Michelle Leonard selected for England's Member place at Women's GC Euros

by Chris Clarke at Carrickmines [^]
30th April (International)

Following the withdrawl of Liz Drury, Michelle Leonard has been selected to replace Liz at the Women's GC Europeans. Good luck Michelle!!

Chris Clarke

Chair of GCSC

Bowdon lost to Branston 3-4

by Tony Cross at Bowdon [^]
28th April (GC - Murphy Shield)

Gabrielle Higgins won the Woking Spring Advanced Handicap

by Sara Anderson at Woking [^]
27th April (AC)

We had 8 players in an all play all event lasting two days.

The lawns were fast thanks to the fantastic weather and hard work of the grounds staff…..and hoops were firm and tight.

Hence most of the games went to time (2.5 hours).
With handicaps ranging from -2 to 4 there no forest of bisques.

Play went on into darkness with two games being pegged down as we played 4 rounds on the Saturday ( 10 hours) …
It was a great time for all of the players to have fun, play croquet and enjoy a lot of banter at the same time of being highly competitive.

At the start of round 6 we had 6 players on 3 wins ( a managers nightmare) fortunately Gabrielle Higgins and Neil Coote were the only one of those that won the next two games. As Gabrielle had already beaten Neil it made the managers job easy (phew) and Gabrielle was declared the winner with 5 wins.

The good as well having lots of fun and plenty of croquet ( everyone played 7 matches) they all want to come back and do it again next year.

Andy Dibben won the Woking Super-B-Level

by Sara Anderson at Woking [^]
27th April (AC)

16 players with handicaps ranging from 0-4 enjoyed the unusual event of playing for two days in the sunshine.

The final was played by two players from Surbiton Club….Andy Dibben and Matt Cook.]
We had an exciting final where Andy pegged out Matts ball to give a 3 ball ending…..eventually leading to Andy being the Winner 26-19

Charlie Martin beat John Gosdon in the Plate Final with the same score 26-19.

Peter Payne had the only triple in the event.

Dennis Scarr won the Middlesbrough Handicap tournament

by Dennis Scarr at Middlesbrough [^]
27th April (AC - Handicap)

Middlesbrough Croquet Clubs AC Handicap Tournament was held at Albert Park, Middlesbrough on the weekend of 25^th & 26^th April and was won by Dennis Scarr.

Eight players signed up and turned up, with 3 being first time visitors to our Club.

The weatherman promised 'cool and dry'. Spot on with the 'dry' but rather underplayed the 'cool' - it was one of those 'several layers of clothing' tournaments.

Handicaps ranged from minus 0.5 to 24, all 4 lawns were in use and time limits were 'generous'.

BLOCK A

• Dennis Scarr ( - 0.5 )
• Eric Soakell ( 2.5 )
• Julian Gibson ( 6 )
• Gabija Smolskiene ( 24 )

BLOCK B

• Anthony Miller ( 1.5 )
• Steve Skelton ( 3.5 )
• Margo Soakell ( 5 )
• Nigel Durie (10 )

ROUND ONE SCORE

Dennis Scarr vs Gabija Smolskiene 26 - 16

Eric Soakell vs Julian Gibson 2 - 26

Anthony Miller vs Nigel Durie 13 - 26

Steve Skelton vs Margo Soakell 26 - 15

ROUND TWO SCORE

Gabija Smolskiene vs Eric Soakell 17 - 7 (t)

Julian Gibson vs Dennis Scarr 12 - 26

Nigel Durie vs Steve Skelton 20 - 21 (t)

Margo Soakell vs Anthony Miller 10 - 26

ROUND THREE SCORE

Dennis Scarr vs Eric Soakell 24 - 22 (t)

Julian Gibson vs Gabija Smolskiene 12 - 16 (t)

Anthony Miller vs Steve Skelton 19 - 26

Nigel Durie vs Margo Soakell 26 - 4

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLOCKS - FINAL POSITIONS

BLOCK A BLOCK B

1 Dennis Scarr Steve Skelton

2 Gabi Nigel Durie

3 Julian Gibson Anthony Miller

4 Eric Soakell Margo Soakell

SEMI FINALS

Dennis Scarr vs Nigel Durie 26 - 18

Steve Skelton vs Gabi 15 - 10 (t)

