for 2021, new bowlers may rent club bowls for the season at the nominal rate of $20.  Returning members may also rent club bowls provided that the needs of first year bowlers can be met.

AMLBC name tags and club shirts: Wearing a name tag and/or a club shirt makes it easier for everyone – to know and remember names, and to help new members feel more comfortable as they get to know everyone.

It is anticipated that members who participate in interclub league teams or other specified club activities will wear club shirts to provide uniformity in appearance and conformity to dress codes where applicable.

Club shirts are available in men's and women's styles, in solid purple with optional white embroidered club name and individual name.

Contact Sue Cole at AncasterLawnBowling@gmail.com to order a club shirt and/or name tag.

Volunteer Opportunities:

Our club relies on volunteers!  We need hosts to help prepare and serve refreshments for our regular club activities (Monday & Friday evenings and Wednesday Interclub home dates) and for our five open tournaments (Tuesdays).  We also need convenors for our Special Events.

Outdoors, there is regular but non-strenuous maintenance to be done on our gardens, decks, landscaping and equipment.

Members, please consider how you might be able to help and sign up at the clubhouse.

Game Play & Terms

If you're new to lawn bowling, think about attending our Annual Open House.  You can also arrange for basic instruction through any of our club coaches who can be contacted at coaches@AncasterLawnBowling.com.  Non-members must sign a waiver of liability before stepping onto the greens.

Check out the OLBA site for more information:
https://www.olba.ca/learn-about-lawn-bowling.html

Rules & Etiquette

Basic etiquette in lawn bowling is to be courteous to all and demonstrate good sportsmanship.

  • Please refrain from shaking hands.  Although shaking hands before and after a game is traditional, the current public health protocols do not permit doing so at this time.  We encourage players to look for other ways to extend courtesies to your fellow bowlers.
  • Do not distract your opponent when he/she is preparing to deliver
  • Commend a good bowl from either team
  • Do not criticize a green when visiting a club
  • Protect the greens (do not bounce bowls; choose the right footwear)
  • At the moment, please refrain from sharing the task of gathering bowls upon completion of an end.  We will be able to do so again after the current public health protocols are removed.  Currently, bowlers are only allowed to touch their own bowls
  • See links below for Rules, more details and tips

Other Clubs

Clubs in our District 5 who participate in the outdoor Lawn Bowling Interclub League include:

  • Burlington
  • Dundas
  • Grimsby
  • Hagersville
  • Roselawn (Hamilton)

Online Resources

Sponsors

Thank You to the following sponsors for supporting lawn bowling and tournament play at Ancaster:

Some stylized texts with a large capital A stating Ancaster Denture Clinic Kyle Zimmerman, Denturist
Ancaster Denture Clinic
47 Wilson Street East
Ancaster L9G 2B3
905-648-3313
www.ancasterdentureclinic.com
Some stylized text with a circular Toyota logo Joey Kurahara, General Manager
Ancaster Toyota
30 Mason Drive
Ancaster L9G 3K9
905-648-9910
www.toyotaofancaster.ca
Some stylized text with a single white tree superimposed on a brown circular logo Jim Panoff, Manager
378 Wilson Street East
Ancaster L9G 2C2
905-648-3852
www.dbancaster.ca
Some stylized text with a prescription Rx symbol Janet Rastin, Owner
323 Wilson Street East,
Ancaster L9G 4A8
905-648-6343
www.rastinspharmacy.ca
Two stylized white letters, T and D on a green square background Mary Lou Caruso, Manager
Meadowlands Branch
TD Canada Trust
977 Golf Links Road
Ancaster L9K 1K1
905-648-7222
www.td.com