Middlesbrough C-Level Golf Croquet Tournament

[<<] [>>] by Roger Staples at Middlesbrough
14 Jul 2019 (GC)

This year there were 10 entrants from Cumbria, Northumberland, Durham and Yorkshire. Handicaps range from 7 to 14 so Players were put in handicap order and randomly allocated to create 9 blocks of all play all. Time limits were set at 30 minutes per game.
After overnight rain, play started in damp conditions and with generous hoop settings the initial games were quickly despatched and by lunchtime the sun had emerged and the players had a well earned break.

The champion would be decided on the basis of the number of games won and should there be a tie, then the number of hoop points scored and who beat whom will determine the winner. This was beginning to give the manager a serious headache as there were two clear front runners and two others who were not far behind.

The afternoon session started in warm conditions with the lawns drying out rapidly and a soft breeze. Lawn speeds improved and by teatime, the leader board had changed completely. With a final round to be played, it was down to a crunch game - John Fitzpatrick vs Susan I'Anson. Susan prevailed and was declared winner of this years Tournament and is now eligible to play in the National Final to held at Cheltenham 21-22 Sept 2019.

David Cornes was thanked for his sterling efforts as Tournament Referee and players left, some rather fatigued after so many games, but all having enjoyed a pleasant days croquet.

Handicap changes:
Susan I'Anson 8 to 7

John Fitzpatrick 7 to 6

Roger Staples