Availability for England v Spain 2024 is now open

by Chris Clarke at Roehampton [^]
1st December (GC)

Availability is now open for the England v Spain GC Test Match to be held at Roehampton 21-23 June 2024. It is anticipated that a team of 6 will be selected. Availability closes 5th January and the Announcement Date is by 19th January.

Chris Clarke Chair of GC Selectors

Croquet England is looking to recruit a new Treasurer

by Beatrice McGlen [^]
28th November (CA Official News)

Croquet England is looking to recruit a new Treasurer.

Whilst a knowledge of bookkeeping/accountancy is essential, a formal qualification is not. Experience of working within the charitable sector would be an advantage, as would knowledge of the Sage accountancy platform.

Duties Include

• Weekly - prepare payment run. Answer occasional queries from office staff.
• Monthly - process payroll (HMRC Basic PAYE tools and NEST pension), reconcile bank accounts, on-line shop transactions, subscriptions and tournament entry system payments.
• Quarterly - process VAT return. Prepare monthly internal management accounts.
• Annually - prepare annual accounts and liaise with Independent Examiner, prepare annual budget, process corporation tax return, stock take, renew insurance policies (along with occasional insurance matters that arise during the year).
• When required - manage investments, deal with financial matters that arise through the year.

It is possible that some weekly/monthly tasks could be reallocated to accommodate someone wishing to make a smaller or less regular time commitment.

Attendance at Meetings

Nearly all meetings are held electronically, usually in the evenings or at weekends, with only one or two face to face meetings a year.

• AGM - Once per year
• Board of Trustees - Approx 6 times per year
• Executive - Approx once a month
• Funding Committee - Approx 6 times per year
• Administration Committee - Approx twice a year

Office Oversight

The Treasurer plays an important role liaising between the Executive and the Office, attending the office at least once a quarter. Line management of the Operations Manager is currently delegated to the Treasurer and it is likely that this will continue.

Formal Details

Formally the role of Treasurer is set out in the Croquet England Standing Orders and Practice Book.

Standing Order 2.1

The "Secretary" and "Treasurer" in this document are the Secretary of the CIO and Treasurer of the CIO appointed annually by the Board. They are responsible to the CIO through the Board for providing independent leadership and guidance in matters relating to administration and finance respectively, encouraging the highest standards of integrity, effectiveness, and openness, and have a duty to ensure the CIO's regulatory compliance. Specific duties for them may be determined by the Board from time to time and recorded in the Croquet England Practice Book.

Practice Book Extract

The "Treasurer" in this document is the Treasurer of Croquet England, appointed by the Board of Trustees, with the overall responsibility described in Standing Order (SO) 2.1. The Treasurer becomes an ex-officio non-voting member of the Board of Trustees and an ex-officio voting member of the Executive.

The specific duties of the Treasurer relating to the Executive are as follows:

1. Attend as a member all the meetings of the Executive.
2. Keep the Executive aware of and informed about its financial duties and responsibilities.
3. Compile and present regular management accounts to the Executive, including the implications of financial plans and budgets of the Executive's operational committees.
4. Advise the Administration Committee on salaries and, in conjunction with the Secretary, terms of employment for staff.
5. Provide the Operations Manager and staff with guidance and training on the Croquet England's financial practices as required.
6. Monitor the financial activities of the Office, report to the Executive on them and advise on improvements.
7. Audit the financial records produced by the Office and ensure that it keeps proper records of all financial transactions for inspection e.g. by the Independent Examiner, the Charity Commission and HM Revenue and Customs.
8. Compile and submit returns and any payments owed to HM Revenue and Customs in due time.
9. Make salary payments and honoraria and provide statements in due time.
10. Operate the workplace pension scheme for Croquet England staff, make the necessary returns, and ensure payment of liabilities.
11. Manage Croquet England's financial assets and systems, including investments, bank accounts and the accountancy database. This with the assistance of the Operations Manager.
12. Report to the Executive the advice of the Investments Consultative Group on investments and execute investment decisions.
13. Advise the Executive on subscriptions and tournament levy rates.
14. Assist the Operations Manager in ensuring that Croquet England is properly and adequately insured as directed by Executive.

