Ballon Community Centre is a hive of activity every Wednesday morning from 11am to 12.45 pm when a group of people come together to play Short Mat Bowls. Thanks to funding received from County Carlow Sports Partnership last May the Community Centre received a mat and a set of bowls.  Ballon is very lucky to have local people like Tom & Eileen Kealy who are experienced Bowls players and who give very generously of their time to tutor the players each week.

Short mat bowls is an all-year sport unaffected by weather conditions and the rink mats can be rolled up and stowed away.  The length of the indoor rink mat is 45ft and the width is 6ft. The object is for each player in a singles game or each team in a pairs, triples or fours to gain as many shots as possible by getting their bowls nearer to the jack than their opponents, and so outscore them.

Bowls that touch the block and those that come to rest in the dead area, or in the ditch, (other than those that touch the jack before going into the ditch) are declared “dead” and removed from the mat before the next bowl is delivered.  The primary skill requirement is in the fact that no two mats perform identically and all village halls have floors that are not perfectly flat therefore every competitive match is a measure of the ability of the visiting team to conquer an unfamiliar playing surface.

Just €2 a session which covers the tea and biscuits.

Come along, have fun, learn a new skill and extend your social life.

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