AC Eights Selections

by Ian Lines (AC Selection) at Various [^]
22nd July (AC)

Note: The President's Cup and Selectors' are in alphabetical order, others (including reserves) are in order of merit.

Eights Week Conditions

Previous winners are in the history section.

Trustee elections: call for nominations

by Gabrielle Higgins [^]
18th July (CqE Official News)

Nominations are invited of candidates to stand for election to the Board of Trustees of Croquet England in the following constituencies:

• The Central Counties and Wales (the old counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire, and Wales)
• The Northern Counties (the old counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire)
• The South West Counties (the old counties of the Channel Islands, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset)
• The Western Home Counties (the old counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Middlesex and Surrey)

Each constituency will elect one trustee.

Pursuant to rule 1.2 of the Election Rules, the timetable is as follows:

• Opening date for nominations: 22 July 2026
• Closing date for nominations: 11.59 pm on 9 September 2026
• Opening date for voting if an election is required: 10 September 2026
• Closing date for voting: 11.59pm on 2 October 2026

Candidates for election must:

• Be voting members of Croquet England (any subscriber aged 16 or over can register as a voting member by completing a simple form and declaration)
• Be proposed and seconded by voting members of Croquet England registered to vote in the constituency in which they are standing for election
• Be habitually resident in the constituency in which they are standing for election
• Agree to stand

To find out which historic county any postal address is in, use the 'Convert a Post Code' function at Gazetteer of British Place Names.

Further information is available about the elections and the skills sought from trustees. The Board is particularly keen to strengthen its knowledge and experience of Sport England; HR management best practice; design, development and operation of databases, websites and IT systems; performance evaluation, succession planning, and oversight of organisational change; fundraising; and marketing.

Guidance for prospective trustees is also available.

To stand for election, please complete a nomination form and return it to returning.officer#croquetengland.org.uk

The 2025 Electoral Commission report explains the constituencies further.

Voting

• Only registered voting members of Croquet England can vote. Any subscriber over the age of 16 can become a member at any time by completing a simple form at Voting Membership of Croquet England. There is no cost, but there is a requirement to complete a declaration (because Croquet England is a charity) to the effect that you will exercise your right to vote in a way that you believe is most likely to further the purposes of Croquet England.
• To vote in an election, a member must also choose a constituency. This can be set at any time at Review Croquet England Voting Constituency. There are no restrictions on which constituency you can choose; choose the one you identify with most.
• To vote in this election, register by 9 September 2026.

GC Eights Selections

by Richard Bilton [^]
13th July (GC - Tournaments)

Thank-you to all players for entering the GC Eights. The GC selectors met on 13 July and selected the following:

Please can those selected pay your entry fee via TES.

* Not yet entered.

Good luck to those selected.

Chris Clarke

Chair of GC Selectors

Playing Croquet in Extreme Heat

In some locations around England, the Met Office has issued Extreme Heat weather warnings. Croquet England is developing a policy in relation to this, and we would like to highlight some practical help, which we hope will enable everyone to continue enjoying their sport as safely as possible.

The government has issued their Beat the Heat: staying safe in hot weather guidance on 20^th May 2026, with which we recommend all players and officials familiarise themselves: gov.uk/.../beat-the-heat-staying-safe-in-hot-weather

We recommend that in extreme heat conditions, tournament managers and directors use their common sense and a spirit of fair play to decide on the appropriate course of action should croquet tournaments be affected. This relates to both the monitoring of the weather situation and the decisions required to complete match and tournament results. If you have concerns about playing in the heat, you will be able to withdraw from the tournament using the tournament entry system in the usual way.

Hydration

Good hydration is advised at all times in warm weather conditions. Consider setting a timer to remind players to drink water throughout matches. It would be wise to avoid dehydrating beverages such as alcohol and caffeinated drinks.

Shade and Suncream

Wearing hats to give your head cover from the sun would be beneficial, and using sun cream, which should be regularly re-applied, will help protect your skin. A wet cloth, such as a towel or microfibre cloth, can be used to cool a person's temperature, and placed on the neck will also help to protect the neck from direct sunlight.

Know the Signs

From the government guidance linked above, common symptoms of heat exhaustion include:

• Tiredness
• Weakness
• Feeling faint
• Headache
• Muscle cramps
• Feeling or being sick
• Heavy sweating
• Intense thirst

If a person is suffering from these symptoms, they might not recognise them within themselves, so it's important to check in with each other. Please help each other by asking a person how they are if you notice any changes in behaviour or appearance.

Tournament Regulations

If weather conditions affect the state of a tournament, this is currently dealt with in the tournament regulations (https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=tournament/regulations).

We aim to publish official guidance and policy for extreme weather conditions ready for the 2027 playing season; however, if you are unsure and would like to ask any questions, please send your enquiry to communications#croquetengland.org.uk.

Croquet England announce changes to structure and approach of Executive Committee aligned to 'One Croquet' philosophy

by Andy Dalby-Welsh [^]
29th July (CqE Official News)

Following the review of our strategic plan and priorities we have identified changes to our existing structure and approach, to support the delivery of our 'More Croquet' strategy.

Croquet England's Vision is to inspire generations of Croquet players through our inclusive and exciting sport. Our Mission is to 'Attract more people to play more croquet, in more places, for fun, friendship and competition'.

We will build on our values of Fun, Passionate, Collaborative, Accessible, and Progressive, to embrace our 'One Croquet' philosophy to celebrate our sport and all those within it.

The initial changes will encourage greater connectivity between the Executive and their committees. The Executive committee will evolve into a team which will include the following roles: Head of Growth and Grassroots, Head of Play, and Head of Performance. These three roles will appoint an Assistant to support them in overseeing their areas of development and delivery, with each assistant being one of the reporting committee chairs.

The Head of Marketing and the Head of Information Technology will support the Executive team and committees. Marketing and IT will no longer have committees but will recruit skilled volunteers to support the delivery of specific tasks and projects. We will also be recruiting a Secretary to the Executive.

Alongside the changes in focus of Executive team roles there will be a reduction in the number of meetings from eleven to six each year and an approach that will see greater connectivity between our newly formed Executive team, our committees, and our working groups.

The 'One Croquet' philosophy recognises the huge commitment that is made by our Trustees, Executive, Committees, Working Groups, individual volunteers, Federations and Academies, and aims to ensure that Croquet England can champion the variety of stakeholders in line with our value of collaboration. Our 'One Croquet' philosophy will celebrate all aspects of our sport whether Association Croquet, Golf Croquet or other formats played indoors or out.

The evolution of the Executive and how it operates is phase one in Croquet England's restructure. This will be followed by the re-appointment of our committees to sit within specific areas and aligned to our overarching 'More Croquet' strategy.

If you are excited to take part in supporting Croquet England and to drive the development of our sport, we invite you to put yourself forward to fulfil one of the outlined roles.

