Phyllis Court beat Ealing 4-3

[<<] [>>] by Christopher Roberts
18th June (GC - Murphy Shield)

Phyllis Court scored a hard-earned 4-3 win over Ealing today in the national Inter-Club Shield (Tier 2) competition.

Fielding their strongest possible selection with their handicap total at the minimum eight, Ian Norris came into the team as the single permitted 1 handicap member and played the opening doubles with Andy Jones (2) against Ron Carter (1) and Stephen Harbron (3).

By their own admissions, Norris and Jones were not at their best and went down 3-7, 5-7.

On the adjoining court, Phyllis Court captain Alastair Broom (2) got the better of John Hutchinson (4) 7-3, 7-5, whilst Michael Marcel became involved in a long tussle against Margaret Page (3).

Marcel won the first game 7-6 but gradually Page found the fast pace of court to her liking and her positional play and clearing were of a high standard and won her the match 5-7, 5-7, to give Ealing a 2-1 lead going into lunch.

In the afternoon's four head-to-head matches, Jones got into his stride in the number two match with Harbron and won in straight games by 7-5 and 7-5 to level the team match, but Broom was beaten 5-7, 6-7 in the number 3 match by the continuation of Page's excellent positioning, clearing and hoop running.

The other two matches went to deciding third games, when Norris gradually found his form after losing his first game to Carter 5-7 and scraping the second 7-6.

He led 4-3 and 5-4 the decider but it was not until he placed his ball in the jaws of hoop 11 and Carter failed with his attempted jump shot, that Norris scored and took good position at 12 with the same stroke, to win 7-5.

This left the team match tied at 3-3, and to be decided by Marcel and Hutchinson who were well into their own deciding third game, having ended 7-5 and 4-7 previously.

Marcel was always ahead but Hutchinson levelled at 5-5, before Marcel ran hoop 11 well, took good position at 12, and after several attempts by each player, eventually scored to win 7-5 and clinch the team match by 4-3.

This was a character-building team performance in which all four team members scored a point and earned Phyllis Court a home quarter-final match versus East Dorset on a July date to be agreed.

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Results digest on Croquet Scores here - https://croquetscores.com/2026/gc/england-inter-club-shield-tier-2-phyllis-court-1-v-ealing/competition/phyllis-court-1-vs-ealing

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Phyllis Court - Ian Norris (1), Andy Jones (2), Alastair Broom (2), Michael Marcel (2)

Ealing - Ron Carter (1), Stephen Harbron (3), Margaret Page (3), John Hutchinson (4)