FINAL

Dennis Scarr vs Steve Skelton 26 - 24

3^rd & 4th Blocks

Julian Gibson vs Margo Soakell 26 - 12

Anthony Miller vs Eric Soakell 17 - 26

Julian Gibson vs Anthony Miller 26 - 10

Margo Soakell vs Eric Soakell 21 - 16

Leighton Linslade beat Wrest Park 4-3

by Judith Pengelly at Leighton Linslade [^]
27th April (GC - Murphy Shield)

Hurlingham beat Cheam 6-1

by Brian Maddocks at Hurlingham [^]
27th April (GC - Murphy Shield)

National Croquet Day Celebrations

As the Hove Beach Croquet Club spring tournament begins, with the crowds spectating from their deck chairs with summer drinks and sharing platters, this was a perfect way to begin the celebrations of National Croquet Day.

Andy and Alison from Croquet England have been back out to see how the grassroots of Croquet thrive in the beautiful setting of Hove Beach. They were welcomed with open arms and enjoyed taking part in some double's games.

Read the full story >> https://www.croquetengland.org.uk/news_and_media/hove-beach-croquet-club-leads-the-national-croquet-day-celebrations/

Welcome to our new National Safeguarding Officer

Croquet England is pleased to announce the appointment of a new National Safeguarding Officer. Colin Perkins is a former Senior Probation Officer, and has worked for the last fifteen years as a Safeguarding Officer in the Church of England. Colin brings a wealth of experience in both statutory and third-sector safeguarding, with a particular focus on achieving high standards of safeguarding practice and provision in community and voluntary organisations. We look forward to working with Colin to strengthen both practice and confidence around safeguarding.

He takes over the mantle from Dr Ron Carter, to whom we owe a debt of gratitude for his work over the last five years as the first holder of the role.

Andy Dalby-Welsh
Chief Executive

Roehampton 125 celebrations -18-19 April

by Tim Russell at Roehampton [^]
24th April (Club News)

Roehampton held a two day invitational event to celebrate the Club's 125th anniversary. Croquet is the only sport to have been played continuously since the club's inception and Roehampton was the home of the Croquet Association for over 50 years. After a somewhat fallow period of numbers playing, justifying the club's decision to shrink the number of lawns from 12 at inception to 4 by the time I joined the club in 1986; I am pleased to report that croquet at Roehampton is enjoying a huge renaissance with around 300 registered players and recognised again as one of the top clubs in the country.

The weekend saw 8 players - Reg Bamford, James Death, Samir Patel, Aston Wade, Gabrielle Higgins, Christian Carter, Tom Coles and Mike Town - compete on the Saturday for a Roehampton Rose Bowl in a all play all 14 point advanced AC competition with a prize offered for the most peels. We just about managed to finish the 28 games, although players in the last round of matches decided to watch the final match Reg v James. Reg was already the declared winner as James lost to both Aston and Christian but he was still in with a shout of the peeling prize (although an imposed time limit to make sure everyone could get to a dinner which the Club kindly hosted for the players meant it was always a tall order as he was four peels behind). Reg hit in first and you don't get to the number of world and British Open titles he has without having an unbelievably competitive streak. He peeled James through hoop 1 to stretch his lead to five in the course of pegging out his front ball and leaving James short of time. James managed one peel before Reg hit at the third time of asking and everyone headed off to the bar. An extra extra special player whose only struggle on the day was fitting into an extra extra large fleece jacket which Roehampton kindly gave to all participants.

The Sunday saw James and Aston return for a GC invitational event with the prize of a commemorative Rose Bowl. They were joined by former member Chris Roberts, Simon Carter, Dom Aarvold (who learnt croquet at Roehampton), Guy Scurfield, Ian Burridge and Tim Russell. A slight change in the schedule ensured the final game between James and Chris was the decider with both having lost one game to Aston and Guy respectively. Chris (pictured with his very distinctive posture) played very well throughout the day continuing his good winter form and prevailed 7-5. A prize was offered for the best shot/hoop run of the day as nominated by an opponent. It went to Ian Burridge for a hoop shot threaded through Dom's balls in front of hoop 12 from the side of hoop 11. I had been told he had a new style, (opponents will continue to recognise the Burridge crouch and rise!) and a Solomon grip for his hoop shots certainly seems to have him back at the top of his game.