Head of Growth and Grassroots

Our Head of Growth and Grass Roots will ensure those playing and volunteering at the grass roots have a brilliant experience in Croquet. They will work collaboratively to ensure the working groups, coach education and coaching, and funding committees innovate and connect strongly across Croquet England. In addition, they will maximise the potential of our relationship with the Federations.

Head of Play

Our Head of Play will ensure those competing in our Croquet tournaments have brilliant experiences and are provided with excellent opportunities to compete at an accessible and appropriate level. They will work collaboratively with their tournament committees, Handicap committees, and advisory groups, to ensure the competitive areas of our sport connects strongly with other parts of Croquet England.

Head of Performance

Our Head of Performance will ensure those playing and volunteering at the high-performance level of Croquet are provided with excellent opportunities to train, to compete and to excel on the world stage. They will work collaboratively with the International, Selection and Referees committees, to ensure the high-performance areas of our sport connect strongly with other parts of our organisation. The will also maintain a positive relationship with the World Croquet Federation.

Head of Marketing

Our Head of Marketing will specifically ensure we have a voluntary team of experts who can draw on their expertise to form part of a team and deliver specific tasks for the benefit of Croquet England. They will work collaboratively to develop and deliver a marketing strategy and ensure their team strongly connects and supports across Croquet England.

Head of IT

Our Head of IT will specifically recruit and lead a team of volunteer experts who can assist Croquet England in evolving and maintaining our digital systems, processes and procedures. These are critical to support our subscribers, customers, and volunteers in their user journey in our sport.

Secretary to the Executive

The Secretary to the Executive will attend all Executive team meetings and assist the Chief Executive in the conduct of meetings. They will organise the meeting, its pre and post meeting papers and liaise with other members of the Executive to ensure reports and papers from committees are maintained and published appropriately.

The full role descriptions can be found here:
Job Description - Head of Growth and Grass Roots
Job Description - Head of Play
Job Description - Head of PerformanceJob Description - Head of Marketing
Job Description - Head of IT
Job Description - Secretary to the Executive

If you would like to apply for one the roles, please can you submit a one-page letter detailing your suitability for the role to Secretary to the Executive - Paul Brown at paul.brown#croquetengland.org.uk

If you would like to discuss the role then please let Paul know and he will support in arranging a call with Croquet England CEO Andy Dalby-Welsh.

Applications for these roles go live on Tuesday 29^th July with applications needing to be submitted by 5pm on 16^th August. Online interviews will take place week commencing 17^th August by Microsoft Teams.

GC English National Doubles

by Louise Smith at Cheltenham [^]
29th July (GC - Championships)

Sidmouth B-Class AC Advanced Weekend

by Ed Dolphin at Sidmouth [^]
29th July (AC)

Planned originally for two American blocks ranked by D Grade and playing for the Regency Salver and Fortfield Cup, entry levels and withdrawals meant the weekend had to be reorganised the day before as a flexible Swiss format with two nominal blocks eligible for the trophies.

On day one the eleven entrants enjoyed wonderful sunshine with a cooling breeze for the day's three rounds. There was a bye in each round with the odd number of entrants, fortunately the club was able to provide a number of players to give the resting players a game if they wanted.

The fortunes ebbed and flowed during the day, Philip Harris won his two opening games, but Chris Donovan took just 54 minutes to beat him 26-0 in round three. Most of the games were much closer and day one ended with Richard Williamson in pole position, but with a net hoops score of only two.

There was more cloud and it was cooler on day two, the much stiffer breeze in the afternoon was blamed for some missed shots. The Swiss format took effect and Richard was reeled back in by the number two ranked Philip who took top spot at the end of the day, with his nemesis Chris Donovan ranked number two.

A brief shower greeted the players on day three, but the weather soon cleared to give yet another enjoyable day's croquet. There were several shifts in the relative positions during the day, but Philip and Chris confirmed their top places with wins, one by the narrowest margin of an extra hoop after time and the extension period had expired.

Finally, the Regency Salver was won by Philip Harris with 7 wins out of 8 games. The highest ranked player in the B block and winner of the Fortfield Cup was Chris Donovan with 6 wins out of 8 games.

There was much discussion about the suitability of arranging the blocks by D Grade for this tournament whose players included several with D grades which bore no relation to their handicaps because they played mainly in internal and local league competitions rather than level advanced tournaments.

Had the tournament gone ahead in American blocks, we would have had a handicap 6 locked into a block ranging from ½ to 3, while the lower ranked block contained players ranging from 3½ to 5 with another 6. It is likely he would have been destined for a miserable three days. Luckily, the Swiss format soon had him playing more evenly matched opponents and by Sunday afternoon he said he was looking forward to coming back next year.

Using the D Grades may be appropriate for competition at the highest levels, but the considered opinion among the B-Class group playing at Sidmouth was that they hoped this very enjoyable weekend would return to being ranked by handicaps next year.

Newport beat Shrewsbury 4-3

by Alex Lake at Leicester [^]
28 Jul (AC - Longman Cup)

Alex Lake (6) & David Hills (12) lost to David Hart (5) and Alberto
Porras (1) 14-16 on time
Mat Hardy (4) beat Tim Bunn (10) 26-5
Hugh Gilbert (6) lost to Max Sanders (18) 1-26

Mat Hardy (4) beat David Hart (5) 26-6
Alex Lake (6) beat Tim Bunn (10) 20-19 on time
Hugh Gilbert (6) beat Alberto Porras (16) 15-11 on time
David Hills (12) lost to Max Sanders (18) 11-16 on time

A match played with a friendly spirit and kindly hosted by Leicester
Croquet Club

MacRobertson Shield Day 5 - England beat Australia 16-5

by Samir Patel at Roehampton [^]
29th July (The MacRobertson Shield)

England got over the line yesterday to win the test, but there were still four points to fight for on the final day at Roehampton. England got off to a flying start, winning the first game in all three matches, which turned into quick match wins by James Death & Samir Patel and Mark Avery & Jamie Burch with four triple peels.

However, that seemed to spur on Stephen Forster and Stephen Pearce who staged a revival to win their match, after which Stephen won the outstanding game which had been pegged down earlier in the test.

The evening saw The MacRoberton Shield Centenary Celebration which reflected on 101 years of this competition, with stories from tests through that time, celebration of some of the great players who were present, those who couldn't attend in person, and those we have recently lost from the Mac family.

Tomorrow is a travel day, with the teams making their way to the Sussex coast for the second round:

• England v USA
• New Zealand v Australia

Livestream: YouTube

Details: Website

Results: Croquet Scores

MacRobertson Shield Centenary Celebration - Livestreamed from 9:00 pm

by Alison Maugham [^]
28th July (CqE Official News)

To celebrate the Centenary of the MacRobertson Shield, the Association Croquet World Team Championship, a special meal hosted by @RoehamptonClub will be held this evening.

