Team bowling involves a group of players that compete on the same team against another grouping, with the team that achieves the highest cumulative score declared the winner of the match. While bowling teams can consist of anywhere from three to five players, the standard for competitive team bowling is five players. Teams try to make best use of each player's individual skill sets by creating a "lineup" that dictates the order in which players will take their turns (first, second, third, fourth or fifth).
The order in which each player will bowl is determined by the player's average score, a statistically calculated score that takes into account all of the player's past performances in order to arrive at a number that is indicative of the score the bowler can be expected to achieve on a night-to-night basis.
The first bowler is responsible for getting his team started with good momentum and scores.
The second and third bowlers are generally a bowling team's weakest members. It is expected for them to make the most mistakes over the course of the game.
The fourth bowler is responsible for continuing the team's success or making up for the mishaps of the previous three bowlers.
The fifth bowler is the star of the team and is fully expected to end the frame on a high note by knocking down each of the pins with ease on the first shot. This is known as a strike and adds a large number of bonus points to the leadoff bowler's next two shots.