The Vale Short Mat Bowls Friendly League.
VSMBFL, consists of nine Buckinghamshire bowls teams who compete with each other in ‘friendly’ matches from October to April each year. Current member teams are Beacon, Chinnor, Thame, Marsh Gibbon, Stewkley, Wendover LG, Wendover DG, Bierton and Winslow. The matches are usualy played in the weekday evenings starting at 7:30 and completed by 10:30pm. The day of the week is club dependant. Two clubs play matches on Monday evenings, five Tuesday evenings and two on Wednesdays.The VSMBFL matches consist of four teams of three people from each club playing ten ends using three bowls. The format for the evening is four teams competing on two mats, tea/coffee/biscuits break and then the other four teams play their games.
The clubs also compete in the John Robinson Memorial Shield where the clubs are split into two groups. The clubs play against each other within their group and the highest scoring team from each group then compete for the trophy in the final at the end of the season.The JR competition consists of two games of singles, pairs and triples with the players names drawn from a hat to determine which game they play in, which position they play and on which mat. So you arrive at the club not knowing which game, position or mat you will play. Makes for an enjoyable evening.