Six members of the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club will be competing in the World Short Mat Bowls Championships which will be held in Belfast UK between March 15th and 17th. Canada is
sending a team of 20 players in total. There will be two teams in each of the four events (singles, doubles, triples and fours).
Martin Foxhall and Bill MacCollam (Cobourg) will play fours (with Fred Wallbank and David Llewellyn of Port Credit).
Bill Arthur, John Mackenzie and Louisa Arthur (all Cobourg) will play triples.
Peter Stuart-Sheppard (Cobourg) will play pairs with Gary Pickering (St Catharines) The team was selected on performances and results at the Canadian Short Mat Bowls (CSMBA) Championships in November 2023.
This will be the first world championships for Foxhall, MacCollam and Stuart-Sheppard. The Arthur/MacKenzie team competed in Aberdeen in 2023. Overall this will be the strongest team
that Canada has sent to the Championships.
Short mat bowling is a big sport in Europe with various championships and a short mat players tour. It is also played year round. In Canada it has been played for a long time but just socially.
It is only since the formation of the CSMBA seven years ago that the sport has been played more competitively.
Short Mat Bowling is played on a 45’x6’ mat using lawn bowls and follows the principles and format of lawn bowls. The Cobourg club meets twice a week at the Cobourg Community Centre
from October to May. Players are principally lawn bowlers wishing to continue play through the winter. Membership has been increasing year on year and is now up to 70.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
