Help
Answers to the questions bowlers and organisers ask most. Tap a question to open it.
Nothing matches that. Try another word, or message BWLS on Facebook Messenger.
Getting started
What is BWLS, and is it free?
BWLS lists crown green competitions in one place: opens, merits, festivals and county games, with dates, venues, closing dates and how to enter. Draws, results and rankings are added by bowlers and organisers.
It's free to use, and there are no adverts.
Do I need an account?
Not to look. Anyone can see what's on, draws, results and rankings without signing in.
You only need to sign in to add a competition, add an entry list, draw or results, or keep my list.
How do I sign in?
There's no password. Tap Sign in, or Add then Add a competition, and tap Continue. Type your email address and tap Email me a sign-in link. Open the email and tap the link, and you're signed in.
You can open the link on a different phone or computer from the one you asked on. For example, ask on your computer and tap the link on your phone: your computer signs in by itself, as long as its BWLS page is still open. Your phone then says Done. To sign in on your phone as well, ask for another link on your phone.
If the page you asked from has been closed, your phone offers Sign in here instead. Links work for an hour and only once.
I didn't get the sign-in email
- Give it a minute or two. It can take a little while to arrive.
- Look in your junk or spam folder. It comes from BWLS. If it's there, move it to your inbox before tapping the link (in Outlook and Hotmail, choose Not junk): links don't work while an email is in junk.
- Check the email address is spelt right. Tap Use a different email to type it again.
- Use more than one email address? If it says the link wasn't sent to an address, type the one you asked for the link with and tap Sign me in.
- Still nothing? Ask for a new link, or message BWLS on Facebook Messenger.
I keep getting signed out of the home screen app
The BWLS icon on your home screen keeps its own sign-in, apart from your phone's browser. When you tap the link in the email, it opens in the browser.
To sign in on the icon:
- Open BWLS from the icon, tap Sign in and ask for a link.
- Tap the link in the email. The browser says Now go back to where you asked for the link.
- Go back to BWLS on the icon. It signs you in by itself.
If it doesn't, ask for a new link from the icon and try again.
You only need to do this once. After that the icon stays signed in until you sign out.
Does my login from the old BWLS site still work?
No. This is a brand new BWLS site, and everything on it is new, so logins from the old site don't carry over. The first time you use it, sign in with your email address. There's no password: see How do I sign in? You only do this once on each phone or computer.
Tried this site before it went onto bwls.club? You need to sign in once more; your list and everything you've added are still there. If you put its icon on your home screen then, remove that icon and add it again: see Can I put BWLS on my phone's home screen like an app?
How do I sign out?
Scroll to the bottom of the page. Next to your email address there's a Sign out link.
How do I switch to dark mode?
On a phone, tap the moon at the top of the page. On a computer, scroll to the bottom of the page and tap Dark mode. To switch back, tap the sun at the top, or Light mode at the bottom. The site remembers your choice on that phone or computer.
Can I put BWLS on my phone's home screen like an app?
Yes. It opens full screen from its own BWLS icon, and there's nothing to download from an app store.
Opened BWLS from Facebook? Facebook shows it in its own browser, which can't do this. Tap the three dots (•••) at the top, then Open in browser (or Open in Safari or Open in Chrome), then follow the steps below.
iPhone: open the site in Safari, tap the Share button (the square with an arrow). If you can't see it, tap the three dots (•••) first, then Share. Then tap Add to Home Screen, then Add.
Android: tap Add to home screen on the card in What's on, or Add BWLS to your home screen at the bottom of the main page, and then Install. Or open the Chrome menu (the three dots) and tap Add to home screen or Install app. If Chrome asks, choose Install, not Create shortcut.
Samsung phone? Use Chrome, not Samsung Internet: see My phone says "Unsafe app blocked".
My phone says "Unsafe app blocked" when I add BWLS
BWLS is safe. This message comes from Google Play Protect when you add BWLS from Samsung Internet, the browser that comes on Samsung phones. Samsung's browser builds the home screen icon in an old way that newer Android phones block.
Tap OK, then add BWLS from Chrome instead:
- Open bwls.club in Chrome.
- Tap the three dots at the top right.
- Tap Install app (or Add to Home screen), then Install. Choose Install, not Create shortcut.
The BWLS icon then opens full screen like any other app. You may need to sign in once more the first time you open it.