The meal will be followed by speeches by some of our special guests who will be reminiscing about past events and sharing their hopes for the future.

Join us to help celebrate this wonderful occasion on our YouTube lives-tream from 9pm - https://www.youtube.com/live/O8UT4yBvuCQ?si=_WhklgnpJXOplBz1.

Bury beat Chester 6-1

by Chris Alvey at Unknown - not stated [^]
28th July (AC - Longman Cup)

Tony Philips & Duncan Meachin beat Rick Davies & Sally Salter +6

Roger Schofield beat David Boyd +1
Richard Leach beat Robin Tasker +18

Tony Phillips beat David Boyd +24
Roger Schofield beat Robin Tasker +22
Richard Leach Beat Sally Slater +10
Rick Davies beat Duncan Meachin +13

Match result: Bury 6 Chester 1

Phyllis Court lost to East Dorset 2-4

by Keith Southern at Phyllis Court [^]
22 Jul (GC - Murphy Shield)

On July 22 East Dorset travelled to Phyllis Court for a quarter-final of this year's competition. These teams had last met in a 2023 semi-final when East Dorset were comfortable winners. This year's match was closer, East Dorset winning 4-2.

East Dorset led 2-1 at lunch with a win in the doubles while the 2 singles were shared one each, all in 2 games. In the afternoon singles, the top 2 rubbers each finished in 2 games, one win for each team. The first rubber of the day to go to 3 games then went in favour of East Dorset taking them to a winning match margin. The other rubber was left unfinished at 1-1.

Teams and handicaps :
Phyllis Court: Ian Norris (1), Alastair Broom (2), Michael Marcel (3), Kevin Ward (4).

East Dorset : Greg Vaughn (2), Mark Hamann (3), Tim Hughes (3), Keith Southern (3).

The full results are on Croquet Scores. After three away matches so far in this year's competition East Dorset will be at home to Sussex County in the semi-final.

Sussex County beat Guildford 9-2

by Gabrielle Higgins at Sussex County [^]
16 Jul (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

Sussex County Croquet Club beat Guildford and Godalming Croquet Club 9-2 at Sussex County on 16 July 2026.

Detailed results, with SCCC names first:

Nigel Billingham and Mike Akester (3.5) beat Peter Adams and Julie Tremble (3.5) 10-2
David Dickins (1.5) beat Richard Perkins (6) 14-13
Steve Chapman (2) beat Hilary Bird (8) 14-11

David Dickins beat Peter Adams (3) 14-9
Nigel Billingham (1.5) beat Julie Tremble (4) 14-5
Steve Chapman beat Richard Perkins 14-9
Mike Akester (6) lost to Hilary Bird 9-11

Mike Akester lost to Peter Adams 6-14
Steve Chapman beat Julie Tremble 14-12
Nigel Billingham beat Richard Perkins 14-9
David Dickins beat Hilary Bird 14-3

High Wycombe beat Bradford on Avon 9-2

by Mike Porter at High Wycombe [^]
22 Jul (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

High Wycombe 9 Bradford-on-Avon 2
22nd July at High Wycombe

(High Wycombe names first)

Mike Porter (2P) and Matt Miles-Griffiths (3.5) beat Martin Alabaster (1.5) and Carol Gorvett (9) +13
David Cotton (0) beat Chen Woodward (9) +5
Mike West (3.5) beat Bob Race (2.5) +9

Mike Porter beat Martin Alabaster +5
David Cotton beat Bob Race +7
Matt Miles-Griffiths beat Carol Gorvett +7
Mike West beat Chen Woodward +5

Mike Porter beat Chen Woodward +2
David Cotton beat Carol Gorvett +2(t)
Matt Miles-Griffiths lost to Bob Race -7
Mike West lost to Martin Alabaster -8

Peterborough AC Handicap

by Ross Bagni at Peterborough [^]
27th July (AC - Handicap)

On a pleasant overcast Monday morning, after all the heat, five players - including visitors from Leighton Linslade, Old Brentwood, Pinchbeck and Wrest Park - turned up for this well-run event. Six had been expected, but one withdrew over the weekend. Adrian Kirby, our manager, retained an all-play-all block format, which meant that in each of five rounds one player would have no opponent. So, to keep the visitors occupied, he pitted himself in a 14-point game against each - double-banked with his 26-point one.

The three rounds played on Monday ended with Adrian (0) on 2 from 2, Derek Code (20) on 2 from 3, Ken Knock (5) on 1 from 3, Ross Bagni (10) - your reporter - on 1 from 3, and Tim Nurse (5) on 0 from 2.

Adrian also won two 14-point games, but was able to rest in the third round, being the player-without-an-opponent. Half the games went to time, including a thriller in which Derek scored a golden hoop to beat Ross 20:19.

The two rounds played on Tuesday saw Tim beating Derek, Ken beating Ross, and Adrian completing a clean sweep of wins by beating Ken and Tim. The game with Ken featured a tightly controlled three-ball ending, with Ken stuck on Hoop 9 throughout. The one with Tim was a +1t (23:22) thriller, with Adrian hitting in from distance and leap-frogging from two down to two up in the time turn, whereupon Tim hit in from distance, approached his hoop from twelve yards, and ran it from a couple, only to be hampered, just missing the continuation roquet.

Derek and Ken ended on 2 from 4, with Derek awarded second place on Who Beat Whom. Ross and Tim ended on 1 from 4 with Ross awarded fourth place also on Who Beat Whom.

Adrian also scored a third 14-point victory that afternoon, but succumbed to Ross in the remaining 14-pointer in the morning. Your reporter's most memorable part of the two days was beating Adrian 14:0 but with a bucket full of bisques!

As last year's winner, Ross presented Adrian with the Ken Hope-Jones Shield and all the participants thanked him for his excellent management and food!

Ross Bagni

Eddie Piper-Mayo wins Bude's first ever D-Level Series event

by Martin French at Bude [^]
27th July (GC - Tournaments)

After 30 days without rain (unheard of before in July in North Cornwall!), conditions for Bude CC's first D-Level Series could be described as "tricky". Lawns like glass and quite bumpy, and hoops rigidly set in new holes (courtesy of a 20mm diameter hammer drill to get through the baked earth - photo) presented a good challenge for the 8 contestants from Bude, Budleigh Salterton and Taunton Deane. The majority of block games were very close, with 7 of the 12 block games decided by a single point. Block A was won by Valerie Langdown, followed by Ray Haylock, both in their first tournaments. Block B was won convincingly by Eddie Piper-Mayo, in her second tournament, with 3 wins from 3, with John Warren in 2^nd place.

Our 2 block winners made it through the Semis to a high-quality Final, where Eddie narrowly beat Valerie to secure her first tournament win.

The Plate was won by Roger Isaac, narrowly beating Zoe Cox.

