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Downend Short Mat Bowls Club

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Downend Short Mat Bowls Club

A competitive short mat bowls club for both adults and young people.

26/09/2026

Friday afternoon saw the return match between Westfield Pirates and the Colts. In theory, this should not have been a difficult match and so it proved for Tim, Alan and John on Mat 2. They took full advantage of vagaries of the mat and steamed ahead to go 25 up before the Pirates were able to score! They eventually took the game 28 – 2. It wasn’t so straight forward over on Mat 1. By the half way stage things seemed to be going well for Terry, Bob and Mike who by then were 12 – 3 up but then allowed the Pirates back in during the second half. Fortunately the much improved performance by the Pirates wasn’t quite enough and the Colts scraped a 13-12 win but not really one to be proud of.

18/09/2026

There’s been a bit of fixture congestion this week with two away matches for the Colts in the space of three days. This afternoon it was off to Winterbourne to take on the Beavers. Perhaps not the force they were (the Beavers have, in previous years, won the league on successive occasions) but, none the less, always a difficult team to beat. On Mat 2, Tim, Alan and John stormed ahead with two fives and a three giving them a fifteen point lead after just six ends! They eventually finished the match with a comfortable 9 – 23 win. Over on Mat 1, Terry, Mike F and Mike P made a slower start and by the fifth end it was honours even. Time to put the pressure on. By the eighth end the Colts were asking all the questions and the Beavers had no answers. The Colts only conceded one shot in the final ten ends and took the game 4 - 22. So, another useful five points in a demanding month of games.

16/09/2026

Unusually, the Colts had a mid week fixture this afternoon, away against the newest team in the League; the “Westfield Pirates”. The Pirates are a break away from the Midsommer Norton Owls and play at new venue just up the road from their previous one and have replaced the Owls in the Bristol and District League. Sadly, the Colt’s past history with this fixture is really not one to be proud of so they saw this very much as an opportunity to right past wrongs and tuck another victory under their belts. Tim, Jim and Pete put in a brave effort on Mat 2 but were playing catch from the beginning. They managed to stay in touch for most of the game but the Pirates drew away at the end, finally winning 14 – 8. Meanwhile over on Mat 1 Terry, Mike F and Mike P were battling it out in a closely fought contest in which the lead repeatedly swapped between the two sides. Then disaster! The Colts were already 11-10 down when they conceded a five and it looked to be game over. However, a single on the thirteenth end, followed by a three on the penultimate end gave our heroes hope. They needed three on the final end. A perfectly weighted final shot from Mike P trailed the jack back to two of the Colt’s waiting bowls to give them three shots and the game. Sadly not enough to take the Match but a stirling effort none the less and two points that a few moments before looked to be well out of reach.

11/09/2026

This afternoon, the Colts played their first home game of the season against Warmley Warblers. The team had a couple of new players this time which could have been a little unsettling but both got stuck in and had good games. On Mat 1, Terry was on top form and was consistently on the Jack, ably supported by Barrie and Mike. Warmley scored three on the first end then apart from a random single, that was it. The Colts won thirteen of the fifteen ends to take the game 27 – 4. It was little closer on Mat 2 but eventually, Bob, Jim and John drew ahead finally winning 22 – 7. So, a useful win and a more comfortable one than was expected.

05/09/2026

The Colts made a strong start in their first fixture of the new league season, away against Saltford Scallywags, but it wasn’t easy. On Mat 2, Sue, Terry and Mike edged ahead in the first few ends. The Scallywags kept up the pressure but a strong finish eventually helped the Colts secure a 10-15 win. Over on Mat 1, things looked a lot bleaker. Tim, Bob and Pete fell behind early on. They fought bravely to keep up but still went into the final end 13-10 down. This was the time to dig deep and so they did pulling out five shots on the final end to take the game 13 -15! Pete was only disappointed that he didn’t inch his final bowl into the head to claim a “hot shot”. So, a good victory to start the season but difficult times lie ahead…

31/08/2026

With it being a bank holiday, we expected limited numbers today. We were wrong! Twenty two made their way to the Parish Hall this afternoon. Perhaps it was the opportunity to get in some practice before the start of the new league season on Friday that was the spur. Our first match is the Colts away to the Scallywags. It could go either way - watch this space....

22/08/2026

On Friday afternoon we hosted a group of residents from Kingswood Court Care Home. They run carpet bowls sessions in their lounge and were keen to see how short mat bowls is played. We treated them to a demonstration match followed by an opportunity to have a try it for themselves. Everyone had a go and revealed some surprising talent especially Trish who had once been a member of Ardagh Bowling Club. It was then time for tea and some of Val’s wonderful home made cake. It was a really great afternoon and as enjoyable for us as hopefully it was for them.

03/08/2026

The Reverse Pairs competition (skips lead) finally reached it's conclusion on Thursday. A close contest saw John and Val just edge in front of Terry and Julie to take the title. Well done to all the teams who took part.

25/06/2026

The new heating system in the hall came up trumps today. Since it is based on air source heat pumps it was simply a matter of running it in reverse and the heaters turn into air conditioners! This afternoon with outside temperatures hovering around 36°, in the hall it was a very acceptable 21/22°. Even a Red Extreme Heat Warning won’t stop Downend S.M.B.C!!

11/06/2026

With the league season over, it’s a great opportunity for some friendlies involving clubs we don’t normally play. So, today Downend visited Pucklechurch S.M.B.C. for a friendly “triples”. It turned out to be a very close game. On Mat 1, Downend fell behind at the start but managed to pull things back and went on to take the game by one point. Mat 2 saw Downend draw ahead to eventually win by three points. Unfortunately on Mat 3, the visitors let the game slip away from them and Pucklechurch took it by five points which meant they won the match by a single point 43-42, Well done Pucklechurch but Downend will certainly be looking to turn the result around in the return fixture in a couple of weeks time…

Address

Christ Church Parish Hall, 57 North Street
Bristol
BS165SG

Opening Hours

2pm - 5pm

Telephone

+447791366894

Website

facebook.com

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