Gill Brent won the Chester GC B-Level

[<<] [>>] by Tom Grievson at Chester
4th June (GC - Tournaments)

Sixteen players converged on Chester's Westminster Park at 9am on a cloudy Saturday morning at the end of May 2025 to compete the 'Chester B'. They traveled from North Yorkshire and the Lakes, Western Wales, Gainsborough, Oxford and Ashby in the East and South and two from Chester. Handicaps of 4,5 and 6 predominated but there was a 3 sticking out at the top and an 8 and 9 gamely competing at the bottom.

Four bocks of four players, all-play-all, started promptly at 9.30am and, although we did not know it at the time, the very first rounds set the pattern for the tournament. The number nine seed recovered from four to one down to beat the favourite. The third seed was upended by the eleventh. The tenth seed beat the second and the fourth was defeated by twelfth. The tournament manager scrutinised the Dynamic Grades and handicap cards with worried frown lest he had made a hash of his rankings.

By lunchtime, three of those early giant-killers, Christine Thomas of Chester,Gill Brent of Bishop Monkton and Frank Sharps of Crake Valley), had stormed into the Cup knockout (to be played in the afternoon session) by each winning all three of their games. Paul Rockall of Gainsborough who had shone brightly in his first game faded somewhat but Clare Rockall (9 h/cap) maintained family honour by squeezing into the Cup knockout.

After lunch the eight Cup knockout group started quarters, semis, final and places games. The lower eight split into two groups of four, 1st Quartet and 2nd Quartet, to play semis, finals and places. This arrangement was to guard against possible medical issues with two competitors.

In the Cup group, the three front runners continued to demonstrate their good form and were joined by Alan Dix of Bowden who had settled into his game. And that is how it continued with the three early winners taking all the prime slots. Gill Brent beat the soon-to-be nonagenarian (4th July) Frank Sharps by 7 to 5 in a thrilling final.Gill got the Cup and Frank an engraved Plate. Christine Thomas came third by beating Alan Dix into fourth place by 7 to 5 in another very close and exciting game.

Robert Strover won the First Quartet by beating Sandy Grievson (8 handicap and very late entrant- thanks Sandy) and Stephanie White from Long Eaton Park took first place in the Second Quartet by beating Bernard Lord from Bury 7 to 4.

The tournament finished at almost exactly 5.00pm just as the clouds were drifting away and the Sun started to shine. It was a good croquet day.