Short mat bowls - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

History

The Short Mat Bowls game was first played in Wales by two South Africans who came to work in the area. They had played bowls

Bowls

Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...

outdoors in South Africa and, perhaps due to the poor climate and the long close season in this country, they began to play a simulation of the outdoor game on a strip of carpet in a church hall. Some time later, they moved to Northern Ireland and took the new game with them. Rules and conditions of play were drawn up and the game soon became well established in the Province. It was introduced into England by Irish expatriates, but development was slow until the 1980s when its potential as a low cost sport for people of all ages was realised. The English Short Mat Bowling Association (ESMBA) was formed in 1984, and is now the governing body of the sport in England.

Administration

The sport is administered in England at two levels, The ESMBA oversee administration of the National Championships and Inter County Championships in addition to running the National Squad. At a more local level, 28 County Associations arrange a series of League, One Day and Knockout competitions within their own geographical area. In 2009 the ESMBA launched a new National Club Championship event. The Final's Day was played at Rugby Thornfield with Kirby Bedon of Norfolk beating Warren Heath of Essex in the final. The latest figures from the ESMBA puts membership at 25211 bowlers in 928 clubs. The ESMBA rules of the game are followed by the affiliated clubs and also by most others. Most clubs arrange competitions among their own members as well as allowing time for those not wishing to take part in competitions to enjoy informal bowling.

Equipment

The foam or rubber backed rink mats, permanently marked with the required lines, can be purchased direct from the manufacturers or from sports equipment dealers, with or without the necessary mat furniture.

The ESMBA specify a minimum mat length of 40 ft and a maximum of 45 ft. The width is 6 ft. The cost of mats depends on the length required and also the quality of the material. The cheapest mats at present (2010) cost £650 and starter kits, comprising one 45 ft mat, two fenders, block, jack, two foot mats and two sets of bowls are available at around £900.

Where the game is played

Short mat bowls is an all-year sport unaffected by weather conditions and it does not require a permanent location as the rink mats can be rolled up and stowed away. This makes it particularly appropriate for small communities as it can be played in village halls, schools, sports and social clubs, hotels etc. where space is restricted and is also required for other purposes: it is even played on North Sea oil rigs where space is really at a premium.

How the game is played

The game is played in broadly the same way, and provides the same enjoyment and has the same attractions as lawn bowls and, indeed, many players participate in both games. The bowls themselves, and the smooth soled heel less footwear are the same as those used outdoors.

The object is for each player in a singles game or each team in a pairs, triples or fours to gain as many shots as possible by getting their bowls nearer to the jack than their opponents, and so outscore them.

The main differences in the playing conditions are the size of the playing area, the block that occupies the mid-position of the rink mat, and the ditch, which is actually a defined area of the mat surface. The intimidatory presence of the block, which prevents players from playing with force directly towards an opponents bowl to knock it out of a scoring position, and the narrow playing area, requires players to develop skill in using the natural bias on the bowls to bowl round the block. Bowls that touch the block, and those that come to rest in the dead area or in the ditch (other than those that touch the jack before going into the ditch) are declared "dead" and removed from the mat before the next bowl is delivered.

The primary skill requirement is in the fact that no two mats perform identically and all village halls have floors that are not perfectly flat therefore every competitive match is a measure of the ability of the visiting team to conquer an unfamiliar playing surface.

English County Championship Winners

Year	Premier Champ.	A Team Champ.	Premier Cons.	A Team Cons.
2010	Cheshire	West Midlands	West Sussex	Cheshire
2009	Cheshire	West Sussex	West Midlands	Cornwall
2008	Cheshire	West Sussex	West Midlands	Hampshire
2007	Cheshire	Kent	Shropshire	Cornwall
2006	Staffordshire	Kent	Cheshire	Hertfordshire
2005	Kent	West Sussex	Warwickshire	Gloucestershire
2004	West Midlands	Herefordshire	Cheshire	Gloucestershire
2003	Kent	West Sussex	West Sussex	Staffordshire
2002	Kent	Kent	Shropshire	London
2001	Kent	West Midlands	Norfolk	Northamptonshire
2000	West Midlands	Devon	Worcestershire	Northamptonshire
1999	Kent	Essex	Hampshire	Hampshire
1998	Kent	Essex	Shropshire	Lancashire
1997	Staffordshire	Somerset	Shropshire	Northamptonshire
1996	Norfolk	Staffordshire	Cornwall	Cheshire
1995	Kent	Cheshire	West Midlands
1994	West Midlands	West Midlands
1993	Staffordshire

World Short Mat Bowls Championships

Year	Venue	Singles Champion	Fours Champions *	Pairs Champions *	Triples Champions *
2010	Dumfries, Scotland
2008	Herentals, Belgium
2006	Hopton-on-Sea, England

International Short Mat Open

The International Open is the biggest open competition in Short Mat Bowls, it also offeres the highest prize money to date. The competition is organised by Craig Burgess and Barry Hedges of Essex. Both of the trophies being played for are in memory of their Fathers John Burgess and David Hedges.

The inaugural event was staged in 2010 and was held at Kempston Indoor Bowls Club, Bedford. This event had the biggest gathering of short mat bowls talent from all over Europe including England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Belgium & Sweden.

The 2011 competition will be played once again over Easter and held at a new venue, Havering Indoor Bowls Club, Hornchurch, Essex. The format has been changed to Fours and Pairs. The Fours will be played on Saturday 23 April 2011 with the Pairs being played on Sunday 24 April 2011. The prize fund will be £5400 depending on entries. Please visit www.shortmatplayerstour.com for all the latest news and entry forms

Year	Venue	John Burgess Trophy	David Hedges Trophy
2011	Havering Indoor Bowls Club, Essex
2010	Kempston Indoor Bowls Club, Bedford

St Georges Cup - (North v South)

The St Georges Cup was an idea from Nick Tideswell and Darran Beardmore. It would be an idea turned into reality in 2011 with the Short Mat Players Tour looking to form the competition with 32 players from the North of England against 32 players from the South of England.

2 captains were put forward, Darran Beardmore (North) and Craig Burgess (South). They then selected their 32 players who would take part in a Ryder Cup style event that had not been seen before in Short Mat Bowls.

All the scores and player records can be found at the Short Mat Players Tour Website. See links below

Year	Venue	Winners
2011-12	TBA
2010-11	Erdington Indoor Bowls Club, Birmingham	South of England

International Masters Singles

The first singles competition of its kind in Short Mat Bowls, brought to you by the Short Mat Players Tour.

Its once again an open competition so anybody can enter.
Date - 1st & 2nd October 2011
Venue - Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club, Surrey.

All games will be played 21up (first to 21 shots, unlimited ends). Players will be in a group of 4 with the top 2 in each group quailifing for the main knockout, the bottom 2 will go into the plate competition.

Please see the Short Mat Players Tour website for the entry form and more details.

Please note this was named the World Open Singles. It was changed as the World Short Mat Bowls Council had raised concerns over the use of the word "World"

Year	Venue	International Masters Singles Champion
2011	Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club, Surrey

External links

International Open Competition

International Open

Blogs

Short Mat Bowls Blog

National Governing Bodies

County Associations

Clubs

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