Remuneration and Time Commitment

This position receives an attractive honorarium.

On the basis outlined above the time commitment required is approximately 50 hours per month. However, as indicated there is some potential flexibility and to a degree it can be tailored to suit an applicant.

Applications

It is hoped the successful applicant can start in January and it is anticipated that a managed handover will take place in order that the new Treasurer is fully aware of current practices.

If you require any further information or an informal chat about the role, please contact the current Treasurer, Ian Burridge ian.burridge#croquetengland.org.uk

A Letter of Application and a brief resume should be sent to the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Samir Patel (samir.patel#croquetengland.org.uk) by Sunday 17^th December.

Vacancy for Executive Director for Governance and Standards

by Beatrice McGlen [^]
15th November (CA Official News)

After many years of service to croquet Roger Staples is retiring from his current position as Executive Director of Standards and his replacement is sought. Croquet England is wishing to expand the role to include Governance, in order to achieve the standards of good governance expected by the Charity Commission and Sport England.

This is a key role as we move into a new era for croquet. Good governance and high standards provide a framework for growth and development. There has never been a better time to be involved in moving our sport forward. As a member of the Executive team, you will be at the heart of Croquet England, as it becomes established.

The role will include:

• Working with the handicap and laws/rules committees to maintain the essential standards of the game and liaising with the Director of Development on lawns advice and equipment.
• Review and maintenance of the Practice Book that defines the roles and responsibilities of all the committees, groups and individuals to achieve sound administration and governance in the day-to-day management of Croquet England.
• Maintaining the risk register and assisting the Board of Trustees, via its Risk and Audit Committee, with internal audits of risk.
• Driving forward the changes required to meet Tier 3 of Sport England's Code of Sports Governance.
• Cascading good governance to clubs via the introduction of a Club Mark scheme.
• Advising the CEO on oversight of safeguarding.
• Ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.

It is expected that the successful applicant will have experience of leadership, management, regulatory compliance and strategic planning within an organisation, as well as a solid understanding of both codes of croquet. Familiarity with the Charity Commission and of Charity Law would be advantageous and experience in safeguarding is also desirable. Good communication skills are essential.

Although a background in sports governance would be ideal, training will be available in this aspect of the role.

The Executive meets monthly but there is frequent communication between members of the Executive outside meetings. In addition, Directors should expect to spend sufficient time working with their committees or performing their other duties to be able to provide a monthly report to keep the other members of the Executive team well informed.

All members of the senior management team are expected to declare conflicts of interest and to undergo safeguarding training. Executive positions are voluntary.

If you would like to find out more, then the retiring Director of Standards, Roger Staples, (roger.staples#croquetengland.org.uk ) or the CEO, Beatrice McGlen (beatrice.mcglen#croquetengland.org.uk are only too happy to have an informal chat. An application letter and CV should be sent to the CEO by December 15^th.

Celebrating 90 years of Golf Croquet

by Alison Maugham [^]
15th November (International)

Over 40 countries around the world will be celebrating 90 years of Golf Croquet on 14th December 2023. In 1933 the Croquet Association council approved the first official Golf Croquet rules.

Read more from the Croquet England website https://www.croquetengland.org.uk/news_and_media/

Announcement - The winners of the Most Improved Player Awards 2023

by Christopher Roberts at CA Office [^]
14th November (Other News)

.
The Croquet England Handicap Committee is pleased to announce:
.
The winners of the Most Improved Player Awards 2023
.
.
AC Male ..... The Apps Memorial Bowl ... David Fuller
AC Female .. The Steel Memorial Bowl .. Gabrielle Higgins
GC Male ..... The Spiers Trophy ............ Dom Aarvold
GC Female .. The Colman Trophy .......... Liz Drury
.
.
Also nominated were:
AC Male - Neil Adams, Euan Burridge, Thomas Cullis, Jack Good, David Hart, Simon Tuke, Teddy Wilmot-Sitwell
AC Female - Anne Alvey, Annabel McDiarmid, Debbie Lines
GC Male - Jon Carrington, Martin Daniels, Richard Gardiner, Paul Galley, Paul Green, Neil Fillery, Andrew Sherwood, Kevin Ward, Konstantin Yudintsev
.
.
Chris Roberts,
Chairman of the Croquet England Handicap Committee

Openshaw Shield Squad Announced

by Chris Clarke at Tasmania [^]
14th November (GC)

The following 12 players have been selected for the Openshaw Shield Squad.