Finding and entering competitions
How do I find competitions near me?
On What's on, pick your county from the County filter, or type a club, venue or town into the search box. A town finds the clubs with its postcode, so Leeds finds Farsley (LS28). A small spelling slip still finds it.
You can also filter by Who can enter, Format and Entry fee. On a phone these are under More filters. Clear filters puts everything back.
Switch between Full list and Calendar at the top of the list. Use Jump to month to go straight to a month. On the calendar, tap the arrows by the month name, or on a phone swipe the calendar left or right, to change month. Months with nothing on are skipped.
How do I enter a competition?
BWLS doesn't take entries or payments. Each competition is run by its organiser, and you enter with them.
Open the competition and look in its details. They show the entry fee, when entries close, how to enter and who to contact, until the competition starts. On a phone you can tap the number to call the organiser. If no one to contact has been added yet, ask at the club or message BWLS on Facebook and we'll find out.
What do the coloured labels mean?
Each colour means the same thing everywhere on the site:
- Today – starts 6:30pmOn today but not started yet. It shows the start time, or "time not confirmed yet" if the organiser hasn't given one.
- LiveBeing played right now. It starts showing half an hour before the start time (9am if no time was given) and stops once it's finished, the organiser marks it finished, or 10 hours after the start (11pm at the latest). Once scores go in it shows the round, for example "Live: Semi-finals".
- Waiting for scoresOrange means it's been played and we're waiting for the results. Waiting for scores means none added yet, Results so far means some are in. Postponed is orange too.
- ResultsFinished: the final has been played or the winner is in, or a qualifying night's qualifiers are in. If a game further back still has no score, opening it says so. Under the Results heading on Draws & results the tag is left off, because the heading already says it.
- Draw availableGreen means something useful has been added: Entry list, Draw available, Teams out, Draw available for final, Qualifier 1 results (or Qualifiers 1 and 2 results, and so on; on a phone Q1 results, Q1 / Q2 results) or Qualifier results.
- Next on Sun 1 NovGrey means nothing to do for now, such as a competition played over a few days between its days.
- NewAdded in the last 7 days. It shows as a small mark after the format, for example "Open Pairs New".
- CancelledThe competition won't go ahead.
What does "21up" or "31up" mean?
It's how many points (shots) a game is played to. In a 31up, the first player or pair to 31 wins the game. Most games are 21up.
What do "Qualifier 1 of 4" and "Finals day" mean?
Some competitions have qualifying nights and then a finals day. Each qualifying night has its own row, so Qualifier 1 of 4 (on a phone, sometimes just Q1) is the first of four qualifying nights. The finals day has its own row too (shown as Final on phones).
Opening a qualifying night shows that night only. Opening the finals day shows every qualifying night and how far each one has got.
What does New mean?
New means the competition was added in the last 7 days.
To see only new competitions and ones that have changed in the last 7 days, tick Only show new or updated in the last 7 days.
Where are competitions that have already been played?
Look in Draws & results, or tick Show past competitions on What's on.
Draws & results shows anything being played today first, then the latest results, then draws and entry lists for what's coming up. Anything with new results, a new draw or a new entry list that you haven't opened yet has a green dot next to its name. The green number on the tab ("3 new") is how many have one. Open one and its dot goes, and the number drops by one.
My list
What is my list, and what does "Going" mean?
My list keeps the competitions you're going to, playing in or watching. Open a competition and tap Add to my list. It then shows Going.
For competitions with qualifying nights, add each night you're going to. My list is private to you, and works on any phone or computer you sign in on.
What is "This is my name – link it to me"?
Tap your name on any entry list, draw or result to open your player page, then tap This is my name – link it to me.
After that, any competition with your name on the entry list or draw is added to my list for you, and the ones you've played show under Played.
It then asks Which club do you bowl for? Your club shows next to your name on the rankings, so bowlers with the same name can be told apart. To change it later, open your player page and tap Change club. To take it off, tap Change club, then Remove club.
For organisers
How do I add a competition?
Tap Add at the top, then Add a competition, and sign in if asked. The form has five steps: What is it?, Where?, When?, How to enter and How is the prize fund split?. Each step gets a green tick once it's done, and the line above the Publish button says what's still to fill in. A preview at the bottom shows how it will look on What's on.
