Short Mat v Long Mat - does size matter?

Does size matter? - well not at Horsham District Indoor Bowls Club where you can choose to play either Short Mat or Long Mat Bowls. Whilst many of our club members choose to play outdoors in the summer, we have a very busy summer season indoors.

Last weekend saw the inaugural event of our LVS Challenge Trophy where players from both of these disciplines took to the green to play against each other for the first time.

There was great hilarity at times - particularly for those Long Mat players who had never tried Short Mat before. Keeping the bowl on the mat was a significant challenge in itself and then there is a block of wood half way down the mat which you must not touch!! It is certainly not as easy as you might think!

All the games were triples - and teams played for one hour on both of the disciplines, with a break for refreshments at halfway and followed by a superb buffet at the end provided by our Caterer, Pauline, with drinks from the bar or tea/coffee.

The competition was to be decided on points - with two points for a win and one for a draw. Amazingly, at the end of the competition, it was a draw. Unfortunately, for the Long Mat Players, it was then about counting shots for and against and Short Mat came out on top. Well done to all those who took part and to Short Mat, the Victors!

Horsham District Indoor Bowls Club is a community club and we cater for all abilities and tastes. This event was great fun but was also about bringing two aspects of our club together - to get to know each other better and to have some fun. A great success and big thanks to Chris Mason and John Carlyle-Smith for their organisational skills.

Our club is open every day of the year, with the exception of Christmas Day and New Year's Day, from 9.30am to 9.30pm.

Members chose when they wish to bowl. There are winter and summer leagues and competitions, matches and regular quiz nights and social events.

Not everyone wants to take part in competitions, so we also run informal roll-ups, with our Bowls4Fun sessions on a Wednesday evening proving to be very popular. We also have a special introductory offer for those who want to 'try before they buy" - and our coaches are on hand to help new bowlers get used to everything.

We will be holding an Open Day in September - details will be published nearer the time.