[<<] [>>] by Roger Wood at Compton
03-31 Jul 2005 (AC)

Compton Open Weekend, Eastbourne: weather cloud with some sunny intervals - humid on Sunday; lawns moderate (10.5 seconds), much greener after heavy rain the previous week; balls borrowed Dawsons (thanks to the CA). The field was reduced to 16 this year - perhaps too close to the World Championships? Some regulars were particularly notable by their absence: George Noble had pressing business with his tapestry circle in France; while Tim Wilkins (holder of the COWhorn) and Samantha Symonds (holder of Tim Wilkins) were evidently deterred by the unavailability of Eastbourne's Grand Hotel's honeymoon suite! We hope to see them all again next year. Ben and Rod Ashwell were most welcome newcomers and it was good to see Graham Gale back on the tournament scene after some years' absence. Spectators (including on Saturday Rutger Beijderwellen's parents on their way to holiday in Cornwall) were treated to some absorbing croquet, especially Sunday's final. Reduced numbers did allow best-of-3 semis and a best-of-5 final.

Dave Kibble's path to the final had something of an air of inevitability about it. Rutger on the other hand had a narrow squeak along the way when he came from behind in round 2 to beat Jerry Guest by 2. In the semi-final against Paul Salisbury he played a masterful turn to set up his second game win. Paul had the first break to 4-back, Rutger hit the lift and went to 1-back, peeling Paul through 4-back, and leaving the opponents cross-wired at H1. Paul missed the long shot and Rutger took his backward ball to the peg, peeling partner to 4-back, peeling the opponent to the peg and pegging out both balls. Rutger then easily won the one ball ending.

In the first game Rutger took red to 4-back with a messy leave; Dave responded with blue to 4-back POPping yellow to H3. Although each hit in subsequent turns no further progress was made (despite Dave successfully claiming a wiring lift - impeded swing - with Rutger's balls on B-baulk) until Rutger found himself with all 4 balls near 4-back and finished with a TP. The second game was all
Rutger's: 3rd turn to 4-back, 5th turn triple; and the third all Dave's: 5th turn to 4-back, 7th turn triple. The fourth game began like the second with Rutger taking blue to 4-back on the 3rd turn. This time Dave hit the long lift, peeled and pegged out blue leaving yellow west of H2, red east of H4 and black at the peg. Rutger did not progress from the contact but ran H1 and H2 in the turns which followed. When Dave failed a longish H3, there was some cat and mouse ending with Rutger hitting in almost corner to corner and finishing.

The Swiss ended with 4 players on 4 wins from 6 games. Since Ian had beaten both Ben and Jerry (there must be an ice-cream joke in there somewhere?) and, as ever, it was getting late, the COWbell was decided by a 4-point game (H1 and peg) between Ian and David. This turned out to be a good tactical contest from which David emerged the winner.

Inspired by the quality trophies on offer at this venue, Dave Kibble was minded to manufacture and present a brand new "prize" all of his own devising - a wooden butter-pat with COW couchant, mallet marron and torteau - to be known as the COWpat. The recipient was identified using a Kibble kountback in the knockout: starting from the loser of the final see who lost to him/her in the semi, then who lost to him/her in the previous round and so on back to round 1. Paul Miles accepted the accolade with astonishment and mutterings about firewood, which may cause problems of presentation next year!

Knockout for the COWhorn

Round 1

Ian Vincent beat Paul Miles +16
David Mundy beat David Hopkins +6
David Kibble beat Strat Liddiard +23
Graham Gale beat Paul Castell +21
Paul Salisbury beat Gordon Hopewell +12
Ben Ashwell beat Rodney Parkins +21
Rutger Beijderwellen beat Rod Ashwell +16(TP)
Jerry Guest beat Louise Bradforth +12

Round 2

David Mundy beat Ian Vincent +16
David Kibble beat Graham Gale +26
Paul Salisbury beat Ben Ashwell +21
Rutger Beijderwellen beat Jerry Guest +2

Semi-Finals

David Kibble beat David Mundy +16(TP) +7
Rutger Beijderwellen beat Paul Salisbury +26(TP) +12

Final

Rutger Beijderwellen beat David Kibble +15(TP) +26(TP) -26(TP) +11(OTP)

3rd Place

David Mundy beat Paul Salisbury -7(TPO) +15 +21

Swiss for the Cowbell

Winner: DAVID HOPKINS
4 wins: David Hopkins, Ian Vincent, Ben Ashwell, Jerry Guest
3 wins: Strat Liddiard, Paul Castell, Paul Miles
2 wins: Louise Bradforth, Gordon Hopewell
1 win: Rod Ashwell, Graham Gale

Ace Peeler: Rutger Beijderwellen. Runner up: Dave Kibble.