Phyllis Court beat Hove CC 5-1

[<<] [>>] by Christopher Roberts at Phyllis Court
2 May (GC - Federations' Shield)

Phyllis Court scored a convincing win today in their first-round match in this season's Croquet England National Inter-Club Advantage competition, the Federations Shield.

Their visitors were Hove Beach, who's home ground is right on the promenade of the Sussex seaside town, and even though they had won a coin toss for venue, they opted to visit the lovely grounds of the Phyllis Court Club at Henley on Thames.

This national competition is for the Handicap/Advantage League Champions of all nine regional Federations, and the Phyllis Court team line-up was based on their 'D' team that won the Southern Croquet Federation's (SCF) Advantage League last season. Hove Beach are the reigning South-East Federation Advantage League Champions.

Home captain Philip Rowley partnered Julia Green to victory in the doubles rubber against Hove skipper Sam Holder and Gavin Fancy and the hosts Bob Clapp doubled Phyllis Court's lead with a three-game victory over Tim Bick.

The Carol Huntington versus Rob Harper match was suspended at 1-1, to be returned to if crucial to the team match result.

In the afternoon session, Harper pulled one match win back for Hove, with defeat of Rowley, but all the other matches went Phyllis Court's way.

Huntington beat Holder, Clapp defeated Fancy and Green got the better of Bick, all in straight games, and with no need to return to the suspended match, the team results was called as Phyllis Court 5.5, Hove Beach 1.5 and the teams repaired for refreshments.

Phyllis Court will entertain Colchester in the next round.