Short Mat Players Tour Explained
|
| Sport: | Bowls |
| Founded: | 2011 |
| Owner: | Craig Burgess |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Continent: | Europe |
| Continent: | or |
| Continents: | --> |
| Most Champs: | Mark Beattie & Joseph Beattie (7 titles) |
| Sponsor: | Taylor Bowls, Drakes Pride |
The Short Mat Players Tour (SMPT) is a semi-professional short mat bowling organisation, that runs singles events through Europe. The tour was the first set of events to create a world ranking for short mat bowls. Events are generally set up in round robin format, with players progressing to a knockout round dependent on their position within their own group. In addition to traditional 4-wood singles events, the SMPT have also run pairs, fours, double-rink and two-wood singles competitions.
Overview
The Short Mat Players Tour[1] is a company responsible for events set up by Craig Burgess and Simon Pridham in 2011.[2] They have run events throughout Europe.[3]
The first SMPT event was held in Wey Valley Indoor Bowls Club, Guilford. The event was won by Johnathan Payne of Belgium. The event was followed by events in Sweden, Norway,[4] and Ireland on an annual basis, as well as a United Kingdom open championship.[5] The world masters in 2014, held in Ireland, became the biggest two-day event in short mat bowls history, with an event featuring 252 participants.[6] In addition to these events, the Short Mat Players Tour has run pairs, fours, double rinks and even an event in Cyprus.[7]
In later years, the events would grow to utilise live online results, web entry, and video streaming of certain matches, including knockout rounds, and matches played on a "show mat."[8] Events are split after the group stage, with players being placed in a knockout round dependent on qualification. Those who rank first or second contend the main competition, or Cup; those third and fourth, contend the Plate competition; and those in the bottom two of their round robin group contend the shield, formerly known as the wooden spoon.[9] Those who rank first, second or third win gold, silver and bronze medals, similar to those won in the Olympics.
In the 2018 Norwegian Open; the SMPT partnered with Huldra Film to produce a television standard live stream of the later stages of the event.[10]
The tour's most successful players are Ireland's Mark Beattie and Joseph Beattie who have both won seven singles gold medals each.
At the start of the 2024/25 season a new rule was introduced by the Short Mat Players Tour which prohibits either players/teams first bowl of an end coming to rest fully within the ditch (Dead) area when delivered even if it touched the jack. The offending bowl(s) would be subsequently removed from the mat. This was introduced to stop the possibility of players being able to win ends with their first bowl before their opponent has had a chance to reply. First bowls which touch the jack and stay within the live area when they come to rest are to be chalked as normal and can still be promoted into the ditch (Dead) area by subsequent bowls or the jack.
Event Results
Current Ranking Singles Events
| Year | UK Open | Irish Open | Norwegian Open | British Open | English Masters | World Masters |
|---|
| 2024-25 | | | | | | |
| 2023-24 | | | | | | |
| 2022-23 | | | | | | |
| 2021-22 | Not Played - Covid |
| 2020-21 | Not Played - Covid |
| 2019-20 | | | | | | Not Played - Covid |
| 2018-19 | | | | | | |
| 2017-18 | | | [11] | [12] | [13] | |
| 2016-17 | | | | Not Played | | |
| 2015-16 | | [14] | Not Played | | |
| 2014-15 | [15] | | | |
| 2013-14 | [16] [17] | [18] | | |
| 2012-13 | | Not Played | | |
| 2011-12 | Not Played | | Not Played | |
Past Ranking Singles Events
| Year | Swedish Masters |
|---|
| 2016-17 | |
| 2015-16 | |
| 2014-15 | |
| 2013-14 | |
| 2012-13 | | |
| Year | European Masters |
|---|
| 2015-16 | |
| 2014-15 | |
| 2013-14 | |
| 2012-13 | | |
Order of Merit
The Order of Merit is produced from the six ranking events on the Short Mat Players Tour. The player ranked number 1 at the end of the season is awarded the Short Mat Players Tour Order of Merit sponsored by Henselite Bowls UK.
The short mat players tour events also feature Short Mat Bowls' only world rankings table, with a rolling two year ranking system in place.[19] This is the only world ranking system in place in short mat bowls.
| Year | Order of Merit Champion |
|---|
| 2023-24 | |
| 2022-23 | |
| 2019-20 | |
| 2018-19 | |
| 2017-18 | |
| 2016-17 | |
| 2015-16 | |
| 2014-15 | |
| 2013-14 | |
| 2012-13 | / | |
World Cup
Starting in 2015, the Short Mat Players' Tour created a "World Cup", which would contain teams of four, representing each country. The highest ranked four players from each competing country would then represent the team for the world cup.[20] In the first season, in 2015, the event was made up of three groups of three, but was later played in more traditional groups of four. Unlike other world championships, the events feature a "rest of world" team, due to the lack of players from certain countries (such as Germany, India or Italy), but players still need to be placed in the top four of players that are eligible.[21] [20] All games in the world cup are the same as that of the tour, games of singles.
| Year | Winning nation | Runner up | Winning players |
|---|
| 2024 | | (Wales) | Don McNamara, Nathan Haire, Gary McNabb, Mark Beattie |
| 2023 | | | Gary McNabb, Mark Beattie, Pauline Beattie, Joseph Beattie |
| 2022 | | | Glenn Harvey, Mark Beattie, Nathan Haire, P.J Gallagher |
| 2019 | | | Mark Beattie, Joseph Beattie, P.J Gallagher, Nathan Haire |
| 2018 | | | Glenn Harvey, Don McNamara, Nigel Charles, Gary McNabb |
| 2017 | | | Mark Beattie, P.J Gallagher, Joseph Beattie, Pauline Beattie |
| 2016 | | | P.J Gallagher, Pauline Beattie, Tony Bell, Joseph Beattie |
| 2015 | | | Joel Hager, Dick Almen, Jorgan Karlsson, Tommy Dahlgren | |
See also
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Short Mat Players Tour. Short Mat Players Tour. 10 July 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170708225337/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/. 8 July 2017.
