Upper Beeding Short Mat Bowls Club

Upcoming events

View our calendar for the next session

Who’s the group suitable for?

Anyone – beginners up to experienced bowlers. Any new bowlers are given tuition to get them started.

Why join Short mat bowls clubs ?

Short Mat Bowls is a great, fun sport for people of all ages.

How much does membership cost?

About the Upper Beeding Short Mat Bowls Club

Upper Beeding Short Mat Bowls Club belongs to the West Sussex County Short Mat Bowls Association and plays in its league as well as the knockout cup. Currently they have several players in the county’s representative sides. The club caters for beginners up to experienced bowlers with new bowlers given tuition to start them off.

Short mat bowls was started as a sport that could be played in village halls and community centres. It was started in Upper Beeding in 1990 by the Village Hall committee as a means of having a regular booking. Horsham District Council’s Leisure Link team provided the equipment and soon a regular group of players was gathered together. In August 1990 the local Club was formed and purchased its own equipment.

The game is played on 45ft mats which are 6ft in width and our Hall can easily accommodate two mats. It’s similar to other forms of bowls except there is a wooden block in the middle of the mat which, to some extent, stops players from ‘firing’. Short Mat Bowls has its own rules which are laid down by the national body, the ESMBA. Shoes need to be flat, smooth soled so that the mats are not affected when players walk on them.