With Cornish Pasties for lunch and cream scones before the final round (the right way up of course - Jam First!) it was a very successful first Series tournament for this new venue, only very recently 10 years old.

Bowdon B beat Bowdon A 6-5

by Brian Medley at Bowdon [^]
27th July (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

MacRobertson Shield Day 4 - England clinch the first test

by England Team at Hurlingham [^]
27th July (The MacRobertson Shield)

England entered day 4 knowing one match win out of the six singles to be played would be enough to seal the test match.

James, Rob, Mark & Jack were all on first thing and the race to claum the vital eleventh point was on.

James was first to finish a game with a quickfire tp and as he took his first break round in the second, Mark and Jack were both on triples of their own. While neither triple finished, both won their opening games and Rob completed a smooth triple to go game up as well.

James sped his first break up by going to 1back and completed a stylish sextuple to be the one who clinched the test for England. The second peel was jawsed after hoop 1, and after some patient play in the middle finished with a straight double.

Rob, Mark and Jack all won their matches to stretch the lead.

The late starts didn't go quite as well with Jamie giving away a few too many chances and Samir being pegged down in the third game as the light fell.

Roehampton tomorrow for the final three doubles against Australia before we move onto Southwick and the second test starting on Thursday.

MacRobertson Shield Day 3 - England on the brink

Jack Good and Jamie Burch relaxing after play (Photo: Jack Good)

Light rain overnight did not slow the lawns down too much which is a testament to the fantastic efforts of the ground staff. Jamie and Mark won a close game 1 plus one with Mark hitting the peg from the middle of the south boundary with wild applause. They went on to win game 2 more comfortably plus 26.

Rob and Jack played well with Rob completing 2 TPs, the second after an extended delay to replace all the balls after the blue suffered a chip at the hands of a fence post.

James and Samir's match went to 3 games with James nearly completing a combination peg out at the end of a QP.

England now just need one more match to secure the test.

MacRobertson Shield Day 2 - England pull away

Jack Good in play at Hurlingham (Photo: Samir Patel)

England were at Hurlingham today for day 2 of the test against Australia. 6 singles matches 1 v 2, 3 v 4, & 5 v 6 in each direction.

Mark and Jack were the designated late starts due to be available by 1pm.

James was efficient in putting the first point on the board +17tp +26tp. While that was going on, Jamie and Samir were each game up, and Rob was ahead in the first game of his match. Samir and Jamie finished soon after lunch to make sure we couldn't lose the day, and Mark made sure it was a winning day by adding a fourth point on the board before Australia had managed to win a game.

Rob let Greg Hill (Australia's number 1) back into his match and Greg had a tp in the third to avoid an England whitewash.

Jack, with the later late start, was the centre of attention for the afternoon, winning 2-0 with a couple of triples.

5-1 on the day, 7-2 overall, and England are confident that they will see out this test victoriously.

Roehampton tomorrow for three more doubles, so the test can't be won before Monday.

Livestream: YouTube

Details: Website

Results: Croquet Scores

MacRobertson Shield Day 1 - England up and running

by England Team at Roehampton [^]
24th July (The MacRobertson Shield)

MacRobertson Shield - Day 0

England Team at the MacRobertson Shield Opening Ceremony Flag Parade (Photo: Samir Patel)

The opening ceremony for the 2026 Centenary MacRobertson Shield took place earlier today.

The England team [pictured L-R: James Burch, Jack Good (flag carrier), Mark Avery, Robert Fulford, James Death and Samir Patel (behind the camera)] joined the opening ceremony parade, with the other players from USA, New Zealand and Australia. After 2 days of practice at the first two venues (the Hurlingham and Roehampton Clubs), speeches were spoken, regulations interrogated, players introduced, and it's now time to get started.

Play starts at 10am tomorrow.

Game on!

Livestream: YouTube

Details: Website

Results: Croquet Scores

Watford beat Leighton Linslade 4-0

by Simon Hathrell at Watford [^]
21st July (GC - Murphy Shield)

Watford won 4-0. The deciding 3^rd games in three of the singles rubbers were unplayed as the match result had been decided by then.

Guildford beat Compton 5-1

by Andrea Huxley at Guildford [^]
21st July (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

Swanage beat Southport 4-2

by Keith Southern at Cheltenham [^]
21st July (GC - Federations' Shield)

Played at Cheltenham on July 20, Swanage (South West Federation) defeated Southport (North West Federation) 4-2 with one singles left unfinished at 1-1. In a closely fought match each member of the Swanage team contributed one singles victory to the final result.

Keith Southern

Swanage non-playing captain

Kington Langley lost to High Wycombe 3-4

by High Wycombe captain at Kington Langley [^]
19 Jul (AC - Longman Cup)

High Wycombe beat Kington Langley 4-3
19th July 2026 at Kington Langley

(High Wycombe names first)
Richard Coward (5) & Mike West (11) beat John Grimshaw (4.5) and Margaret Murray (12) 19-14
Paul Gunn (12) beat Richard Way (5) 19-14
Robin Morrison (6) beat Robert Corbin (9) 14-13

Richard Coward beat John Grimshaw 20-13
Robin Morrison lost to Richard Way 22-23
Mike West lost to Robert Corbin 8-16
Paul Gunn lost to Margaret Murray 16-21

Sussex County beat Guildford Godalming 4-3

by Vincent L'Estrange at Sussex County [^]
17 Jul (GC - Murphy Shield)

On yet another hot and sunny day with no cooling breeze SCCC welcomed our friends from Guildford and Godalming for a quarter-final match in the national Murphy Shield. Ben and Nigel got us off to a good start, winning the doubles in two straight games. The two morning singles were long drawn out affairs, both going to 3 games with Jo winning hers against a 2 handicapper. 2-1 up at lunch. GGCC pulled one back straight after lunch and soon it was 3-3 with, as is so often the case, everything hinging on the final game.

We all sat down to watch as Jo took on Phil Tremble for the decider. Phil won the first game; the second went to the golden hoop with both players having chances to win. Jo eventually prevailed, setting up what might have been a nail-biting finish. However, a confident Jo took full control of the third game winning comfortably 7-2.

A 4-3 victory and an away semi-final against Phyllis Court or East Dorset.

Thanks to Ben, Nigel and Jo for playing and to Guildford and Godalming for the friendly spirit in which the tie was played.

Vincent

Leonard Taylor won the Barter Trophy

by Ivor Brand at Cheltenham [^]
17th July (GC - Tournaments)

Once again, the Barter Trophy was quickly oversubscribed to the point where next year's allocation will be increased to 24. The 3 undefeated block winners were Leonard Taylor, Jackie Bryant, and Iris Brooksbank with Nigel Morris, Martin Sloots and Philip Hendy as their respective runner's up. Block A had a 3 way tie and was narrowly decided by net points and who beat who to put Susan Bellows through followed by Andrew Jackson.