Nick Archer

Richard Bilton

Jamie Burch

Euan Burridge

Marcus Evans

Rachel Gee

Jack Good

Callum Johnson

J-P Moberly

Dominic Nunns

Stuart M Smith

Aston Wade

.

Chris Clarke

Chair of Openshaw Shield Selection Committee

USA win the Solomon Trophy

USA win the Solomon Trophy

Congratulations to Team USA who finished the test match with a convincing win against Great Britain. They are the youngest team to have played in the event since the first test in 1985, showing the sport continues to grow in popularity with the younger generation.

The Solomon Trophy was held at The Sarasota County Croquet Club where both teams had the privilege of playing on the quality newly laid courts. Debbie Lines, England Team Captain, commented on the outstanding quality of the lawns and how the team have thoroughly enjoyed their tournament.

Matthew Essick, team Captain of USA, was delighted with his teams success. The tournament was looking close at the mid-way point, and Matthew praises his team in his Facebook announcement "Solomon Trophy Winners 2023! So proud of these guys for stepping up when the test was tight."

The Sarasota Club are proud to announce they will be hoping to host the U21 Golf Croquet World Championship in early 2025. Encouraged by their young national team, USA will no doubt have a strong contingency of young players competing. Although the club is home to over 200 members, they still continue to be open to the public and provide free coaching. Initiatives such as these continue to encourage the growth of croquet both locally and internationally.

Budleigh AC September WE

Tim O'Donnell receiving the Hutchinson Cup from John O'Gorman

Tim O'Donnell (Hamptworth) won the Hutchinson Cup for the A Class at the Budleigh Salterton September weekend winning four out of his five games. David Marsh (Wrest Park) was runner-up on 3 wins.

In the B Class for the Meredith Bowl there was a three way tie on four wins between Nigel Amos (Budleigh), Andrew Thomas (Sidmouth) and Dom Aarvold (Bristol). The manager (Chris Williams) decided on a 2 ball longest-break play-off where the players start from corner four with a dolly-rush to hoop 4. Andrew made the most hoops and so was declared winner.

In the C Class for the Stransham Bowl Ed Dolphin (Sidmouth) and Chris Weedon (East Dorset) tied on four wins, but Ed was declared the winner since he had beaten Chris.

Solomon Trophy - Livestreamed

Solomon Trophy - USA vs Great Britain Association Croquet Test Match

USA vs. Great Britain Association Croquet Test Match - Solomon Trophy

Livestream Details

Subscribe to the USCA YouTube channel for the live notifications https://www.youtube.com/#rdilleyuscacroquet5319

Unfortunately due to technical issues there is currently nolivestreaming, but please subscribe to the YouTube channel to be notified if the channel is goes live.

Visit Croquet Scores to keep up to date with all the latest scores.

Teams

USCA 2023 Solomon Trophy Team

Matthew Essick (Captain)
Zack Watson
Ben Rothman
Tom Balding
Stephen Morgan
Kyle Maloof

Great Britain 2023 Solomon Trophy Team

Debbie Lines (Captain)
Alain Giraud
Gabrielle Higgins
Stephen Mulliner
Mark van Loon
Aston Wade

Tournament Details

Nov 9 - Solomon Trophy Matches - Association Croquet Rules (Doubles)
Nov 10 - Solomon Trophy Matches - Association Croquet Rules (Doubles / Singles)
Nov 11 - Solomon Trophy Matches - Association Croquet Rules (Singles / Doubles)
Nov 12 - Solomon Trophy Matches - Association Croquet Rules (Singles)

Tournament Referees: Stuart Lawrence / Jeff Soo

Order of Solomon Trophy Matches

Round 1 - Doubles
Round 2 - Doubles
Round 3 - Singles
Round 4 - Doubles
Round 5 - Singles

Good luck Great Britain!

Vacancy on the ERC Committee

by Keith Aiton [^]
1st November (International)