How do tied ends, the final bowl and extra ends work?
Rule- Australia
- Bowls Australia
- World Bowls
- Laws of the Sport of Bowls
- Crystal Mark 4th Edition
- Open age
- 2026/27
- Players
Tied end (law 24). No shot is scored if it is agreed that the nearest bowl of each side is touching the jack, the nearest bowls are the same distance from the jack, or no live bowls are left within the boundaries of the rink. The end is declared tied and recorded on the score card as a completed end. Following a tied end, law 5.4 applies: in ends after the first (other than an extra end), the winner of the previous scoring end places the mat and delivers the jack and the first bowl. If the first end is tied, the same player plays first in the second end.
Final bowl (law 25). The last player in an end does not have to deliver the final bowl, but must tell the opposing skip (or opponent in Singles) before the process of deciding the shots starts. That decision is final.
Extra end in a knockout (law 28). If scores are equal after all ends in a knockout competition with a fixed number of ends, an extra end is played. The skips (or opponents in Singles) toss a coin and the winner decides who plays first. The extra end is played from where the previous end was completed. If it is still tied, another extra end is played, with a fresh toss.
Source: World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls Crystal Mark Fourth Edition, laws 5.4, 24, 25 and 28, https://www.worldbowls.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Laws_of_the_Sport_Fourth_Edition.pdf
Updated 24 Oct 2026