The 4 last news
Chris Rolph wins the Lord Hougon Trophy second winter competition
The Lord Hamilton of Hougon Trophy is not a formal club competition but an invitation event held over the winter season by a group of members keen (or mad enough?) to play some AC over the winter. After all, who doesn't like sitting in a freezing lawnside shed while the opposition makes a break?
The first season was won by David Gillett and this year was the turn of Chris Rolph.
Pictures of the whole group and this year's winner being presented by the trophy's donor.
Full results
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Agst | Diff | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris ROLPH | 12 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 263 | 220 | 43 | 16 |
| Chrissie MERRINGTON | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 266 | 229 | 37 | 14 |
| John LOW | 12 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 241 | 220 | 21 | 14 |
| David GILLETT | 12 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 240 | 228 | 12 | 10 |
| Mark HAMILTON | 12 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 167 | 280 | -113 | 6 |
GC one day singles competition 20th April 2024
38 players took to the lawns today in the first GC singles one day competition of the new season. They were divided into 6 blocks in 3 divisions. There was the possibility of a cross block playoff in each division but this was not requested by the players who mainly felt the five games was sufficient.
In Division 1 Block A was won by Steve Chapman and Block B by Peter Dowd.
In Division 2 Block C was won by Simon Fenn-Tye and Block D by Beryl Hughes.
In Division 3 Block E was won by Sue Nicholas and Block F by Ray Hall.
Thanks to Linda for managing the event and to Angela and Martin Avis for providing the excellent lunch.
Full results
| Block A | MC | SC | DS | RC | BG | SA | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Case | 6 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 6 | |
| Steve Chapman | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Douglas Shand | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | |
| Robert Clark | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Bridget Goodman | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
| Simon Ancell | 5 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
| Block B | BA | MH | KY | CM | PD | AS | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Aikens | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Mark Hamilton | 5 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Konstantin Yudintsev | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| Chrissie Merrington | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
| Pete Dowd | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Andrew Stewart | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Block C | AH | SFT | GT | PG | VL | DK | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrea Huxley | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | |
| Simon Fenn Tye | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Graham Tucker | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Paul Green | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Vincent L'Estrange | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| David King | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Block D | DD | GT | BH | JP | GO | JL | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Dickens | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Gavin Taylor | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |
| Beryl Hughes | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Jane Powell | 3 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 6 | |
| Gerald O'Brien | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | |
| John Low | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Block E | SN | RE | TS | GD | AJ | JC | LG | RF | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sue Nicholas | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Richard Ellis | 1 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Tim Stevenson | 3 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||
| Gail Dowd | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |||
| Angela Jones | 4 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | ||||
| Joanne Crosby | 3 | 0 | 7 | |||||||
| Linda Gavigan | 3 | 0 | 8 | |||||||
| Rosemary Faulkner | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Block F | FA | RB | RH | JM | TE | PB | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Ainley | 6 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Roger Buxton | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| Ray Hall | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Jim Mander | 7 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Trish Ellis | 6 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| Paul Brown | 5 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 5 |
Half day GC Singles Competition 17 April 2024
Thanks to Manager Vincent L'Estrange for running this event. He reports:
On a cold but mostly rain-free day 28 players enjoyed another of our new half day tournaments in seven blocks of 4. It was lovely to see a mix of regulars, new members and, ahem, older members who haven't played much competitive croquet in recent years.
Block A was won by Konstantin after a count back. He, Roger and Daphne each won 2 games with a net +5 hoop difference. They had each beaten one of the other 2 but Konstantin scored 20 hoops, Roger 19 and Daphne 18. Very close.
In Block B Tony Nicholas won all three and in Block C Jim Mander with 2 wins net +5 narrowly beat Alan Grundy, 2 wins +3.
Block D was won comfortably by Les Ardley with 3 wins and + 13 hoops. It was closer in Block E, with Paul Brown and Joanne Crosby each winning 2 games but Paul prevailed with +4 hoops against Joanne's +3. Do let Paul know if you see his chocolates scattered around the car park.
One of our newer members, Angela Jones, was in top form in Block F, winning all three games with +10 hoops. Pat Mechen and Susan Gale each won 2 games in Block G but Pat was the clear winner with +10 hoops.
Thank you all for playing and to Linda G for a delicious ginger cake. Congratulations to all the winners.
Full results
| Block A | RS | DG | KY | RS | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Sutton | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| Daphne Gaitley | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | |
| Konstantin Yudintsev | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Reg Soffe | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| Block B | TN | PG | LM | GG | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Nicholas | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Paul Green | 6 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Laki Marangos | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | |
| Gerald Gooders | 5 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Block C | SN | AG | JM | JS | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sue Nicholas | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Alan Grundy | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
| Jim Mander | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Julie Soffe | 3 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Block D | PG | LA | PG | MS | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pam Gooders | 4 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Les Ardley | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Paul Griffiths | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Stanton | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| Block E | PB | SC | JC | KM | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Brown | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
| Susan Caulfield | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 4 | |
| Joanne Crosby | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| Kathy McColgan | 7 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Block F | AJ | AA | PH | LD | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angela Jones | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Angela Avis | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | |
| Pat Harden | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Linda Davies | 2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 |
| Block G | MA | PM | SG | HJ | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin Avis | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| Patricia Mechen | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | |
| Susan Gale | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| Hilary Jolly | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
Some Pictures
Clubhouse Project News
Adur District Council has granted planning permission for our clubhouse refurbishment project.
We will now work towards finding a builder to help us turn the plans into reality.
I am also very pleased indeed to tell you that our fund-raising efforts have received a tremendous boost from a substantial bequest to the club from the estate of Mrs Eleanor Rushby.
Many of you will have known Jeff Rushby but for those of you who didn't:
Jeff Rushby was a keen AC player, who played in CA and local tournaments well into his late eighties. He also played at Caterham, which was near where he lived. Jeff was keen to encourage AC and helped several beginners to learn the game and improve.
He won three trophies at Southwick over the years: the New Challenge Cup and the Shine Salvers twice (once with the late Bruce Carr) and the D'Esterre Bowl once.
He was very skilled at making wooden pieces, some of which can be seen around the club such as the small wheelbarrow, used as a planter which sits by the flowerbed outside the veranda room.
Jeff died in 2020 and the legacy has come from the estate of his wife, Eleanor.
Eleanor was known to some of our members. Chris Constable remembers that a few years ago (15 to 20 maybe?) Sussex County sent a team for a match against Carrickmines in Eire. We flew out and stayed at the Killiney Castle Hotel.
We have a sizeable building fund saved up and this bequest will increase it significantly. However we will need to raise further funds and we will be setting up various initiatives to achieve this. Please let me know if you have ideas and can help with fund-raising,
We would really like to start building work this autumn so we need to get cracking!