Short mat bowls is a 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 clubhouses, 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, genders and abilities who play and 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 Herefordshire Premier Team squad for the 2022-23 season can be viewed here
Congratulations to Kate Williams on her selection for the 2022-23 England Ladies
squad
It has been decided that the 2022-23 Winter League will be a 2-mat Triples format.
This will now be the format for the Winter League going forwards.
The County Pairs competition was successfully defended by John Mills (Woolhope) and
Joe Loveys (Gorsley Chapel) defeating the Woolhope pairing of Shirley & Becci Cox
in the final Details
The HSMBA Calendar page has been updated to reflect the provisional timetable for
events through to the end of the 2022-23 season
Ross teams dominated the County Triples with Elaine George, Les Wiiliams & Peter
Wright edging out Rob George, Dave Watkins and Ian Roe in a closely fought final
after both sides had progressed unbeaten throughout the tournament Details
Congratulations to Woolhope on winning their club’s 17th successive Winter League
title. They defeated Ross A in their final match to complete a clean sheet of wins
for the season and consign the Ross team to their 14th runners-up spot in those 17
years. The Division 2 title was won by Ross B with Llangarron securing the runners-up
place Div 1 Div 2
The first County Championship for this year, the County Fours, was won by the Woolhope
team of Shirley Cox, Bryan Watkins, Anthony Rogers and John Mills. The runners-up
were the Ross team of Sue Dix, Rob George, Dave Watkins and Ian Roe Details
Following consultation with players it has been decided to enter one team in the
Inter County Championship next season. Herefordshire will play in the Premier competition
and trials will take place on the 27th and 28th May at Larruperz
Congratulations to Shirley Cox, Kate Williams, John Mills and Joe Loveys in following
up last year’s National Mixed Fours victory with a run to the semi-finals in this
year’s competition. The Herefordshire quartet were denied another tilt at the title
by the narrowest margin of an extra end defeat to a Devon team in their semi-final.
The committee is pleased to announce that Ruth Martin (Aston Ingham), who was recently
co-opted onto the committee, has agreed to take on the role of County Safeguarding
Officer. We are grateful to Ruth for accepting this role which is integral to the
operation of the association.
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
