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Strange old game. from Howard Jarrold
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Those of you that have played since last Thurday will have noticed that the carpets are running much faster and the ' heads' are looking like an illustration from the hymn , We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land. Why?
If the carpet wasn't stretched and maintained on a regular basis it would soon show signs of wear and play unevenly. The act of stretching it changes the way a bowl runs on it because the friction generated between bowl and carpet is changed. This is called The coefficient of friction, and it has to be measured , and a formula created which conforms to the laws of physics. For the layman it has to be in a format that it is understood by one and all. So the method used in bowls is to measure how long it takes for a bowl to travel 27 metres from the ' T ' to the 27m. spot. Before stretching, rinks 5 - 8 stood at 17.4 secs.
The carpet was strtched and measured at 18.2 secs. Those of you still awake will have noticied that it now takes longer for the bowl to travel the 27m. Nearly one sec. slower !
The answer lies in the bias on the bowl. To travel the 27m ( The bowl is launched from the shute to take out the human element ) the bowl has to curve out and back, thus travelling further than the fixed 27m straight line standard.
To recap. Bowl starts from a fixed point on the shute and before stretching took 17.4 secs to travel a curved route to a point that is 27m.from the ' T ' measured in a straight line. The carpet is stretched and re - bowled. A wider arc is now required for the bowl to come to a stop on the 27m. spot. It now takes 18.2secs.
So the carpet is faster by about 1.6m. of distance but slower by nearly a second of time . I said it is a strange old game.
There is no easy way to master the new line and weight required. Practice holds the key.
Strange old game it may be but I love it. Probably because I'm a strange old man.
Howard
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Submitted date -
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Sunday, 05 Jan 2020
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