We were blessed with great weather, Roehampton's usual immaculately prepared lawns which had a stimp reading of 11 (good weather should ensure they are very quick by the time of the Mac) and generous hospitality from the club. Thank you Jacqui Pattison, organiser of the croquet 125 events, and the catering team at the Club for a weekend enjoyed by all the participants and a healthy group of Roehampton spectators.

Blewbury beat Bristol 4-3

by Andrew Petit at Blewbury [^]
22 Apr (AC - Longman Cup)

Andy Evason beat Michael Salisbury by 26 to 4 +22 (Blewbury)
Andrew Petit beat Susan King by 26 to 11 +15 (Blewbury)

Margot Soakell & Simon Rye beat Deirdre Cochrane & Nigel Cox by 18 to 17 (+1) (Bristol)

Andy Evason beat Margot Soakell by 26 to 18 +8 (Blewbury)
Andrew Petit beat Simon Rye by 26 to 14 +12 (Blewbury)
Michael Salisbury beat Deirdre Cochrane by 26 to 3 +23 (Bristol)
Susan King beat Nigel Cox by 26 to 14 +12 (Bristol)

Gordon Hopewell 28/2/47 - 4/4/26

Gordon Hopewell 28/2/1947 - 4/4/2026 (Photo: David Brydon)

I am very sorry to report that Gordon Hopewell, a long-standing member of the Croquet Association and latterly Croquet England, died after a very brief spell in hospital on Saturday 4th April, 2026.

Having moved down from Scotland, Gordon started playing croquet at the Nottingham club in the mid 1960s, as one of a group of Nottingham High School boys who somehow persuaded the staff to allow them to spend their games afternoon learning croquet. That the then, sparse and elderly, membership of the club tolerated, if not encouraged, them probably contributed a lot to its survival for the next sixty years.

He went up to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, where he read Natural Sciences and researched in the field of genetics. His early working life was spent in London, as an actuary, during which time he joined the Hurlingham club.

He rapidly became a good player, though of the generation who only played AC competitively, and was invited to play in several of the AC Eights.

Summoned back to Nottingham to manage the family furniture business, he again became active in the club, serving on the committee and briefly as Hon. Treasurer, before being elected President. He was a generous benefactor, donating handsome silver trophies for the spring handicap weekend (which is currently in abeyance because we host a Croquet England event, the Peels, which has its own trophies), and the Hopewell Cup for the East Midlands Championship. He also funded the development of the hoops we play with, and diplomatically resolved the argument as to whether they should be called "Hurlingham" or "Nottingham" hoops by having his own name on them. The photograph was taken during the 2015 Womens AC World Championship, where he ran an (eponymous) Gin bar in the West Pavilion.

He was also a member and strong supporter of the Surbiton club, despite having to travel from SE London to reach it. Apart from Croquet, he was a good cook, avid reader, with a fine library and cellar, and opera enthusiast.

He will be sadly missed by the many friends who knew him.

Gordon's funeral will be at 1pm on Tuesday, 12th May, at Honor Oak Crematorium, Brockley Way, London, SE4 2LW

Ian Vincent

President

Nottingham Croquet Club

Watford beat Newport 6-1

by Simon Hathrell at Watford [^]
22 Apr (AC - Mary Rose)

Result Watford beat Newport 6-1

Scores (Watford names first):
1 Nick Archer & Brian Havill lost to Andrew Gregory & Mat Hardy -19
2 Stephen Mills beat Chris van Essen +24
3 Arthur Reed beat Alex Lake +10
4 Nick Archer beat Andrew Gregory +19
5 Brian Havill beat Mat Hardy +3(T)
6 Stephen Mills beat Alex Lake +22
7 Arthur Reed beat Chris van Essen +20
End

