James Death retained East Midlands Championship

[<<] [>>] by Ian Vincent at Nottingham
11th June 2023 (AC - Championships)

James Death won the Hopewell Cup for the East Midlands Championship for the third successive year, beating Alan Giraud in the play-off between the winners of the Draw and Process. Omied Hallam won the plate, playing Debbie Lines in the final. Full results are on Croquet Scores.

The event was played on the four courts laid over the former bowling greens and two of the older lawns, which were significantly slower. It was held a fortnight earlier than usual, because Nottingham are hosting the Opens at the beginning of July. The dates proved to be a fortunate choice as far as weather was concerned, with blazing sunshine throughout the three days though with a strong NE wind on the first day. Maybe the Download festival is more favoured than Glastonbury, with which the event normally coincides, as we escaped the threatened thunderstorms. Unfortunately, some potential visitors were deterred by the lack of accommodation, possibly due to the Nottingham Tennis Open, a major Hockey event, and the festival, so the evening gatherings in the Vic were smaller than usual.

We were generously catered for by Lorna Orton and Sophie McGlen, who comfortably beat the field in the matter of roast potatoes, and a team of helpers who provided teas.