The short mat was laid down in Anderson House on Friday September 16, two weeks earlier than usual, because the outdoor greens are now closed for the season.

Jeff Machan, Carnarvon Cup winner and many times champion in outdoor tournaments, rolled the ceremonial first bowl. He rolled a perfect length to finish close to the jack. Not a bad first try for a newbie to the short mat game! Resting on his glory, he declined to roll another and repeat the feat, arguing correctly there could only be one “first bowl of the season.” 🙂

Organized triples games begin September 23; league games are scheduled from October 3 on. This means there are many open slots for drop-in play and coaching sessions in the first two weeks, as you can see on the short mat calendar. Just drop in at any time and roll a few to get your hand in for the coming session.

If you are new to the game, you can sign up for one of the coaching sessions September 26-October 1 on a list posted in Anderson House. You can also contact Dolores Troyer, Harnam Grewal or John Cossom to arrange a coaching session at a time that suits you better. If you have played outdoors, you already pretty much know how to play the game, but the coaching sessions will acquaint you with the differences between the short mat and the outdoor game.

For those of you who are not league players, you are really encouraged to try the daily social triples games. Since the playing space is so much smaller, these games really are “social” games, with a more intimate atmosphere than the outdoor game. We have just the one mat, so each daily game is restricted to no more than six players.

From September 23 on, you can book a place in up to ten of the scheduled triples games using the triples booking form. There tends to be a bit of a rush when the booking opens, so it is a good idea to look at the triples booking sheet now and pick out your preferred times to play, so that you are ready to book on September 23.

Have a good short mat season!

Reporting: Chris Slade