Teams & handicaps:
Watford:
Nick Archer (0.5)
Brian Havill (1.5)
Stephen Mills (3)
Arthur Reed (3.5)

Newport:
Andrew Gregory (1.5)
Mat Hardy (4.5)
Alex Lake (6)
Chris van Essen (9)

Camerton & Peasedown lost to East Dorset 3-4

by Keith Southern at Camerton & Peasedown [^]
23rd April (GC - Murphy Shield)

On April 21 East Dorset narrowly edged Camerton & Peasedown 4-3 in the first round of this year's competition on a chilly day at Peasedown St John. These teams had last met in the 2019 final. The closeness of this year's match is reflected in the hoop score of 98-97.

East Dorset led 2-0 at the lunch break with one singles unfinished at 1-1 but Camerton & Peasedown fought back to take the afternoon singles 3-1, making the match score 3-3. So the unfinished morning singles would be decisive. East Dorset won that at the 12th hoop with a short angled jump shot over the opponent's jawsed ball. .

Teams and handicaps :

Camerton & Peasedown: David Richards (1), Mark Godfrey-James (2), Des Back (4), Nigel Wulcko (5).

East Dorset : Greg Vaughn (1), Mark Hamann (2, Tim Hughes (3), Michelle Leonard (3).

Scores (East Dorset names first) :

Greg and Mark beat David and Mark 7-6, 7-4

Michelle beat Des 7-3. 7-4

Tim beat Nigel 7-6, 4-7, 7-5

Greg lost to David 2-7, 5-7

Mark lost to Mark 4-7, 7-3, 3-7

Tim beat Des 7-5, 7-6

Michelle lost to Nigel 7-6, 5-7, 5-7

The full results are also on Croquet Scores.

Southport beat Broadwas w/o

by John Marsh [^]
22nd April (GC - Federations Shield)

Sussex County lost to East Dorset 0-7

by Jeff Dawson at Sussex County [^]
20 Apr (GC - Inter-Club)

East Dorset beat Sussex County 7-0 in the GC interclub at SCCC.

Jeff Dawson and Jonathan Powe beat Steve Chapman and Gabrielle Higgins
7-5, 7-6

Andy Dochniak beat Richard Brooks 7-4, 7-5

Steve Leonard beat Liz Farrow 7-3, 7-6

Jeff Dawson beat Gabrielle Higgins 7-4, 7-4

Jonathan Powe beat Steve Chapman 7-3, 7-5

Steve Leonard beat Richard Brooks 5-7, 7-5, 7-5

Andy Dochniak beat Liz Farrow 5-7, 7-2, 7-3

Ashby lost to Leicester 1-4

by Judith Rowe at Unknown - not stated [^]
16 Apr (GC - Murphy Shield)

Bury beat Derby 6-1

by Simon Attwell at Sheffield [^]
20 Apr (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

The match was played Monday 20 April 2026 at Sheffield Park Croquet Club, a mid-way travel spot, thanks to the kindness of Peter Reed, Sheffield Park Chairman who served drinks throughout the day, having set up the lawns for us.

Unfortunately the cricket club failed to cut the grass and so the terrain was slightly more challenging but no less enjoyable and was, of course, the same for both teams.

The Bury doubles pair of Bernard Lord (5) and Duncan Meachin (5) started strongly and won the first game 7-4 however Derby, led by Captain Kate Ibbitson (6) and partnered by Stephen Lamont (7) rallied well and comfortably won the second 7-2. The final game went in favour of Bury who used their experience to win 7-1 and take the doubles 2 games to one.

On the other lawn, Simon Attwell- Bury (6) was playing Jane Greaves-Derby (9) and on Secondaries, David Artingstall-Bury (6) played Peter Seddon-Derby (8). Simon won the first game fairly comfortably 7-3 but then in game 2 inexplicably helped his opponent by telling her how to set herself to perform a jump shot, the angle of the mallet head and power needed only for Jane to execute her first ever jump shot, win the hoop(7) and run her ball down to the next (8) and run that as well. So from being 4-2 ahead he quickly was pegged back to 4-4. This started a real tussle and only ended when he performed his own jump shot on hoop 13.