Although the heat of the day was starting to build (as Carol J will testify to) the gentle breeze kept playing conditions bearable on fast lawns. The knockout rounds saw the temperatures rise and understandably some players were making their departure once they could. The final itself was a tight affaire of a high standard, which saw Jackie, take the early advantage. However, Leonard fought back to take back the lead 6-5 and inevitably play first up to the 13th hoop. After a few rotations, Jackie was hiding behind the hoop waiting for Leonard's tight angle shot to jaws. However, a referee was called as he successfully attempted a small jump, which put enough rotation on the ball to fall through the hoop to win the Barter trophy.

(All scores are on CS.) It is normal to thank everyone at the club that help to set up and run a tournament for others to enjoy. However, I would like to recognise Brian Jamieson again for making himself available to referee throughout the day, which allowed me to rest!

Karen Bowes wins 'C' Level (7+) Series GC Tournament at Bury

Karen Bowes (winner) & David Parrott (runner up)

Karen Bowes (Crake Valley) defeated David Parrott (Bury) in the Final (7-4) to win the Cup.

10 players participated at Whitehead Park, several of whom were competing in their first Bury Tournament and it was great to welcome fresh faces to the Club.

The weather was much fresher and a little cloudy for the first part of the morning, however the sunshine and hot temperatures soon returned.

It was a keenly contested Tournament throughout with great play and commitment from everyone, demonstrated by the fact that so many of the matches resulted in a 7-6 scoreline.

Play consisted of 2 blocks. In Block A Karen Bowes (Crake Valley) won 3 out of 4 games, Ursula Walker (Fylde), Ray Lock (Ashby), and David Parrott (Bury) each won 2 and Mick Derrick (Sheffield) won 1.

In Block B Clare Rockall (Gainsborough) won 3 games, John Bowes (Crake Valley), Brenda Knight (Crake Valley), and Katy Hill (Ripon Spa) each won 2 and Sharon de Maine (Bury) won 1.

Semi-finals were held for both the Cup and the Plate. Players through for the Plate were Ursula and Ray from Block A and Brenda and Katy from Block B. Players through for the Cup were Karen and David from Block A and John and Clare from Block B. Mick and Sharon competed for the 9^th/10^th Playoff, a very close game, which was won by Sharon(7-6)

The first semi-final for the Plate was full of great shots and Ray had to work hard to gain his victory over Brenda (7-6) and his place in the Final. In an enjoyable match Katy beat Ursula (7-3) to face Ray in the Final, which was another exciting close game, but Ray held his own to overcome Katy (7-5) to take the Plate.

Brenda and Ursula battled it out for the 7^th/8^th Playoff. Great play from both ladies but Brenda just pipped Ursula to the post and won (7-6)

The first semi-final for the Cup was the husband-and-wife battle between John and Karen Bowes. John put up a good fight, but Karen triumphed to gain her place in the Final (7-5). Yet another closely fought match took place between Clare Rockall and David Parrott. David held his nerve and won (7-6) thus gaining his place in the Final.

In the 3^rd/4^th Playoff John Bowes unfortunately had to retire mid match due to an injury, consequently Clare took 3^rd place.

Despite playing some great shots and putting up a good fight David could not contain Karen and she beat him (7-4) to win the Cup.

Club President David Barrett presented the trophies and wine.

Thanks go to Referee, John Crossland, who did a sterling job as always, the Tournament Management, Grounds and Catering Teams for making the day an enormous success, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed.

Full results can be seen on Croquet Scores

Open Championship results

by James Death at Cheltenham [^]
16th July (AC - Championships)

Last week the Open Championships were played at Cheltenham

The Open Doubles was won by Robert Fulford and Jack Good over James Death and Samir Patel

The 'Y' Doubles was won by Greg Bryant (NZ) and Logan McCorkindale (NZ) over David Fuller and Levi Franks (NZ)

The Open singles is currently 1-1 between James Death and Samir Patel. Game 3 will be played in the next few weeks.

The Plate was won by Jack Good over Jordan Waters

The 'Z' was won by Robin Brown over Andy Myers

The new Challenger's trophy was won by Sam Cuthbert over Richard Huxley

A full report will follow

Men's & Women's Championship winners

by James Death at Surbiton [^]
16th July (AC - Championships)

Last month the Men's and Women's Championships were played at Surbiton with one of the largest fields in recent years.

The final of the Men's Championship was won by Samir Patel over Mark Avery

The final of the Women's Championship was won by Jenny Clarke over Gabrielle Higgins

The final of the Mixed Doubles was won by Chris & Jenny Clarke over James Death & Beatrice McGlen

The Du Pre (plate) was won by Jack Good

A fuller report will follow in due course

Nottingham B-Level GC Tournament

by Andy Sherwood at Nottingham [^]
16th July (GC - Tournaments)

Phyllis Court beat Colchester 4-2

by Christopher Roberts at Phyllis Court [^]
15 Jul (GC - Federations' Shield)

Phyllis Court beat Colchester 4-2 in a close and long-fought match on the Oxfordshire bank of the River Thames today.

Playing to Advantage rules, Phyllis Court pair Pete Falle (3) and Julia Green (8) got their team off to a good start with a straight games victory over Colchester's Alex Wood (2) and Marilyn Wood (5), in the doubles rubber.

Patricia Mulcahy (4) took time to find her stride against Colchester Captain ChrisM Clarke (10) with the latter showing excellent positioning skills throughout their three games match.

Clarke won the first game but Mulcahy bounced back to win the next two for the match win.

In the other morning singles, Phyllis Court's Dee McKibbin (4) toiled long and hard with Colchester's Simon Bird (2) but their match had to be suspended after three hours with the score 1-1, to be returned to if necessary, as Phyllis Court took a 2-0 lead into a late lunch.

McKibbin lost in straight games to Marilyn Wood in relatively quick fashion, to bring Colchester back into the team match, but another straight games win for Phyllis Court's Falle soon after, recovered the hosts' two games lead cushion.

As the clock ticked past 1800, Clarke let a first game lead go when Green tied the number 4 match, and all eyes turned to the battle of the number 3's, where Mulcahy had won her first game and her second against Bird went to their final hoop.

Mulcahy made a crucial centre-ball clearance to hold position well, and then score the winning hoop on the next rotation, to give Phyllis Court an unassailable 4-2 lead.

Green and Clarke's rubber was halved, as was McKibbin and Bird's suspended morning rubber, in favour of Colchester setting out on their long drive home to Essex.

There will be a digest of results on Croquet Scores here soon -

Phyllis Court - Pete Falle (3), Patricia Mulcahy (4), Dee McKibbin (4), Julia Green (8).
Colchester - Alex Wood (2), Simon Bird (2), Marilyn Wood (5), ChrisM Clarke (10).

.

