Background

Short Mat bowling in Cyprus began in November 2005 when Jim Allison was contacted by the Norfolk Short Mat Bowling Club, who asked if he could arrange local bowlers as opposition for a group of Short Mat bowlers arriving in Paphos for a bowling holiday. He managed to round up sufficient “volunteers”, including three with previous experience of Short Mat, however in the competition the locals, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience, came a distant second. 

Subsequent to the Norfolk bowlers returning home Jim put out some feelers about starting up a Short Mat group in Paphos and was delighted with the response. A suitable venue was found at the Crazy Spoon Restaurant, and in June 2006, with the co-operation and investment in equipment by Nikos, of the Crazy Spoon, the group was formed. The Crazy Spoon Short Mat Group started playing twice weekly at the new venue. Over the next few months attendances steadily increased comprising those new to the sport of bowls, lawn green bowlers wanting to try this new discipline, and bowlers on holiday.

In May 2010 the group, now with its own equipment, moved to a new location in Emba. To reflect the new location, which is the Shogun Karate Club, Emba, the group became the Shogun Short Mat Group. At the premises located at Nikolaou Ellina 133, Emba, Paphos, the owner, Γεοργε Μαvροματισ (George), has made the group very welcome and recently added nine overhead fans in the hall to cope with the warm weather.

Membership

There are no members, therefore there is no membership charge. You just turn up and pay as you play. If you are interested in trying one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, just pop along and watch, or better still have a go with our experienced and very friendly members. Each game lasts approximately 1 hour 15 minutes and there is free coaching for newcomers with assorted sizes of bowls available to use at no extra charge.

Short Mat bowling sessions at the Shogun are available on the following days:

Sunday          0930hrs       to          1330hrs,      teams drawn           0945hrs,

Tuesday         1015hrs       to          1400hrs,      teams drawn           1030hrs,

Thursday        0930hrs       to          1330hrs,      teams drawn           0945hrs. 

There are two games each day with a break in the middle for refreshment. There are four mats available and up to 32 persons per game can be accommodated. Other times and days can be arranged with a minimum of 8 persons attending! There are now in excess of 70 players playing at various times at the Shogun.

 

Training

 

Monday (0930hrs for 1000hrs start)

 

The training sessions are available to new members and beginners. Tuition will be given by Jimmy and Dave Richards. Bowls will be supplied and flat soled shoes must be worn!

 

Events.

The 2011 competitions are going very well, with a large increase in entries across the board, due, in the main to the many newcomers who have been willing to compete, albeit with a little gentle prompting.

The ladies final was played on the 28th June, 2011, with Val Walden and Catherine Allison vying for the honours. After a very tight competition Val overcame Catherine and is the Shogun 2011 Ladies Singles Champion.

Graham Mattox overcame Ronnie Strachan in a very close and enthralling Gents final on Sunday 26th June, 2011. Graham will now go forward to represent the Shogun at the Island Finals later this year as the Gents Singles Champion.

The Mixed pairs competition reached the final stage on Sunday 17the July. The line-up consisted of  Alexis and Graham v Derek and Maria. Derek and Maria got off to a flyer but their progress came to an almighty halt when they lost a seven on the 9th end to trail Alexis and Graham for the first time in the match. However a four at the next end restored their lead which they held on to the end and will now represent the Shogun at the Island Finals later this year as the Pairs Champions.

The Triples and the Rinks competitions are now underway, with both competitions due to be completed by the end of August.

All competition winners will represent the Shogun at the Island Finals, to be held at the Short Mat venue in KAMA, Protaras, on the  7th, 8th and 9th.Oct, 2011. For photos of the new facility at Kama, click here.

Towards the end of this year, 23 short mat bowlers from both the Shogun and Latin Parish clubs embark on a 2 to 4 week holiday in Malaysia. During the first two weeks indoor and outdoor lawn bowls matches have been arranged against local opposition. Although the majority of travellers have previous experience of the full length game, playing against experienced and "professional" opposition will be a test of everyone's abilities. Click here for details of the trip.

The Shogun and Latin Parish clubs still enjoy the friendly games played every month with results over past 4 months (March - June 2011) being fairly even.

Shogun Presentation Evening

The presentation evening for the 2011 Competitions was held at Costa's Taverna in Koloni on Tuesday 28th February, 2012. Click here for details of the night.

The programme: 1830 hrs - Presentation, 1900hrs - Meze meal, 2000hrs - Dominoes Round Robin.

 

 

 

Click on the above for details of past competitions

           

Contact details.

 

Jim Allison, Tel: 26960522, Mobiles:99983684 or 99883426,  

Email: allisonj@cytanet.com.cy

 

If you need any further information about the Shogun or are interested in arranging a fixture with the group, contact the above.