David is a very measured and steady player and was too strong for Peter, winning his match 2-0.

The four single matches then commenced with the top two playing each other and so-on for the other three team members.

Duncan again started strongly and quickly completed a 7-4 win in the first game. Kate however raised her own game and convincingly beat him 7-2 in the next. "I couldn't run a hoop" was his agonising complaint. Thankfully for Bury, he quickly found his touch and ran out a convincing winner 7-1 in game 3.

Bury were now 4-0 up in matches with three to play. Stephen Lamont played extremely well in beating Captain Bernard Lord 2-0, including a 7-6 hoop 13 win in the second game.

Simon played poorly against Peter Seddon who put him under enormous pressure with some very accurate approach play, and just managed to win 7-6 in game 1. Peter quickly fought back in game 2, winning it easily 7-2. Simon managed to pull himself together and won the last game, finishing with a flourish by jumping his opponent to run hoop10 and win 7-3 and the match 2-1.

GC Open Championship Prizes Confirmed

Croquet England is excited to provide an update relating to the prize fund of the Golf Croquet Open Championship 2026.

The winner will receive a guaranteed £1,000, the runner-up will be taking home £500. Runners-up from the semi-finals will receive £250 each.

This prestigious tournament has already attracted a strong international field. Enter the championship through the tournament entry system before the allocation date on 27 April 2026.

https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=tournament/caCalendar&RFB=y&calBaseID=6216&pup=y

Bury beat Chester 5-2

by Ken Jones at Bury [^]
18 Apr (AC - Mary Rose)

Mary Rose round 1 result.
Bury v Chester.
Played on Saturday 18/4/26 at Bury (Coronation Park lawns).
Bury won 5-2.

Individual game scores (Bury names first):
Paul Kenworthy (0.5) and Ken Jones (3.5) beat David Boyd (4.5) and Robin Tasker (5) +4(t)
Tony Phillips (4.5) beat Andy Wilson-Chalon (7) +6(t)
Chris Alvey (7) beat David Guyton (5) +22

Paul Kenworthy beat David Boyd +11
Ken Jones lost to Robin Tasker -22
Tony Phillips lost to David Guyton -9(t)
Chris Alvey beat Andy Wilson-Chalon +5

Sussex County lost to Old Brentwoods 0-7

by Alison Maugham at Sussex County [^]
18 Apr (AC - Secretary's Shield)

Camerton & Peasedown lost to Phyllis Court 2-5

by Kevin Ward at Camerton & Peasedown [^]
14 Apr (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

England team for GC Home Internationals announced

by Chris Clarke at Ramsgate [^]
14th April (CqE Official News)

The GC Selection Committee has announced the team to represent England at the Home Internationals at Ramsgate. The team is;

Nick Archer

Euan Burridge

Tim Russell

Stuart M Smith (Captain)

Reserve: Dom Aarvold

We wish the team the very best of luck.

Chris Clarke

Chair of CqE GCSC

Three Days at Budleigh Salterton Croquet Club - GC B, C, D Level SERIES and SiSTER Tournaments

Phil Hendy (BSCC SiSTER Plate), Martin C. Leach (GC B Level Winner) Frank Pearce (GC B Level Plate W

Phyllis Court beat Hamptworth 5-1

by Christopher Roberts at Phyllis Court [^]
10 Apr (GC - Murphy Shield)

Phyllis Court '1+' won their National Inter-Club Shield (Tier 2) match against Hamptworth 5-1 today.

Although the morning session was well contested, Hamptworth fell away in the afternoon as Phyllis Court romped to a comfortable victory.

Robin Coates and Andy Jones won the doubles rubber for Phyllis Court 7-4, 7-6 against Richard Smith & Chris Weedon and the hosts further enjoyed Roger Goldring's 7-6, 7-4 win over Bill Hammond.

Hamptworth were kept in the team match when captain Hugh Risebrow beat Phyllis Court's Alastair Broom 6-7, 5-7.

