This week NCSMBA Competition Secretary Simon Willies issued yet another reminder to Norfolk short mat bowlers that the closing date for the Over 55’s Pairs and Under 18’s Singles is fast approaching. Recent years has seen a massive decline in the number of bowlers wanting to enter the Norfolk County Championship/National Championship qualifiers when once the numbers were high. Obviously the number of registered bowlers has declined over the years but there now seems a distinct lack of interest among many of our members in these competitions that once drew in large entry numbers. It seems a lifetime ago that the Norfolk County Singles Championships saw up to twenty mats in use and two Channel Four television crews in attendance covering the matches. Norfolk are by no means alone in seeing entry numbers collapsing as the same is happening in Essex as well. Only two days ago the Essex County Short Mat Bowls Association issued a plea to their bowlers to support their County Championship events. Their announcement read “We have over 700 registered players in Essex but our numbers entering these events is at an all time low. 20 years ago we used to have over 200 entering the County Singles, last year we had 32.” It is difficult to know exactly why this is happening in Norfolk although some complain they would stand no chance against some of Norfolk’s top players who are always eager to claim places in the National Championship finals. But the prospect of playing against top County bowlers existed years ago as well but bowlers then seemed keen on testing themselves against top opposition. It is often said, and is very true, that you can only improve your game by playing bowlers better than yourselves. That is how you learn to be a better bowler. The NCSMBA took the decision to lower the entry fee for the competitions this season on a trial basis to see if this would encourage entry numbers. Only when the closing dates for entry into all the competitions has passed will it be possible to see if this has worked in improving the numbers.
It is not to late to consider entering one or more of these events, all clubs have received Entry Forms and details can also be found on the Norfolk website by clicking on www.shortmatnorfolk.co.uk/information/county-national-dates/county-comp-draws.html