Key points
- Two modes: flip-over cards (each player picks a face-down card) or an automatic draw from a list of names.
- From 1 to 60 lanes, any numbering, lanes excluded with a single click, play on pairs (1-2, 3-4…) or lane by lane.
- Balanced distribution: at most one player's difference between lanes and between pairs, adjustable by hand.
- Options: bowling order, keeping clubs apart, lane rotation each game.
- Auto-save in the browser, history of the last 10 draws, printing, CSV export and full screen.
How do you run a bowling lane draw?
- Choose the mode. Flip-over cards recreate the feel of drawing names from a hat: each player comes up, clicks on a face-down card and sees their lane in large print, ideal on a screen or tablet on tournament night. The automatic draw assigns a whole list of names in one go, handy for preparing the evening in advance.
- Describe the lanes. Enter the number of lanes available and the number of the first one (for example 12 lanes starting from lane 7). Click on a lane to exclude it if it is out of order or reserved.
- Enter the players. A number for the cards, or a list of names (one per line) for the automatic draw. You can add the club after a semicolon: “Salma ; ASBM”.
- Check the suggested distribution, adjust it if needed with the − and + buttons, then run the draw.
The result is shown by lane or by player. You can print it to put up at the centre's front desk, export it to CSV for Excel, copy it into a WhatsApp group or project it full screen.
Playing on a pair or on a single lane
In competition, players most often bowl on pairs: two neighbouring lanes (1-2, 3-4, 5-6…) form a pair and players alternate from one lane to the other every frame. This is the rule in sanctioned tournaments, because it evens out small differences in lane oil between two lanes. With the “Play on a pair” option, the tool first balances the number of players per pair, then between the two lanes of each pair: with 26 players on 6 pairs, four pairs get 4 players and two pairs get 5, never more than one player's difference.
For a night out with friends or a birthday party, untick the option: each lane is then treated separately.
| Players | Lanes | Resulting distribution |
|---|---|---|
| 16 | 8 (4 pairs) | 2 players per lane, 4 per pair |
| 26 | 12 (6 pairs) | 2 or 3 per lane, 4 or 5 per pair |
| 40 | 10 (5 pairs) | 4 per lane, 8 per pair |
| 30 | 6 (3 pairs) | 5 per lane, 10 per pair |
A truly random and fair draw
The shuffle uses the Fisher-Yates algorithm and the browser's cryptographic random number generator: every possible order has exactly the same probability, with no bias. The lanes that get one extra player are also drawn at random. The keep clubs apart option prevents, as far as possible, two players from the same club or the same family ending up on the same pair: useful for an inter-club event such as the Intercity Strike Cup.
Several games: lane rotation
In many tournaments, players change pairs between games so they do not have to cope with the same lane conditions all day. Enter the number of games and the shift: with a shift of 1 pair, the player on lane 3 bowls the next game on lane 5, then 7, and so on, going back to the start after the last pair. Players keep their side (odd or even lane). The “By player” view gives the lane for each game.
Your draws stay on your device
No account and no sign-up: the current draw is saved automatically in your browser's local storage. If you close the tab or your battery dies in the middle of a draw, just reopen the page to pick up exactly where you left off. The last ten completed draws remain available in the history. The list of players is also kept, which is handy for a league that meets every week.
This tool builds on and extends the lane draw used by the ASBM (Association Sportive du Bowling Marocain, the Moroccan Bowling Sports Association) for its weekly league at Megamall in Rabat.
Frequently asked questions
How do you spread players fairly across bowling lanes?
Divide the number of players by the number of lanes: each lane gets the quotient, and the remainder is handed out one place at a time to different lanes, starting with different pairs. The tool does this calculation automatically and guarantees at most one player's difference between lanes and between pairs.
What is the maximum number of players per bowling lane?
In competition, there are generally 2 to 4 players per lane (4 to 8 per pair). For casual bowling, centres often allow up to 6 or 8 players per lane, but the game gets long. The tool accepts up to 12 players per lane.
What does bowling on a pair mean?
Two neighbouring lanes form a pair (for example 5 and 6). Players alternate between the two lanes every frame, which evens out differences in lane oil. It is the standard tournament format.
Is the draw saved if I close the page?
Yes. The current draw and the history of the last 10 draws are saved in the browser of the device you are using. They are not sent over the internet, so they cannot be seen from another phone or computer.
Can I exclude a lane that is out of order?
Yes: click on the lane in the lane map to exclude it. In pairs mode, the whole pair is excluded, since players alternate on both lanes.