In the afternoon, nearly everything went Phyllis Court's way, as Jones beat Weedon 7-1, 7-2, Goldring beat Risebrow 7-3, 7-4 and Broom beat Hammond 7-3, 7-1.

Hamptworth's only joy came from Smith who held Coates to tied rubber 7-3, 4-7 when the decider was shelved when the team match result became settled.
.
The full results are on CroquetScores here - croquetscores.com/.../phyllis-court-1-vs-hamptworth

.

Phyllis Court '1+' will play Ealing at home in the next round.

Croquet England Bursary Scheme Reminder

Bursaries are available for the 2026 season from the Croquet England Bursary scheme.

The scheme is designed to provide financial support for potential international players of both AC and GC. It is primarily intended to assist players under the age of 25 who wish to take part in tournaments and other challenging croquet activities and, when selected, in international events, both at home and abroad, and require assistance with the costs involved.

However, there is no age limit and no formal "means test". Preference will be given to applicants aged under 25 at the beginning of the year but older players may also apply. Preference will also be given to applicants who satisfy the Committee that they reasonably require financial support but financial disclosure will not be required.

The scheme will be administered by the Croquet England Funding Committee in conjunction with the International Performance Directors (IPDs). The IPDs will recommend and nominate applicants. Players who have not been nominated by an IPD, who feel that they may qualify, may present themselves to the IPDs for possible nomination and/or may apply to the Funding Committee directly.

Applications must be made using the form on the website. Applications may be made from now until the end of April.

Any questions: Contact the Funding Committee Chair, Sarah Andrew (sarah.andrew#croquetengland.org) or a Performance Director: Phil Eardley (AC)(philip.eardley#croquetengland.org), Lionel Tibble (GC) (lionel.tibble#croquetengland.org)

2026 WCF GC World Championship in Cairo, Egypt - 21 to 29 November

The WCF has recently announced that the 16^th GC World Singles Championship will take place in Cairo, Egypt, on 21 to 29 November 2026. The previous event was held in 2024 in the USA where 18 year old Blake Fields (pictured) became the youngest ever winner of this title.

The Opening Ceremony in Cairo and Practice Day is on 20 November.

The event capacity is 80 players and the entry fee is £189 per player.

There will also be a Qualifying Event which will be held immediately prior to the Championship at the same venues in Cairo, from the 14 to 18 November. The format and entry arrangements for this event will be published as details become available.

Any England Player who wishes to enter should make themselves available using the usual Croquet England Availability page at https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=members/availability by 27 May. Players from other countries should notify their own National Governing Body. If a player is not affiliated to a WCF Member and is not eligible to represent any WCF Member, they should contact the WCF Secretary-General directly.

The WCF will announce the initial Ranking Places and any Wild Card Places by 30 June, based on the highest grades achieved by players in the 12 months ending on 16 June. Croquet England will announce our two Membership Places by 13 July, and the WCF will announce all the Member Places shortly after 31 July. Payment by players will be due by 31 August.

Please note that, given the current geopolitical situation, the WCF Management Committee has been reviewing a risk management position for events in 2026, and has acknowledged that the situation may make planning more difficult for everyone. However, the safety of players and officials is paramount, and events can be rescheduled if necessary.

The WCF Management Committee has advised they will provide a Risk Management Assessment to Players on 31 May and again on 16^th June, with a Go / No Go notification date of 30 June. Members and Players will be notified by email and an announcement will be posted on the WCF website on 30 June.

It is emphasised that players and officials are responsible for obtaining their own personal travel insurance. The WCF, Croquet England and the host country are not liable for any loss as a result of cancellation of the event, including accommodation, flights/travel and other associated costs. Players are therefore advised to be aware of the risks of incurring non-refundable costs.

It is noted that Egypt remains open to tourism and international travel. However, regional tensions in the Middle East create increased uncertainty for international sporting events. Key risks identified by the WCF include:

• Potential regional airspace disruption affecting flights.
• Government travel advisories restricting athlete travel.
• Increased insurance costs including political violence insurance.

Based on these considerations, the WCF has currently (6 April)) assessed the risk level for the event as "Moderate - Requires Monitoring".