Got a poster? Tap Fill in from a photo of the poster at the top of the form and take a photo or pick one. It fills in the form for you to check. Anything it guessed or couldn't read is highlighted, and anything else on the poster (rules, side prizes) is listed above the form. Nothing goes on the list until you press Publish. If the photo also shows the draw, it appears at the bottom of the form as step 6, The draw, for you to check and correct before you publish; it's published with the competition (tap Don't publish the draw to leave it off). A numbered list of names (the finalists on a finals night, say) goes in as who's entered, because the poster doesn't say who plays who; if the numbers are the draw, tap Use it as the draw in step 6. If it shows who's entered, that opens filled in as soon as you publish. This counts towards your 5 photos a day.
A poster with more than one competition on it (an Open Doubles, an Open Singles and an Open Mixed Doubles, say) is read in one go. The first one is filled in. To do a different one first, tap its button (or, when there are lots, pick it from the list). Tap Skip this one for any you don't want to list. Any that are already on BWLS (the same club on the same day) are marked already on BWLS as soon as the poster is read, so you can skip them; and if you press Publish on one by mistake, the Is this already on BWLS? box has a Skip this one button too, so the rest of the poster isn't lost. If you close the form before you've been through them all, it tells you how many haven't been added yet and asks first, because adding them later means reading the photo again. See more (going straight to the entry list or draw) is offered on the last one only, so it can't leave the others behind; you can add entry lists for the others from the list afterwards. After you publish one, the form opens again with the next one filled in from the same photo, so it counts as one photo. The club, contact and how to enter carry over to each one unless the poster says one is played somewhere else; check each one's dates, format and entry fee.
Start typing the club under Venue and pick it from the list: if it's been listed before, the postcode and county fill in for you.
Under When? you pick what kind it is: One day, Over a few days, or Qualifying nights and a finals day. Under How to enter, the entry fee and prize fund are required: put 0 if there's none, or tick Not known yet: the list then shows no fee, and the competition says "Not confirmed yet" until you add it. If there's prize money, fill in at least one place under step 5, How is the prize fund split?, as it counts towards the rankings. To leave all of this out, tick Don't add this competition to the BWLS rankings at the top of step 5. It usually goes on the list straight away.
Every day needs a start time. Practice from is optional; if you add it, it shows next to the start time. For qualifying nights, give each night its date and start time. If they're a week apart, fill in the first night and tap Same night each week? Fill in the rest, then change any times that are different. If a night is at another green, tap Different venue this day? under it.
If a competition is already listed at the same club on one of the same days, a note by the Publish button asks Is this already on BWLS? Tap Open that one to look at it, or Publish anyway if yours is a different competition.
Anyone can add a competition, not just the organiser. If you add someone else's name and phone number as the contact, make sure they're happy for it to be shown.
How do I change, postpone or cancel a competition?
Sign in with the same email you used to add it, open the competition and tap Edit. To postpone or cancel, change its Status. Changes show straight away.
Didn't add it yourself? Message BWLS on Facebook Messenger and we'll change it.
How do I add the entry list or the draw?
Open the competition and tap Add draw (it says Edit who's playing once an entry list is in, and Change the draw once a draw is in). Choose Who's entered for the entry list, or The draw.
Draw wrong? Tap Change the draw on the competition, type over any name that's wrong and save. Scores already in are kept. Was the draw made by drawing numbers? Tap Set the draw from the numbers drawn, type the number each player drew and tap Lay out the draw: number 1 plays number 2, 3 plays 4 and so on (this clears any scores). If the draw is laid out wrong, tap Draw laid out wrong? Fix it to move games or change the number of players (changing the number clears the scores).
For an entry list, type one entry on each line, or paste a whole list from Facebook or the club sheet into the first line.
Anyone signed in can add or correct an entry list or draw.
How do prelims and byes work in the draw?
Tell us how many players entered and whether the prelims are at the top or the bottom of the draw sheet. The draw is laid out for you: the prelim games, everyone else in the next round, and lines such as "Winner of prelim 9" where the prelim winners go.
Games are numbered 1, 2, 3 in each round. With prelims at the bottom of the sheet, the round after them is games 1 to 8 (in a draw of 32) and the prelims carry on from 9. With prelims at the top, the prelims come first and the round after them carries on. A player with a bye shows a bye label. When you add results, the form only shows the rounds with players in, and the next round appears as winners move into it.
