Paddy Chapman won the Bowdon Advanced Weekend

[<<] [>>] by Debbie Lines at Bowdon CC
5 Jun 2016 (AC)

The Bowdon Club hosted 16 keen croquet players over a beautiful warm weekend. The lawns were a bit slow and bobbly, still nice, but not as good as usual for Bowdon, the winter use appearing to have left them with odd patches and some rolls. The knock-out was single games for the first two rounds, with best of three thereafter. The top eight seeds all progressed through as expected, but there was only one TP in the first round, possibly due to attempts at sextuples instead. In the second round, the TP quota improved, and Paddy, Ian and David Maugham all went through as per the seeding. David Walters, seeded fourth, was unlucky to lose to fifth seed Debbie.

In the semis, Paddy beat Debbie +12TP, +12TP, the score line summing up the wasted opportunities that Debbie didn't take advantage of - finishing turns in both games, that didn't! In the other semi, David Maugham vs Ian Lines, the first game was slightly scrappy with several failed pealing turns but Ian hit his last long shot after David left a 30 yard compulsory shot. In the second game David hit a long shot and finished with a TP. The third game hinged on who hit in, or didn't, and Ian was through to the final. As it was now nearly lunchtime on Sunday, Paddy and Ian decided to play just a best of three. Paddy's hitting and error free triple peeling was unstoppable and Paddy went through in two games to win his sixth Bowdon Weekend title on the trot.

Meanwhile in the Plate, which was run as an Egyptian, David Maugham was now making more attempts to get his 100th sextuple. He failed against Debbie, but she kindly missed the ten yarder left and he finished with a QNP. David won his next game as well, and so was comfortably the winner of the Plate.

However, the most surprising performance of the weekend came from Mike Sandler (the lowest ranked player in the event), winning all three of his games on Sunday despite having to hobble around with a recently torn Achilles.

Thanks to the Bowdon Club for fantastic lunches and teas.

Report by Debbie

First Round
David Maugham beat Barry Keen +26
Debbie Lines beat Jerry Guest +23tp
Paddy Chapman beat Charles Harding +26
Peter M Taylor beat Richard H Smith +24
David Walters beat Lee Hartley +13
Sam Murray beat David Mooney +12
Colin Irwin beat Mike Sandler +11
Ian Lines beat Francois Garcia +10

Quarter Finals
Ian Lines beat Colin Irwin +7tp
David Maugham beat Sam Murray +21
Paddy Chapman beat Peter M Taylor +16tp
Debbie Lines beat David Walters +17

Semi Finals (best of 3)
Paddy Chapman beat Debbie Lines +12tp, +12tp
Ian Lines beat David Maugham +5, -21tp, +17

Final (best of 3)
Paddy Chapman beat Ian Lines +26tp, +18tp

Consolation Plate
Jerry Guest beat Barry Keen +14
Lee Hartley beat Charles Harding +2
Richard H Smith beat Mike Sandler +23
David Mooney beat Francois Garcia +7
Colin Irwin beat Sam Murray +4
David Walters beat Charles Harding +19
Peter M Taylor beat Barry Keen +3
Richard H Smith beat Lee Hartley +7
David Mooney beat Mike Sandler +16
Barry Keen beat Charles Harding +3
Francois Garcia beat Colin Irwin +4
Sam Murray beat Barry Keen +19
Mike Sandler beat Charles Harding +23
David Mooney beat Richard H Smith +13
Lee Hartley beat Francois Garcia +8
Jerry Guest beat Colin Irwin +6
David Maugham beat Debbie Lines +17qnp
Mike Sandler beat Barry Keen +9
Peter M Taylor beat David Walters +8
Sam Murray beat Charles Harding +13
David Maugham beat Peter M Taylor +26
Lee Hartley beat David Mooney +16
Debbie Lines beat Colin Irwin +18
Richard H Smith beat Francois Garcia +19
David Walters beat Jerry Guest +19
Mike Sandler beat Sam Murray +4

Summary
Paddy Chapman (-2.5) 6/6 5tps
David Maugham (-2.5) 5/7 1tp, 1qnp
Ian Lines (-1.5) 4/7 1tp
David Walters (-2) 3/5
Debbie Lines (-1) 3/6 1tp
Colin Irwin (-1.5) 2/6
Sam Murray (-1) 3/6
Peter M Taylor (-1) 3/5
Lee Hartley (-0.5) 3/5
Richard H Smith (-0.5) 3/5
David Mooney (1.5) 3/5
Barry Keen (5) 1/6
Francois Garcia (3.5) 1/5
Jerry Guest (2.5) 2/4
Charles Harding (3) 0/6
Mike Sandler (3.5) 3/6