NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME. COME AND GIVE IT A TRY. FIRST SESSION FREE!
Summer Season 2025 commences Monday 1st April
During the Summer Season bowling will only be available on Mondays
Autumn Season 2025 - Thursday bowling will recommence on September 11th 2025
The club was formed in April 2007, by our now Honorary President, Dan Tunnicliffe, on behalf of the St Andrews Church Memorial Hall Committee to interest and attract older, potentially socially isolated, people in the villages of Kirk Ella and Willerby, as there was an identified need for more social events in the area.
The club is now run entirely by its members and the focus of the club is to provide a short mat bowling activity in Kirk Ella, Willerby and the surrounding area.
The aim of the club is to provide a fun, sociable, worthwhile community activity for all.
We are based at St Andrew's Memorial Hall, Beverley Rd HU10 7QA
The club currently meets twice a week on Monday and Thursday afternoons from September through to April.
The bowling starts at 2pm and finishes at 4pm with an additional 30 minutes both before and after to set up and put away the equipment.
Car parking is available at the hall and there is also a free public car park just across Beverley Road to the right of Sainsburys.
Buses also run to Willerby Square including 154, 54.
Short mat bowls is played indoors on a 45ft x 6ft wide foam backed carpet. Similar to all variations of bowls the aim is to end up with your bowls/team's bowls closer to the jack than your opponents. The bowls used are the same as those used in lawn bowls, fairly heavy and with a bias. The bias is necessary because to make bowling that more difficult a block of wood is placed halfway down the mat!
The club was originally set up using two second-hand mats and a few sets of second-hand bowls just meeting once a week on a Thursday afternoon. The popularity of the club has since increased to two afternoon sessions a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.
We have been fortunate enough to receive financial help from both East Riding Council and Willerby Parish Council which has enabled the club to purchase new mats and other equipment.
We now have three mats as well as some sets of club bowls which can be used by anyone wanting to give it a try.
Once all the equipment has been set up and all fees have been, taken usually by 1.50pm, a random draw for teams takes place. Each person draws a disc from the bag which indicates which mat they are bowling on, which team on that mat they are in and which position in the team they will play for the first 6 ends.
After every six ends "all change" is called and everyone moves up a bowling order within their team. Everyone gets the opportunity to play in each team position and no one needs to be concerned about arranging teammates to play with. It is also great for getting to know other club members as you never know who you will be playing with or against.
Anyone is welcome to come along to the club and give it a try at no cost for your first visit. You will receive a warm welcome and club bowls will be available for you to borrow. Please bring along a clean, flat-soled pair of shoes to change into to help protect the mats. Help and guidance will be given to anyone who has never tried short mat bowls before. To reassure you, the majority of our members had never bowled at all before their first session at short mat!
Please arrive before 1.45pm so we can source the club bowls for you and if you can let us know to expect you that would be helpful. (Contact details below.) Alternatively you are welcome to drop in during a session if you just want to watch and get a feel for the sport.
If you decide to join then there is a twice yearly membership fee of £10 (September & January) and a £4 fee for each session you attend. We have a break part way through each session with tea/coffee, and biscuit included.
Email : bgih@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 01482 650157