- Web site: Short mat Players Tour LTD . Companies House . 20 October 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171020191520/https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/08311534/officers . 20 October 2017 .
- Web site: Short Mat Players Tour - Bowls Chat . Bowls Chat . 20 October 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180320144318/https://www.bowlschat.com/videos/official-short-mat/short-mat-players-tour . 20 March 2018 .
- Web site: Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowling Association SMPT Norwegian Open . Hertfordshire County Short Mat Bowling Association . 20 October 2017 . 20 October 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171020191147/http://hcsmba.hitssports.com/event/eventid_32750_0/start_28-Oct-2017/default.aspx . live .
- Web site: Short Mat Players Tour – UK Open August 2016 . 22 August 2016 . Worcester Short Mat Bowling Association . 20 October 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171021005247/http://worcs-smba.co.uk/short-mat-players-tour-uk-open-august-2016/ . 21 October 2017 .
- Web site: History - Short Mat Players Tour. Short Mat Players Tour. 12 October 2017 .
- Web site: Cyprus Grand Prix 2015 - SMPT . 19 August 2014 . 20 October 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171021003903/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/cyprus-grand-prix-2015-001687/ . 21 October 2017 .
- Web site: Irish Open 2017: Show Mat Schedule Announced . Shortmatplayerstour.com . 10 September 2017 . 16 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117070300/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/irish-open-2017-show-mat-schedule-announced-004210/ . 17 January 2018 .
- Web site: Short Mat Players Tour 2014-15 Season Preview . 17 August 2014 . 16 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117070249/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/short-mat-players-tour-2014-15-season-preview-001679/ . 17 January 2018 .
- Web site: Norwegian Open 2018: Show Mat Line-up . Short Mat Players Tour . 14 October 2018. 31 October 2018 . 1 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181101015346/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/norwegian-open-2018-show-mat-line-up-004429/ . live .
- Web site: Bowls: Stephen Proctor is top of the new world order . 15 November 2017 . . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116081249/http://www.crewechronicle.co.uk/sport/other-sport/bowls-stephen-proctor-top-new-13906629 . 16 January 2018 .
- Web site: Nigel Nicholls wins Short Mat Players Tour title in York . Falmouth Packet . 15 January 2018 . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116081100/http://www.falmouthpacket.co.uk/sport/15828060.Bowler_takes_British_Open_title_to_move_into_top_ten_in_world_rankings/ . 16 January 2018 .
- Web site: Jack Pye wins the 2018 English Masters . shortmatplayerstour.com . 10 February 2018 . 12 February 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180212201543/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/live-english-masters-2018-004301/ . 12 February 2018 .
- Web site: Battling Andrew Morrison is edged out by Dimitri Payne at Short Mat Players' Tour Irish Open . . 21 September 2015 . 15 January 2018 . 16 January 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135213/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/battling-andrew-morrison-is-edged-out-by-dimitri-payne-at-short-mat-players-tour-irish-open-31543891.html . live .
- Web site: Short-mat bowls: Martin earns national title . 2 September 2014 . . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116081146/http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/sport/11445136.Short_mat_bowls__Martin_earns_national_title/ . 16 January 2018 .
- Web site: Beattie and Leckey lift Irish and United Kingdom prizes across championship final meetings . . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116135129/https://www.portadowntimes.co.uk/sport/more-sport/beattie-and-leckey-lift-irish-and-united-kingdom-prizes-across-championship-final-meetings-1-5517303 . 16 January 2018 .
- Web site: Beatie returns to top of world rankings after win in Europe . . 15 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180116004507/http://strabanechronicle.com/2014/10/beattie-returns-to-top-of-world-rankings-after-win-in-europe/ . 16 January 2018 .
- Web site: Bowls: Andrew Leckey faces stiff task in bid to retain SMPT crown . Johnstone Publishing Ltd . News Letter Online . 18 September 2014 . 20 October 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20171021003950/http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/more-sport/bowls-andrew-leckey-faces-stiff-task-in-bid-to-retain-short-mat-players-tour-title-1-6305266 . 21 October 2017 .
- Web site: Rankings - Short Mat Players Tour. Short Mat Players Tour. 12 October 2017. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20171012150420/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/Rankings/. 12 October 2017.
- Web site: Format - Short Mat Players Tour . shortmatplayerstour.com . 16 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117011952/https://shortmatplayerstour.com/world-cup/format/ . 17 January 2018 .
- Web site: Race to the World Cup . Shortmatplayerstour.com . 16 January 2018 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180117011952/https://stats.shortmatplayerstour.com/world-cup.php . 17 January 2018 .
