Short Mat Bowls Origins
There is usually insufficient space for full-size bowls strips indoors. For that reason, an indoor version called Short Mat Bowls has become popular with a large following all over Britain and Ireland. Like many indoor games, it is really a just a smaller version of the outdoor game which enables it to be played more easily indoors but still keeping as many of the outdoor features as possible. It is played on a mat, with full-size bowls, the mat usually able to be rolled up and put away for convenience. There is a ditch area marked at the end of the mat with white fenders and to compensate for the shorter distance a block is placed in the centre of the mat. This makes it impossible for a bowler to aim a fast straight bowl at the jack area - all bowls must use the bias to curl around the block o their target.
Historically, as far as we know, the short mat bowls game was first played in South Wales by two South Africans who came to work in the area. They had played bowls outdoors in South Africa and possibly because of inclement British weather and wanting to play all year round, they began to play a version 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 interest was low until the 1980's 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.
Here is a summary of the primary differences between the Outdoor game and Short Mat Bowls:
Short Mat Bowls is, of course, played on a mat indoors. The mat is 12.2m min - 13.75m max long and 1.83m wide.
Short Mat Bowls has centre block which is 0.38m long which must not be touched by a bowl. This prevents high force shots being played.
In Short Mat, a bowl must pass over the "dead line" or else it is removed from play.
The Short Mat Jack is positioned on a central line. The Short Mat Jack is heavier than either a Lawn Bowls or an Indoor Bowls Jack.
The ditch of Lawn Bowls is simulated by wooden fenders that surround the rear of the mat.
How Bowls Are Made
Step 1. Black bowls are made from a Phenol Formaldehyde grey powder, with a dye added to make them black. Some coloured bowls are made from Melamine, which starts life as crystals, the crystal being the colour of the bowl, so the colour is right through the bowl, this is extremely strong, and offer very good non-fade characteristics. Others are made by adding a dye to the powder.
Step 2. The raw materials are then weighed very carefully for the various models and sizes. Using a high frequency pre heater, the granules are then melted down to form a putty like substance, which is then poured into a mould, which resembles the shape of the bowl. Different moulds are used for various models.
Step 3. A 150 ton press then compresses the material, which squeezes out excess gases & liquids from the mould. Some of this excess remains around the bowl, which is then trimmed off with a hot knife later in the process, this is the ring that can sometimes be seen around the running surface of the bowl. Bowls are moulded in one piece and lugs still remain on the bowl for the next part of the tooling process, however the moulding must first cure, and this can take up to 10 days. Once cured the bowl is ultrasonically tested to check for air bubbles (trapped gases) which if found means the bowl is completely discarded as waste.
Step 4. After this important process the bowls goes to the diamond bit lathe. Once mounted, a specific computer programme for the bias of this particular bowl is punched in, and the bias is cut to shape in seconds with extreme precision.
Step 5. Now the bowls will have either dimple or rings cut in. A cutting/drilling machine holds the bowl by suction, so the rings or dimples can be cut or drilled in with the utmost accuracy. The bowl is now beginning to resemble a bowl, but is unpolished. An experienced highly trained person now matches 4 bowls for weight (there is a tolerance of only 3gms between the 4 bowls permitted.) The bowls are then marked with a code, and are kept together in the factory as a set.
Step 6. At this point the first table test occurs, to make sure the bowls conform to the World Bowls Master Bowl test. The bowls are then adjusted on the lathe, if found to be under or over biased. This is very rare occurrence due to the accuracy of the computerised lathes that are now used.
Step 7. After this important test the bowls are then placed in a big drum filled with silicone chips, the drum slowly rotates, gently polishing the bowls to a high gloss finish.
Step 8. Then comes the engraving. A laser machine engraves all 4 bowls at the same time according to a pre-loaded programme and the bowls are sent to the paint shop for painting. A further table test is then carried out to check against the World Bowls Master Bowl, after which the bowls are then packaged and ready for sale.