Short Mat Bowls is played indoors all year round, the aim of the game of Short Mat Bowls is to get your woods (bowls) closer to the jack (target ball) than those of your opponent. The jack is placed at the farther end of a green ‘rink mat’ 40 – 45 feet in length but only 6 feet wide, so you can't bowl too wide to get round the 15 inch wide block of wood placed dead centre across the mat. Luckily bowls are weighted on one side so they will curve round the obstacle , but it takes skill to get to the target ball or ‘jack’ at the other end.
Short Mat Bowls appears to be a relatively young sport as, according to the English Short Mat Bowling Association, it was introduced to England from Ireland in 1967. Formal rules of the game were not written until 1984, shortly after the ruling body (the English Short Mat Bowling Association) was founded.
Short Mat Bowls can be played as a singles game, but also with two, three or four people on a team. It is one of the few sports where men and women compete on equal terms and where age is no barrier. People who are less physically active can play on an equal footing to those who are fit, for example large rubber attachments can be put on walking sticks for those who need extra help with balance. Because short mat bowls is often played in smallish venues many clubs, including ours, do not have the room for wheelchair users to get on the mat.
Short Mat Bowls appears to be a relatively young sport as, according to the English Short Mat Bowling Association, it was introduced to England from Ireland in 1967. Formal rules of the game were not written until 1984, shortly after the ruling body (the English Short Mat Bowling Association) was founded.
Short Mat Bowls can be played as a singles game, but also with two, three or four people on a team. It is one of the few sports where men and women compete on equal terms and where age is no barrier. People who are less physically active can play on an equal footing to those who are fit, for example large rubber attachments can be put on walking sticks for those who need extra help with balance. Because short mat bowls is often played in smallish venues many clubs, including ours, do not have the room for wheelchair users to get on the mat.