I have had a few enquiries for the rules of this fun event so please excuse this effort to clarify it and possibly facilitate my attempts to do so by email and attachments.   For us, it is easier to set up on a grass green, since the "Rivers" are marked by brightly coloured mason line that needs to be flat to the grass (to avoid moving it with careless shuffling).   I find that stretching it from bank to bank and holding it in place with two-inch staples (firmly pressed into the grass at the boundary lines) works well.   However, on the Artificial green, tape has also been applied successfully (although it might depend on the nap as to what degree of permanence the tape has--or whether you take one in the afternoon).   With a staple at the outer edge of the green and another between each rink, each cord thus needs at least 9 staples--and there are four cords!

I did attempt, via the Julian Haines Bowls forum, to see if anyone had heard of the game elsewhere without response nor therefore success but I believe a member originally brought it back from his winter vacation in Arizona or maybe Texas--although they used a single "River" halfway between the ditches, which results in a lot of pushing bowls to the mat following each end.   I decided to French-Canadianize it to distinquish it from that game and added a second River, leaving me room to use the lovely verb "portage" (pronounced por'tahj) as the game's principle action.

WHY? It makes possible a better control over the distance bowled, there being about 20 metres (initially) between the Jack and Mat edge.   When training new bowlers, especially the groups of students sent by local schools, this 'levels the playing field' so to speak between those who have no difficulty belting the bowl from ditch to ditch and the others who can't get their hand fully around the bowl to control it.   Besides, at half the green length, it is much easier to coach them.   When just playing it among members, it practises the short game and the art of deliberately hitting the jack in a preferred direction and for a limited distance.

The layout takes two persons perhaps 40 minutes, measuring, aligning, stretching, pinning, and chalking the green (for the mat and jack start-positions).   Here's a picture of a single green of 8 rinks:

Assuming a 40 metre green, the first river has cords at 7m and 9m from the north end.   From the south end, the same measurements, leaving 22m space between.   Chalkmarks for the jack and front-edge of mat are added AT BOTH ENDS within that space.   21m is the targeted distance from mat to the starting position of jack.   Once the jack is pushed into the river, 22-23m is the distance bowled.   A jack and mat for each end are provided.   Assuming North is starting position, north jack is left in 'out of bounds' area until following end, likewise the south mat. JACK: Play starts according to most standard laws, except mat and jack are placed at chalked position.   Until the jack has been displaced such that it is touching a boundary (of the river) or IN the river, the continued object of the player is to push the jack into play.   If too energetic a delivery pushes the jack (that is not already in play) past the back boundary or outside a rink boundary line, the jack must be returned to its former position (which we find useful to mark with a disk--no, not a CD or DVD).   In other words, the jack may be moved more than once before it goes into play.   Once jack is in play, it is again marked with a disk (or coin, but they keep getting picked up!).   If the jack (that is already in play) is displaced such that it is pushed out of bounds, it is returned to that marker (or as close to it as possible without moving a bowl.)   Yes! The jack cannot be killed (maimed maybe, but revived) once it is pushed into play.   If the jack never does enter the river, and the final bowl has come to rest, the end has no score but is considered played. BOWL: Initially the objective is to get the jack into play by moving it gently.   A bowl is never chalked, however, and if it stops short of the front river boundary, it is removed to the out of bounds area beyond the river.   If the delivered bowl or a displaced bowl comes to rest past the back boundary or outside a rink boundary line, that bowl is no longer in play (regardless if it touched the jack).   Closest in-play bowl to jack and all like it--as usual--scores.   Right! If only the jack remains in play after the last bowl comes to rest, no score, end played. NEIGHBOURING RINK BOWLS: Same as Crystal Mark, except as above...best to STOP it happening! (And if your name happens to be either Crystal or Mark, I apologize.)

Enjoy the game! Any Questions?! email Pete Williams