Phyllis Court are through to the National semi-finals of the Federations Shield and next face Backworth (Northumberland) at and date and venue to be decided.

Talking Croquet Issue 008 Published

The latest issue of Talking Croquet, our public online magazine, has been published. Read news from our Croquet Community, including the stories from the Northern Travels of Andy Dalby-Weslsh.

Andy writes "Welcome to this edition of Talking Croquet. It is a real pleasure to introduce another issue packed with stories that capture the breadth, energy, and accessibility of our sport. Croquet continues to show, repeatedly, that it is far more than a game played on lawns. It is a community, a source of friendship and wellbeing, a competitive sport capable of producing world-class drama, and a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can belong."

Read the latest issue and the full article from Andy's travels: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/515902635/

The Wiltshire Open 2026

by Jan Bennett at Hamptworth [^]
15th July (GC - Tournaments)

Defying the hot weather, the Hamptworth Croquet Club Wiltshire Open took place over the weekend of 11th and 12th July. The field was strong with former winners and international players on show.

At lunch on day 1, Peter Balchin and Tim O'Donnell were setting the early pace, each winning all three of their morning games. Six other players were just behind them with two wins.

As the afternoon play unfolded, Tim maintained his 100% win record and in the same block, Steve Leonard came through to take second place with five wins, Colin Britt was third with four wins, just edging out Adrian Coward into fourth place on hoop difference.

Block B was a much tighter affair with three players each on five wins. Stephen Custance-Baker claimed the top spot on hoop difference with Mark Hamann second and Chris Roberts in third. Peter Balchin was in fourth place with four wins.

All quarter finals were best of 19. Tim O'Donnell continued his impressive form demolishing Peter Balchin 10 - 1.

The other games, much closer affairs, saw victories for Colin Britt, Steve Leonard and Adrian Coward. Both semi-finals were close affairs, going to three games, with places in the final going to Tim and Steve. Colin was the only player to earn a win off Tim.

In the final, Tim continued to display a level of excellent hoop running and clearing. This earned him a 7 - 0 victory in the first game. Steve came roaring back at the start of the second game and went into a 3 - 0 lead. Long battles for each hoop followed. Tim fought his way back into the game and went on to take the second game 7 - 5. This gave Tim O'Donnell the title for the second successive year.

In the Shield, Mark Hamann was very impressed to witness Chris Roberts score hoops 7 and 8 with just one shot!

The Plate competition saw Andy Loakes beat Ian Shore in the final.

The tournament managers would like to thank all of the participants for braving the heat, staying the course and for showing themselves to be a great bunch of people. We had a lot of fun and laughter and there was a wonderful sense of camaraderie.

https://croquetscores.com/2026/gc/hamptworth-cc-the-wiltshire-open-golf-croquet-open-series-tournament

Hurlingham beat Surbiton 5-2

by Noel Flint at Hurlingham [^]
15th July (AC - Longman Cup)

Ashby beat High Wycombe 4-2

by Judith Rowe at Ashby [^]
14th July (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

Sussex County lost to Roehampton 1-6

by Joel Taylor at Sussex County [^]
13th July (AC - Inter-Club)

Harry Fisher & Mark van Loon (R) beat Dom Nunns & Gabrielle Higgins (S) +10t

Christian Carter (R) beat Tudor Jenkins (S) +26tp

Joel Taylor (R) beat Mark Fawcett (S) +4t

Fisher beat Nunns +25

van Loon beat Higgins +14

Fawcett beat Carter +14

Taylor beat Jenkins +16

Roehampton beat Phyllis Court 5-2

by Mark Green at Roehampton [^]
13th July (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

MacRobertson Shield 2026 - Team Seeding

The Team Seeding date for the 2026 MacRobertson Shield has arrived, and I can now announce the results.

Seed 1 2565.17 England
Seed 2 2484.33 USA
Seed 3 2466.50 New Zealand
Seed 4 2325.00 Australia

This means that the first round of Test Matches will be
England v Australia
USA v New Zealand

The teams have been seeded in descending order of the average dynamic grade of the six players most recently submitted by the countries to the WCF by the final submission date of 12 July UTC.

The dynamic grades were downloaded from the Association Croquet Grading System website (butedock.com/cgs/rank.php) at 16:00 UTC on 13th July 2026.

Australia - average dynamic grade = 2325.00
2182 Trevor Bassett
2222 Lachlan Berryman
2358 Stephen Forster
2461 Greg Hill
2400 Dwayne McCormick
2327 Stephen Pearce

England - average dynamic grade = 2565.17
2531 Mark Avery
2592 Jamie Burch
2619 James Death
2572 Robert Fulford
2488 Jack Good
2589 Samir Patel

New Zealand - average dynamic grade = 2466.50
2358 Greg Bryant
2586 Paddy Chapman
2435 Edmund Fordyce
2564 Logan McCorkindale
2460 Felix Webby
2396 Aaron Westerby

USA - average dynamic grade = 2484.33
2488 Thomas Balding
2641 Matthew Essick
2304 Kyle Maloof
2351 Stephen Morgan
2481 Ben Rothman
2641 Zack Watson

Countries and players are listed in alphabetical order.

The event programme is now availible online >>

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/516824879/

Roehampton beat East Dorset 4-1

by Diana Wilson at Roehampton [^]
11th July (AC - Mary Rose)

Roehampton won 4-1 (teams of 3 were involved).

Nick Yates and David Mooney beat Andy Meikle and Chris Rice 17-14 (+3T)
Diana Wilson beat Steve Leonard 26-1 (+25)
Nick Yates beat Andy Meikle 26-4 (+22)
Diana Wilson beat Chris Rice 26-23 (+3T)
David Mooney lost to Steve Leonard 17-26 (+9)

World-Class AC Test Match (London)

The MacRobertson Shield is the pinnacle of Association Croquet - a
four-nation Test Match between England, New Zealand, Australia and the
USA. It takes place every four years in each of the countries and is
in England this summer.

Each Test is the first nation to win 11 matches, comprising both
doubles and singles. Every round promises world-class croquet, but the
standout fixture could well be the final Test, most likely between
England and New Zealand.

All venues provide lunches. Roehampton and Hurlingham are large
members' clubs with several restaurants and bars, while Surbiton is a
traditional croquet club that serves what many consider to be the
finest lunches on the croquet circuit - not to be missed! They also
have famously challenging lawns, assuming the weather behaves.

Details: croquetworldteamchampionships.co.uk

Round 1: 24-28 July - Roehampton & Hurlingham
Round 2: 30 July-3 August at the Sussex County CC (Brighton)
Round 3: 5-9 August at Surbiton (London)

Southport beat Leicester 5-1

by Sue Wilkie at Southport [^]
10th July (GC - Murphy Shield)

croquetscores.com/2026/gc/murphy-shield-southport-v-leicester/competition/southport-vs-leicester

Roger Staples

Roger Staples receiving the Bernard Neal Award from CqE President, Jonathan Isaacs

It is with much sadness we report the death of Roger Staples.

