Free Marker Training

---

The rink length is from 40 to 45 ft (12–14 m) with a width  of 6 ft (1.8 m). The rink has the required  lines permanently marked. A wooden fender is placed at both ends to  keep the bowls from rolling off the rink. A block sits in the middle of the rink; players have to avoid having their bowls hit the block on their way down the rink. The 'jack' is the target that sits near the end of  the rink.

Length of play

As with most variants of bowls, short mat bowls has a variable length of play. In traditional games such as crown green bowls and indoor bowls,  winning lead players have the opportunity to throw the jack to the length they wish to play the next end from. In short mat bowls; the game  has been simplified, to allowing the winning skip to simply place the  jack on a 'jack line'; to determine the length of the next end.

How the game is played

Short  mat bowls is very similar to lawn bowls in that the object is for each  player, or team, to take turns rolling bowls (balls) down a rink in an  attempt to get as many of the bowls as possible closer to the target  (the 'jack') than the opponent. The main difference is in the size of the playing area and the presence  of the block midway down the rink. The presence of the block  prevents players from knocking their opponents' bowls away from the jack  by sheer force; players are required to use the natural bias of the  bowls to maneuver around the block. Any bowls that touch the block, or  land in the ditch or dead area, are dead and are removed before the next  bowl. The skill in playing short mat bowls comes from the bias of the  ball and the inconsistent playing surface.

Sign up by sending an Email to Kim Heiser at kimheiser208@gmail.com