We consider a class of Boussinesq systems of Bona-Smith type in two space dimensions approximating surface wave flows modelled by the three-dimensional Euler equations. We show that various initial-boundary-value problems for these systems, posed on
a bounded plane domain are well posed locally in time. In the case of reflective boundary conditions, the systems are discretized by a modified Galerkin method which is proved to converge in $L^2$ at an optimal rate. Numerical experiments are presented with the aim of simulating two-dimensional surface waves in complex plane domains with a variety of initial and boundary conditions, and comparing numerical solutions of Bona-Smith systems with analogous solutions of the BBM-BBM system.