Roger passed away on 30^th June 2026 at his home in Long Newton, Stockton on Tees.

Our thoughts are with his wife Hilary and his family at this sad time.

Roger was a major contributor to Croquet at Federation and National level.

He served in several roles in Croquet North from the late 1990's.

At National Level, he chaired several Croquet Association Committees including the inaugural year of the Executive Committee during the Covid pandemic.

Roger received the Bernard Neal Award for his longstanding and loyal services to Croquet at a special presentation organised in his home on 21^st May 2026.

2027 WCF AC World Championship

by Ian Lines at New Zealand [^]
9th July (World Championship)

The WCF has announced that the 2027 WCF AC World Championship will take place in New Zealand from Saturday 30 January to Sunday 7 February. The event will cater for 80 players and will take place at the following five venues:

• Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club (Wellington): 5 courts
• Wellington Municipal Croquet Club (Wellington): 3 courts
• Waimarie Hutt Valley Croquet Club (Hutt City): Headquarters 5 courts
• Paraparaumu Croquet Club (Paraparaumu): 4 courts
• Waikanae Croquet Club (Waikanae): 5 courts

The Qualifying Tournament, catering for up to 24 players, will be held from Sunday 24 January to Wednesday 27 January 2027 at Rose Gardens Croquet Club (Palmerston North), which has 6 courts, approximately two hours drive north of Wellington City.

Further information about the event, including local accommodation and transport, the event timetable and any other relevant information, will be published on the WCF website at https://worldcroquet.org/ as the information becomes available.

Players eligible for England should make themselves available in the usual way using the online availability form. Players should make themselves available by 3 September 2026, the WCF will announce initial Ranking Places and Wild Card by 4 October 2026 and the CqE AC Selection Committee will announce our two Membership Places by 15 October 2026.

Nottingham beat Bowdon 7-0

by Ian Burridge at Nottingham [^]
5th July (GC - Inter-Club)

Top-Class AC at Cheltenham

Starting today the Association Croquet Open Croquet Championships, featuring
several overseas players who are here for the World Team Championships
in the following weeks. With so many International Test players in the
field, there will be some very high-quality spectating to be done.

The Championships begin with Doubles from Saturday 4 July to Monday 6
July, followed by the Singles Championship from Tuesday 7 July to
Sunday 12 July.

The first three days of the Singles (Tues-Thur) consist of block play,
with plenty of croquet taking place as players battle to reach six
wins and qualify for the knockout stage. The knockout begins on
Friday, culminating in the final on Sunday.

The quarter- and semi- finales will be very high-quality best-of-three
(or five) matches, and the final will probably be the best AC you will
ever see.

Cheltenham provides lunches, but it's worth booking in advance. If
they're only catering for players, the neighbouring tennis club serves
good bar meals and is happy to welcome visiting croquet players.

Bury beat Leicester 4-1

by Simon Attwell at Bury [^]
2nd July (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

Croquet England AC Open Championships - Draws

by Samir Patel [^]
1st July (AC - Championships)

The draw for the Doubles Championship is available on Croquet Scores.

The draw for the Swiss stage of the Singles Championship is below. Rounds will not necessarily be played in the order drawn.

• The range in Average Opponent Grade (AOG) for each player is 2175.75-2200.75 (25.00), with a mean average of 2187.15 which, by definition, is also the mean average DGrade of the field.
• The Sum Square variance is 1711.48.
• The range in Expected Wins for the Average Player (EWAP) against each draw is 1.899-2.084 (0.185), with a mean average of 2.084.

Hurlingham lost to Bowdon 3-4

by Angharrad Walters at Hurlingham [^]
1st July (AC - Inter-Club)

Wrest Park beat Enfield w/o

by David Marsh at Wrest Park [^]
1st July (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

Sussex County beat Ealing w/o

by Christine Trice at Sussex County [^]
30th June (AC - Longman Cup)

Shrewsbury beat Leicester 6-1

by David Hart at Shrewsbury [^]
30th June (AC - Longman Cup)

Morning singles Results ( Shrewsbury names first)

Shelley Hennell (9) beat Richard Whiting (9) +1

Max Sanders (18) beat Owen Pugh (6) +2

Doubles Result

Tim Bunn(11) and Alberto Porras (14) beat Mark Lansdale (6) and Ian Buckley (14) +2

Afternoon singles

Shelley Hennell (9) lost to Owen Pugh (6) -10

Tim Bunn (11) beat Mark Lansdale (6) +6

Alberto Porras (14) beat Richard Whiting (9) +9

Max Sanders (18) beat Ian Buckley (14) +18

Andy Dalby-Welsh: Northern Croquet Tour

Andy Dalby-Welsh Shares his Experiences of his Northern Croquet Club Tour

Let Them Eat Cake!

Day 1 of our northern tour was brilliant and day 2 was just as good. One of our strategic priorities this year is to support the development of the well-being special project at Pendle and Craven Croquet Club with the aim of replicating it nationally from next year.

The project has been developed by Ian Longstaff, having connected with the local social prescribing team. It was a pleasure to meet James Smith, the social prescriber who took a leap of faith into the world of croquet. James couldn't speak highly enough of the positive impact the well-being project is having. A new community has been formed in Pendle and the surrounding area. The community had been created for people facing challenges including Parkinson's, cancer and Alzheimer's. It was an emotional experience to witness couples loving a game of croquet together, socialising with others and revelling in the cake that had been baked for eating at the end of the session.

Croquet can provide people with the opportunity to compete on the world stage, but it can also give those at risk of becoming isolated, lonely and withdrawn, the opportunity to make friends, be active with loved ones and take pride in their community. Seeing the project in action and meeting some amazing individuals has only increased my commitment to developing this exceptional project in other parts of the country.

Bury Croquet Club provided the destination for Wednesday. A great game was had with club legend Roy Spencer, as well as DB Mallets' Chris Alvey and Anne Alvey. All three volunteer at their clubs and it is these volunteers who ensure that people can have brilliant experiences, have fun, build friendships and compete both locally and internationally. A truly great day reinforcing the power of croquet!

A World-Class Venue for a World-Class Event

Across the weekend just gone, Bowdon Croquet Club hosted the England vs Spain Golf Croquet Test Match. The venue was simply superb, with volunteers putting in an enormous amount of work to provide outstanding playing surfaces and a wonderful setting for what proved to be a highly competitive international contest.

The series took place over three days, with Spain arriving as defending champions after their victory last year on home soil. The England team showed huge determination, courage and competitive spirit to win what was an incredibly tight event.

Getting off to a great start on Friday it looked like it may be plain sailing for the English but Spain fought back hard on Saturday and ensured it was going to go down to the wire on Sunday.

