Short mat bowls
| A game of short mat bowls being played | |
| Highest governing body | World Short Mat Bowls Council | 
|---|---|
| First played | 1900s | 
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | No | 
| Team members | Singles and team | 
| Mixed-sex | Yes | 
| Type | Indoor | 
| Equipment | Bowls, carpet | 
| Glossary | Glossary of bowls terms | 
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Europe, India | 
| Olympic | No | 
| World Championships | World Championships | 
| Paralympic | No | 
| World Games | No | 
Short mat bowls is an indoor sport in which players attempt to score points by rolling a heavy ball along a fairly flat surface, to gain as many shots as possible by getting their bowls nearer to the jack than their opponents, and so outscore them. The game is a modern variation on lawn bowls, from which it is derived.