John Beech Memorial Easter Tournament

by Betty Bates at Pendle [^]
7th April (AC)

The first day proceedings started on a very wet Friday afternoon. The lawns were in incredible condition considering the bad weather in recent days. The damp and cold start was improved by the warm welcome of the club and their catering team on hand with hot tea and biscuits and an even warmer welcome from Brian Medley the tournament manager. It was nice to see familiar faces from around the country. The sixteen players were not disheartened by the dreary weather; as they say in Norway, it is not bad weather, it is just bad clothing. It was a very relaxed tournament, players could opt out of playing whenever they wished, with the proviso that in order to qualify for the handicap competition, 5 games were played over the course of the weekend. The rain came down in bucket loads and a couple of the lawns appeared to become small lakes, but with the help of the new squeegee they were soon sorted. A big thank you to the players who helped, as the volume of water was quite substantial (and heavy to push); allowing play to continue unhindered.

At day one Fiona Crompton, Mark Simmerson ,Angharrad Walters and Andrew Gould were unbeaten, Andrew winning 26-0 in less than an hour against Stephen Wright.

Saturday was very squally with the precursor to Storm Dave, which was to arrive later that day. 33km ph winds were recorded in Earby in the afternoon. Sadly John Henderson had to withdraw due to injury, although no one was left waiting too long for a game.

At day 2 Angharrad and Mark were still unbeaten.

Sunday was extremely cold, luckily there were no ill effects after the previous evenings 40mph winds (Storm Dave). A number of the players huddled in the heated hut when out of play.

At day 3 Angharrad and Mark were again still unbeaten.

In contrast to the previous days, on Monday, the clouds cleared, the wind dissipated and the layers of clothing were removed as the sun shone, and even the balloon flights took place due to the calm weather.

The handicap final was between Betty Bates and partner Lee Hartley which resulted in some friendly banter. In a nip and tuck game Betty was eventually victorious after pegging Lee's front ball off, winning plus 4.

Angharrad Walters and Mark Simmerson played the Advanced final with Angharrad the victor in a closely fought contest.

The Advanced event (Peter Dowdall Trophy) was won by Angharrad Walters

John Beech Handicap was won by Betty Bates

Low Handicap trophy - Lee Hartley

High Handicap trophy- Debbie Watson

Fastest game - Andrew Gould

Most games played - Stephen Wright

Handicap changes for Betty Bates and Mark Simmerson. Lee Hartley did his first TPO.

Brian Medley ran the tournament extremely swiftly, helped by a wonderful cohort of friendly and amenable players. Thanks should also go to ROT Angharrad Walters and the numerous other referees who helped out at the busier times. Extended thanks to Stephen Wright chairman of Pendle and his team for their warm hospitality. The groundsmen at Pendle also deserve a mention for the excellent condition of their lawns and also the catering team who served delicious warm, home cooked meals and were very attentive. A lovely weekend played with conviviality. Finally, the wooden spoon was awarded for the first time in many years the last recipient was John Beech, however the 'winner' will remain nameless.

Gender, Changing Facilities and Toilets

by Gabrielle Higgins [^]
6th April (CqE Official News)

We know that many clubs are keen to have guidance on how the Supreme Court decision last year in For Women Scotland affects them. Croquet England has recently published a Gender Policy which covered eligibility to participate in events organised by Croquet England, including those publicised in the Fixtures Calendar. Clubs may wish to adopt the same approach.

Regrettably, in respect of changing facilities and toilets, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Code of Practice on the Equality Act, updated to take into account the Supreme Court decision as well as many other developments, is not yet available and there appears to be no clear timetable as to when it will be published. In those circumstances, the Gender Review Group feels unable to do more than other sports such as Bowls and Tennis have done, and note that it is not possible to offer advice at present and that clubs should read such guidance as is available when deciding what is appropriate for them in the context in which they operate.

More information on the reasons for this, and such advice as it is possible to give can be found in this guidance document.