What followed was an incredible exhibition of golf croquet. The standard of play was among the highest I have witnessed. Equally impressive was the number of younger players representing England at this level. Captained by John-Paul Moberly, with Euan Burridge, Callum Johnson, Stephen Mulliner, Tobi Savage and Aston Wade, the England team showed tremendous determination, courage and competitive spirit throughout the weekend. Their outstanding performance on the final day secured a memorable 15-11 victory in what was a very close contest.

This was a fantastic advert for croquet. It demonstrated that our sport can be enjoyed for fun, friendship and for high level competition. Hats off to Spain captain Jose Riva Gomez-Jordana and his team who competed with great skill and a brilliant sporting spirit.

My huge thanks to everyone at Bowdon Croquet Club for such a warm welcome, especially club President Lorna Frost and all the volunteers .
I look forward to seeing many more fantastic competitive battles in the months ahead.

This was a fabulous spectacle and reinforced the excitement that Croquet can offer.

Wrapping up the northern croquet tour with Mr GB and the future of the sport&hellip

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to play croquet against two croquet legends in Derek and Elaine from Southwell Croquet Club. They are two volunteers who are making a big difference at their clubs.

Derek and Elaine introduced me to their members and gave us the opportunity to gather hugely helpful feedback on our sport and how we can support our clubs most effectively. People like Derek and Elaine are the heartbeat of the clubs that make croquet what it is.

Trips can always be full of surprises, and this one didn't disappoint when we found out that Derek had previously been Mr GB in his body building days. A man not to be messed with even in his 90th year!

Alison and I then moved on to Nottingham Croquet Club to take in the National Junior Championships. It was brilliant to see the young people competing against one another, working as a team when playing doubles and, most importantly, playing with great spirit throughout the day.

Seeing the National Junior Championships in action reinforced why developing young people has to remain a priority for our sport. Alongside the competition, it is exciting to bring together parents and teachers to form a steering group that will help shape the future of Croquet England's development of young players. Their insight, commitment and willingness to get involved will be invaluable as we build for the future. As always, volunteers are crucial to the development of our sport.

My thanks to Alison Maugham our Marketing, Communications and Partnerships Lead for organising such a great trip to meet great people at great clubs and for all those who gave very warm welcomes along the way. The future's bright the future's croquet!

Sunshiny Balls are available for sale

by James Death [Admin] at Croquet England Shop [^]
29th June (Other News)

We have received our delivery of Sunshiny balls this month so they are in stock and available for sale.

They were reaccredited as tournament balls at the start of the year and are authorised for use in tournaments due to their consistency in size, weight and behaviour.

For those who are looking to purchase Sunshiny balls they are available in the Croquet England Shop.

Ruth Scott-Farnell won the East Dorset GC C-Level

by David Fuller at East Dorset [^]
29th June (GC - Tournaments)

To some extent the weather had cooled from the 35C+ early in the week, but the conditions were still tough and not everyone was able to complete the whole day.

We had five members playing and five 'grockles' (technical term for 'incomer', if you are not aware). The court conditions were excellent and of a good pace with hoops set to a sixteenth. Thanks Keith Southern for acting as Handicapper and Referee.

It was soon clear that our visitors were collectively playing the best croquet, with Linda leading the charge for EDCC. A Cross-Block had been set-up but management adjustments were required after a withdrawal due to the heat after two rounds. Nevertheless, the top four on the day (in my view) made it to the semi-finals.

Clubmates Cybs McGovern (5/5) and Ruth Scott-Farnell (3/5) saw Ruth step up her game significantly to win the first semi-final 7-1. Alex Aiton (2/4), who was considered an excellent each-way bet by many (he comes from good stock you see!), met 'our' Linda Hogan (3/4) in the second, Alex winning 7-4 with some excellent hoop running.

And so the 8th and 10th ranked entrants contested the final; Ruth and Alex. We saw a good standard of play, except perhaps the last couple of hoops when nerves were creeping in. Ultimately, a thirteenth hoop seemed a fair reflection of fortunes and Alex was unlucky that a jump shot for the win just missed leaving that lovely two inch hoop for Ruth. Bad luck Alex - there is much to suggest that a DGrade of 1177 is crazy low. Well done Ruth, also playing well above your ranking.

Wrest Park beat Watford 4-0

by John Bevington at Wrest Park [^]
29th June (AC - Mary Rose)

John Bevington (1) and Eric Audsley (1½) beat Brian Havill (2) and Stephen Mills (2½) 26-22

Tim Nurse (5) v Arthur Reed (3) pegged down & unfinished

George Collin (1½) beat Gary Bennett (3½) 26-16

John Bevington v Brian Havill unfinished (18pt game)

Eric Audsley beat Stephen Mills 14-6 (14pt game)

George Collin beat Arthur Reed 26-5

Tim Nurse v Gary Bennett unfinished

Condition Red was still in force, and for Eric, George, Tim and Stephen it was a return after surviving similar conditions at Wrest Park's tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday. Everyone was grateful for what was left of the bags of ice and bottles of squash. The lawns were fast and tricky: gentle shots were likely to curve one way or the other and the hoops lost their firmness as the day wore on. Breaks were hard to establish and harder to keep going. We agreed to follow the standard procedure for the Mary Rose and dispense with time limits, with the inevitable consequences.

In the doubles it was two hours before a lift was conceded and progress in the morning singles was at a similar rate. George eventually finished and we adjourned for a very late lunch, the other game being pegged down. As the doubles looked close to finishing it continued but dragged on after Eric stuck in rover and Watford caught up, but Eric finally got in again and pegged out for a narrow win. In the afternoon singles George decided to adopt a more gung-ho approach which paid dividends with a quick win against Arthur to leave Wrest Park 3-0 up. The doubles players agreed to play shortened games (it was well after 4pm when they started) to give a chance of a result before nightfall, and after Eric beat Stephen in a 14 point game the other games were abandoned, not without relief.

Bradford on Avon beat Caversham 10-1

by Martin Alabaster at Bradford on Avon [^]
26th June (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

BOA
Martin Alabaster (2)
Bob Race (2.5)
Carol Gorvett (9)
Chen Woodward (10)

Caversham
Charles Briggs (4)
Heather Hanshaw (6)
Dave Murray (9)
Jill Murray (9)

BOA names first
Martin Alabaster & Carol Gorvett beat Charles Briggs & Jill Murray 14-7
Bob Race beat Dave Murray 11-6
Chen Woodward beat Heather Hanshaw 10-9

Martin Alabaster beat Heather Hanshaw 14-3
Bob Race Beat Charles Briggs 14-11
Carol Gorvett beat Gill Murray 10-7
Chen Woodward beat Dave Murray 14-6

Martin Alabaster beat Charles Briggs 14-4
Bob Race beat Heather Hanshaw 14-5
Carol Gorvett lost to Dave Murray 10-4
Chen Woodward beat Jill Murray 14-0