HUERTANO BOWLING
The practice this traditional sport requires for the gamete be played on flat earth fields called rails, rectangular in shape and of a length of 35-40 m by 4 to 5 m width. The elements involved are: skittles and balls.
The number of pins for each match is 6 or 9. They come in the form of a tubular, elongated timber pin, 68 to 75 cm in height, with a base of 6 to 8 cm in diameter. The duration of the matches will be just the right time for the participating teams to throw the number of hands set by the federation.
The number of players is limited to three per team or two if playing in pairs; the game starts with the players launching the balls to knock down the pins; these balls are made of olive tree hard wood.
Game length: 30 hands – allowing the necessary time for the teams to get the set number of hands.
Rules of the game: the hand is the basic unit of the game. The game starts with the release of the ball by the players. It consists of making three shots by each team - one by each player. The captain of the team is called “handle“ and he’s the one who decides the most appropriate shot on each hand. In case of a tie six more hands are played.
The moves most commonly used are: el mande, la birla, a vueltas, las mudas y a copas.
In Murcia there is a Huertano bowling territorial federation of the Murcia Region which includes about a hundred clubs. Among the most relevant players we mention: Manuel Redondo, Angel Fernandez and Antonio Belmonte.