Puzzle Description

Bowling by the Brook is a 100XXL puzzle by Steve Crisp. It measures 49 cms x 34 cms when complete which are the same dimensions as a regular 500 piece puzzle. It is made especially for those who prefer to work with pieces that are very large.

Lawn bowling or Bowls, as opposed to 10 pin bowling, takes place outside and is therefor at the mercy of the elements. The game goes back over two thousand years to Ancient Greece and Rome. The prototype Italian Boccia was and still is played by throwing (rather than rolling) a small ball at a distant target called a jack in a specially designed sand pit or just in some agreed area suitable for the purpose.

Bowls has not always been the pursuit of the over seventy white linen mob. Bowling in middle England was often associated with pubs and gambling and was even sanctioned by Royal decree. The game eventually came under the ban of king and parliament, both fearing it might jeopardise the practice of archery, then so important in battle. Statutes forbidding it and other sports were enacted in the reigns of Edward III, Richard II and other monarchs. Even when, on the invention of gunpowder and firearms, the bow had fallen into disuse as a weapon of war, the prohibition was continued. The discredit attaching to bowling alleys, first established in London in 1455, probably encouraged subsequent repressive legislation, for many of the alleys were connected with taverns frequented by the dissolute and gamesters.

The bowling lawn has to be flat and smooth with only a nap for its surface which will allow the bowlers to make their best shot possible without having to worry about a slope on the green or a surface that is uneven or too thick and therefore slow. The bowls are made of wood and are not perfectly spherical but are slightly flattened on either side and have a bias built in so the when the bowl is rolled it will naturally slowly turn left or right, depending on where the added weight has been placed. As the bowl slows the bias becomes more evident and the bowl will curve quite dramatically as it comes to a stop, hopefully near the jack.

This delightfully illustrated puzzle by Steve Crisp therefore belies the less than genteel history of a game which might have lead to all manner of skullduggery and wanton behaviour, including, no doubt antics beyond mere harsh language.

***All puzzles shipped from Canada Puzzles are packed in heavy duty cardboard boxes and are insured against loss or damage.***