Who can add results?
Anyone signed in. Open the competition and tap Add results. Type the scores like a spreadsheet and winners move through on their own.
Quicker still: open the competition and tap Edit results at the top of its results. Every game gets two score boxes, with any score already saved shown in them. Type in the scores you have, or change one that's wrong, then tap Save on the bar at the bottom of the screen, once, when you've finished. Cancel throws away what you've typed. While editing, a player shown as To be confirmed can be tapped to type their name in.
Copying from a results website? Paste the whole page into the box under the draw and it fills in for you.
Got the sheet on paper? Tap Fill in from a photo of the sheet (or Fill in this night from a photo for a qualifying night) and take a photo or pick one. It fills in the names and scores for you to check. Anything that wasn't clear is highlighted. Nothing is saved until you press Save. Each person can read 5 photos a day.
Add the prize money too, under Prize money. It counts towards the rankings.
Anything played with no results yet is listed under Waiting for scores on Draws & results, just under the latest results. To go straight there, tap Add at the top, then Add results. Once you're signed in, an orange line at the top also lists them: tap it to go straight there. If it was on your list, or you added it, My list reminds you too.
A result is wrong. How do I fix it?
Sign in and open the competition. Tap Add results or Edit results at the top of its results. Every game gets two score boxes on the page: type in the ones that are missing, or change one that's already in. As you type, the next round opens with the winners in it, so you can carry on to the final. Tap Save at the bottom of the screen when you're done. To change the names in the draw, tap Change the draw. For prize money, notes or a link, tap Change prize money, notes or links while editing. Anyone signed in can correct results.
Results put on the wrong qualifying night, or on the final when they were a qualifier? BWLS or whoever added the competition can move them with Move to another night or Move to a qualifying night, then save.
How do team events work?
Team events are added as a one-day fixture with a contact. Before the day you can Add the teams. Afterwards, add the results as a scorecard for each green, and the games, aggregate and best result are worked out for you.
Team events don't count towards the rankings.
Rankings and players
How do the rankings work?
Rankings come from the results added to singles and pairs competitions. You can sort them by Prize money, Wins or Qualified. Under Show, Last 12 months comes first: it counts competitions that finished in the last 12 months, so the table stays full when a new year starts. Pick a year, such as 2026, to see just that year (this year so far, or a past one). The top 16 show first; tap Show all for the rest and Show fewer to go back. Players level on everything share a place, shown with an equals sign, for example =1. Search by name. Once you've said This is my name – link it to me, your row is marked You and Find me takes you to it.
- Wins (the gold trophy): competitions won.
- Runner-up (the silver trophy): runner-up places.
- Qualified: times a player got through a qualifier to finals day.
- Prize money: every round that paid out, from the winner down to the last 64. In pairs, the prize is split between the two players.
Team events don't count. A competition only counts once someone has added its results.
My name is spelt wrong, or I'm in the rankings twice
Message BWLS on Facebook Messenger with the name as it shows and how it should read. We can rename a player or join two entries together.
I don't want to be in the rankings
Message BWLS on Facebook Messenger with your name as it shows in the rankings, and we'll take you off. Everyone below you moves up a place, and your player page closes. Your name still shows in the draws and results you played in. Message us again any time to be put back.
A result under my name isn't me
Two bowlers can share a name. Message BWLS on Facebook Messenger with the competition, and we'll move it to the right bowler.
Privacy
How do I get the weekly email, or stop it?
Sign in, then tick Email me the weekly BWLS round-up. The box is on the sign-in screen, at the bottom of every page next to your email address, and on My list. You get one email a week, with the competitions on your list, what's on this week, new competitions and results.
To stop it, tap Stop these emails at the bottom of any weekly email, or untick the box.
What do you do with my email address?
We only use it to sign you in, to send you the weekly email if you've asked for it, and to link you to my list and anything you add. BWLS admins can see the email addresses of people who have signed in, and when they last used the site, so they can help with sign-in problems and put mistakes right. We don't share it with anyone else. The privacy page has the full details.
Can I have my name taken off a result?
Yes. Message BWLS on Facebook Messenger and we'll remove it.
Still stuck?
Questions about a competition itself, like entries or start times, are best sent to the organiser listed in the competition's details. For anything about this site, message us.
Message us on Messenger (opens in a new tab)