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SHORT MAT CHAT
This Month’s photo shows the
Devon County Fours winners
and Runner-up. I nearly de-
spaired of finding a photo and I
tried a number that I could blow
up and this was buried in my re-
ports - phew!
If you want your photo on
the cover it must be a good one
and it really needs to be portrait attracting significant
(taller than wider) not landscape, funding or a signifi-
which is wider than taller.
I have been asked to clarify cant number of new
point 3) of my new Hot Shot
rules. It means that if yours is the
only name on the subscription,
you can only claim for the suc-
cessful hot shot Triple/Four that
you played with.
If you want to claim for to play our sport but we prevent
other club members then your
club name MUST be part of your
subscription address but the
badges are dearer - your choice.
A HUGE (and I mean
HUGE) BIG THANKS to those
who have sent me additional
amounts on their subscriptions.
You have almost certainly guar-
anteed the production of the
magazine (assuming I get the
copy and advertising) until 2015
at the very least.
With all of us getting older
and the lack of co-operation from
counties, the number of sub-
scribers has been shrinking.
Nothing would give me
greater pleasure than to send out
completely free magazines to
everyone who wants one but the
level of income I would need is
tens of thousands of pounds and This is a very negative as- 3
is laughingly well beyond what I pect that puzzles me com-
currently get in advertising. pletely. On the one hand we
Re the points I raised in the want both more and also younger
last issue, I got one comment on players to take up our sport but
the Ladies article and one on the we basically keep it a secret and
publicity point. the two things are complete op-
I have heard many com- posites.
ments about getting others (i.e. Owing to the usual printing
someone else than ourselves) to parameters I have to produce
pay for our sport. Both sponsor- pages in multiples of 4. Add the
ship and government funding but time problems this month and 36
the bottom line is that even with pages is it but it is still 4 pages
over 20,000 players in the over the “standard” magazine.
ESMBA we are still a tiny in- I have had to hold over
significant sport, even including some items including a letter sug-
all the other nations in the UK. gesting we should bowl from in-
“With no publicity side the delivery lines and thus
we have no chance of not allow anyone to reach out
and bowl - any thoughts?
I hope the magazine looks
OK? It has been very difficult in-
deed to put this one together and
has been really, really difficult.
bowlers”. I am trying to move my
storage unit, which is full of mats
Bowls and Carpet manu- and some furniture as well as
facturers obviously have an inter- various collection and my Classic
est in selling their goods and we Car and lots more besides. It’s all
need their equipment to be able happened at the same time and
I’ve still got the ironing to do!
them spreading the news about In addition I am moving
what they have. home again, back to my old ad-
We are not an elite sport dress in Redditch, which I have
and never will be at the pace we changed on the contacts page.
are going at present and we need My phone and email address will
all the help we can get. See my remain the same.
comments in my Secret Sport 2 How about a season’s
article. roundup? Others have done it,
Perhaps someone will ex- why not you? Do you play in local
plain why clubs addresses are a tournaments, or run them? How
complete secret with most coun- about reports, or just the score-
ties and please don’t quote the cards (quarter finals onwards),
Data Protection Act. and I can write it, with photos of
I won’t publish any names the winners and runners-up?
DONATIONS WITH
but it is interesting as to why you DONATIONS WITH
RENEWALS ARE ALWAYS
are helping to hold back the de- RENEWALS ARE ALWAYS
VERY WELCOME AND IF
velopment of our sport. VERY WELCOME AND IF
YOU WISH TO ADD A
I have heard many moans YOU WISH TO ADD A
POUND OR TWO TO YOUR
over the years as to the need for POUND OR TWO TO YOUR
RENEWAL I WON’T
more players in Short Mat Bowls RENEWAL I WON’T
COMPLAIN!
COMPLAIN!
but the secret nature of our sport Weaf
certainly helps prevent publicity.