Short mat bowls is a relatively recent variant on the ancient sport of lawn bowls,
played indoors on a specially manufactured, pre-marked mat. The sport, which is played
socially and competitively in village halls and other community spaces, does not
require a permanent location as the portable mats are rolled up and stored when not
in use. The sport is played by all ages, sexes and abilities who can compete together.
HSMBA is the organising body for short mat bowls in Herefordshire. We are affiliated
to the ESMBA, the governing body in England, and we run leagues, county teams and
open competitions as well as generally promoting and developing the sport within
the county.
A good place to start for newcomers is our Introduction section where you can find
out more about the game, how to start playing or how to go about establishing a new
club. Enjoy looking around our website and please use the Contact page to provide
feedback or to find out more.
Latest News
The ESMBA have issued a statement regarding play beyond the 19th July. Safe Bowls
Status is no longer a requirement for affiliated clubs although the ESMBA still recommend
it and will continue to issue certificates. For clubs restarting without Safe Bowls
Status there is a Covid Awareness Guidance Checklist to complete, primarily for internal
club use. The full statement can be found here ESMBA 19 July Statement and the Covid
Awareness Checklist can be found here Covid Awareness Guidance Checklist The HSMBA
committee will issue further guidance in due course as we consider a return to organised
bowling
The AGM of the association will be held at the Larruperz Centre on Wednesday 27th
October
With a number of key committee positions needing to be filled at the upcoming AGM,
prospective committee members may wish to know what is involved in the roles. A full
set of Officer Role Descriptions is available on the Resources page and you are encouraged
to speak to any existing committee member about what is involved.
An Emsmorn bowls trolley bag has been added to the For Sale / Wanted page
The HSMBA committee have taken the decision not to enter the ICC competition for
the 21-22 season. A poll of county squad players indicated a range of positions regarding
players’ current attitude towards playing and, coupled with the low level of bowling
activity currently taking place in the county and continuing uncertainty regarding
the relaxation of restrictions, it was felt the risk of being unable to fulfil fixtures
was too high. The current focus will be on re-establishing bowling activity within
the county and rejoining the ICC competition for the 22-23 season
The March 2021 ESMBA route map towards re-starting short mat bowls is here
All of the updates from the ESMBA, together with all of the Back to Bowls and Safe
Bowls Status documentation can be found on our dedicated web page ESMBA Coronavirus
Information
The HSMBA will hold an AGM in October 2021 by which time it is hoped that clubs and
members will be active and playing again and a less restricted physical meeting can
be held. This AGM is important as there are a number of key roles to be filled on
the HSMBA committee in order for the association to continue to function. The current
committee will remain in place until that time and will make the necessary initial
plans for the 2020-21 season.
With only 3 Herefordshire clubs currently holding Safe Bowls Status, and no short
mat bowls play possible before 17th May at the earliest, the decision has been taken
to cancel this year’s Summer League. The committee will work towards re-starting
organised competitive bowling with the 2021-22 winter season.
The 19-20 Winter League has been determined based on average points secured by a
team in completed matches. Congratulations to Woolhope A on securing their club’s
16th consecutive title ahead of Ross A in the runners-up spot. St Martins club led
the way in Division 2 with St Martins Hawks winning the division from St Martins
Falcons Division 1 Division 2
