Chris Roberts wins the Budleigh Salterton GC Open SERIES 1/2 August

Whilst many of us have been enjoying the glorious summer weather, croquet clubs the length and breadth of the country have been feeling the effects of the recent heatwave. Budleigh Salterton is no exception, with Devon and Cornwall officially declared to be in drought. The prolonged dry conditions presented competitors with fast, testing courts that demanded both concentration and adaptability.

Despite the challenging conditions, BSCC hosted another highly competitive GC Open Series on 1-2 August, attracting a strong field of talented players who produced an excellent weekend of Golf Croquet.

Bude's young protege, Bobbo Peers, gave a notable performance, recording several impressive victories on his way to the Shield Final. There he faced the experienced Colin Britt, who demonstrated all his resilience by recovering from 5-8 down to take the title in a remarkable comeback.

The Plate Final was equally hard fought, with Sussex's Konstantin Yudintsev taking on Budleigh's Adrian Coward. Konstantin's powerful and consistent clearing game kept Adrian under pressure throughout, but Adrian adapted his tactics superbly to edge a closely contested match 2-1 and claim the Plate Medal.

Chris Roberts (Phyllis Court) topped his block with a perfect record of three wins, but his route to the tournament title was anything but straightforward. His semi-final against Stu Smith was decided by the narrowest of margins (and a large dose of luck!) on the 13th hoop, before another tense encounter with Steve Leonard in the Main Final also went to the 13th. Chris held his nerve on both occasions to secure a thoroughly deserved tournament victory after a demanding weekend of high-quality croquet.