Gavin Carter won the 2012 South of England Championship

[<<] [>>] by Roger Wood at Compton Croquet Club
22 Jun 2013 (AC - Championships)

Gavin Carter won the rain interrupted 2012 South of England Championship in June 2013

Last September the final of the 2012 South of England Championship was unceremoniously curtailed by heavy rain part way through the
second game of the best-of-5 match. The lawns were flooded, the rain continued and finalists David Maugham and Gavin Carter agreed
to meet at a future mutually convenient date and venue to complete the contest. That duly happened, at Compton, on 22 June 2013. All week it
had seemed likely that the weather gods would continue to play cruel tricks with the Met Office forecasting heavy rain for Saturday - but in the event, although it was very windy, the overnight rain had ceased before play began and precipitation was reduced to occasional light drizzle.

Back in September Gavin won the first game +12 and had taken blue to 4-back in game two. David's break with yellow came to grief at
hoop 5 and Gavin had made just two hoops with black when the lawn became unplayable. On resumption this morning Gavin continued his
break from hoop 3 but did not manage any peels. David missed the lift and Gavin finished +22. In the third game David hit fourth
turn only to fail an angled hoop 1. Gavin shot at David's hoop 1, missed but ran the hoop and continued to 4-back. Each missed a
long shot leaving David with 3 balls on the east boundary and one in corner 3. He got as far as 1-back but, cross-wired at H3, he
bounced off the upright attempting to hit through the hoop which allowed Gavin to finish +20tp to win his first regional
championship.

Final: Gavin Carter beat David Maugham +12tpo +22 +20tp

Game details: David R&Y; Gavin U&K.

Game 2 resumed with R on H1, Y on H5, U on 4-back, K in play for H3.
GC: took K to the peg without peels leaving R a couple of inches south of penultimate (almost in the jaws), Y similarly north of
rover, UK on east boundary, 10 yards north of corner 4 with a rush to H2.
DM: lifted R to A baulk narrowly missing U.
GC: finishes +22.

Game 3.
DM: Y 10 yards north of C4.
GC: trickles K 2 yards SE of H6.
DM: R hits Y from B baulk, splits it south of H2 going to K, rushes it south of H5, splits to west boundary approaching H1, fails
angled hoop.
GC: U shoots at R, misses and runs hoop cleanly! Break to 4-back leaving Y 1 ft west of C4, R 5 ft north of C4, K 3 ft east of C2
and U in C3.
DM: lifts Y to contact U, splits it to H1, misses R from SW of H4.
GC: misses RY double with U.
DM: 3 ball break ended after H6 when, with U in peeling position for 4-back, his croquet stroke from C3 left him north of H3, and
the tricky attempt to hit U through the hoop bounced off.
GC: lifts K, hits Y and finishes +20tp having made all three peels before H6.