Croquet England welcomes two new Trustees to the Board

We are delighted to announce the appointment of John Sayce and Roger Baddeley, whom we welcome to the Board of Trustees

John Sayce is a sports lover, being a qualified coach in 4 sports, including croquet. Professionally, he has been a child care social worker, trainer/facilitator and a senior manager for Barnardo's. He was a trustee for a national parenting charity and is currently involved in environmental issues in Swansea. He is a member of Mumbles Croquet Club, and is appointed until the next AGM into the trustee vacancy from the uncontested Central Counties and Wales election.

Roger Baddeley has filled various roles in sports clubs over the past several years including fixture secretary, treasurer, club secretary, and team captain. He retired from the corporate world around 4 years ago, most recently in contingent workforce and change management. He is a member of Nailsea Croquet Club and has qualified in the last season as a croquet club coach. He is appointed until the next AGM into the trustee vacancy arising from the uncontested South West constituency election.

European Clubs League 2026

by Ian Burridge [^]
30th March (GC)

Final entries have been confirmed for the 2026 European Clubs League. A record 60 teams will take part from 12 countries, in total over 250 players can be expected to participate.

The winners of the 7 Championship heats will contest the Grand Final to be hosted by Carrickmines 'A' (IRE) 9-11th October. The 8 Qualifier heat winners are guaranteed a place in the Championship heats in 2027.

The first heat, to be hosted by Balgreen (SCO), is only 3 weeks away, remaining heats will run through to the start of August. Defending Champions Roehampton (ENG) find themselves in what is considered the strongest heat, with previous winners Dulwich (ENG), the host Club de Campo de Vigo 'A' (SPA) who finished 4th overall last year and Newbridge House 'A' (IRE). Teams from Sweden and Greece will feature for the first time, Corfu (GRE) hosting a Qualifying heat and Win and Tonic (SWE) travelling to Phyllis Court.

Competitive Croquet: Understanding Handicaps and the World Ranking System

by Alison Maugham [^]
29th March (CqE Official News)

All competitive croquet games should be recorded; this is to enable fair assessment and monitoring of all players' standard of play.

There are two systems of establishing a player's standard of play, locally through the handicap system, and globally through the world ranking system.

Handicap System

When croquet is played to the rules of handicap play, the aim is to give each player a fair chance of winning. Any advantages they receive at the beginning of a handicap game should be aligned to their level of play, and if this level is set incorrectly then the game could be played unfairly.

All competitive croquet games, handicap and level, must be recorded on player handicap cards, unless stated otherwise by an event or tournament manager.

World Ranking System

Only level competitive games are recorded in the ranking database, which is operated by the World Croquet Federation. Handicap games are not eligible for this system. For players who are looking to play 'ranked' games, they must enter tournaments which are eligible for the ranking system according to the regulations published by the World Croquet Federation.

For an event to be included in the World Ranking System, it must be played to the internationally recognised laws or rules of croquet. In addition, the regulations require that for an event to be included in the ranking system:

1. it must be recognised by the Governing Body (i.e. published in the Croquet England Fixtures Calendar); or,
2. it appears in a tournament calendar published by a Federation; or,
3. it is endorsed in writing by the relevant Ranking Officer prior to the start of the event.

Event organisers should ensure that one of the above criteria is met if they wish the event to be eligible for inclusion in the ranking system. Any event not meeting one of these three criteria will not be included. Events are not eligible if more than 75% of the places are reserved for members of one club.

There are also criteria to be met regarding how a game is played, in terms of court size, time limits, and the number of points that need to be scored. Results must be submitted in the correct format or entered onto Croquet Scores. The full regulations can be found on the World Croquet Federation website under WCF Ranking Regulations here: https://worldcroquet.org/wcf-business/statutes-regulations/.

It is important that these regulations are understood and followed by tournament managers, to ensure that players who are entering competitions have clarity regarding which games will be recorded by which system, whether it be the local handicap system or the world ranking system.

If you have any questions, please contact the relevant committee for support:

Handicap enquiries
handicap#croquetengland.org.uk

Association Croquet Tournament enquiries
tournaments-ac#croquetengland.org.uk

Golf Croquet Tournament enquiries
tournaments-gc#croquetengland.org.uk

General enquiriescommunications#croquetengland.org.uk