News
GC Singles in divisions, 20th May 2022
26 players from the South East of England braved the elements of a rain soaked Friday morning to compete in this very popular 1 day series.
The tournament was split into 3 sections:
A low handicap block of 8 players handicaps ranging form -2 to +1.
A mid handicap block of 8 players with handicaps ranging from 2 to 5.
A higher handicap group with handicaps ranging from 6 - 9. This last group consisted of 10 players placed in 2 cross blocks of 5 with the winners and second placed individuals in each block playing a final for 1- 4th places.
The low handicap block was won by Richard Brooks (-1) with 6 wins with Jane Humphreys (0) (SCCC) and Brian Aikens (1) (Rottingdean) taking second and third places.
The mid handicap groups was won by Louise Taylor (3) (Merton) with 6 wins with Husband Gavin Taylor(4) taking second place with 5 wins.
The higher handicap group was played cross blocks to avoid a bye and proved to be a hard fought contest.
It was eventually won by Linda Gavigan (7) who beat Rachel Pointon (9) in the final with Vincent L’Estrange (7) taking 3rd place from Simon Fenn-Tye (6). All 4 players representing SCCC.
After a very wet start the weather improved and by mid afternoon the players were enjoying warm sunny weather.
Our thanks must go Angela Avis and Linda Davies who provided a first class ploughman’s and dessert.
Jonathan Isaacs
Tournament Manager
20th May 2022
And thanks to Jonathan for managing the competition.
Full results
| A | MC | RB | LF | JH | NH | RS | BA | RW | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Case | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Richard Brooks | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Liz Farrow | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Jane Humphreys | 7 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Neil Humphreys | 4 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| Roger Sutton | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 8 | |
| Brian Aikens | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | |
| Robin Wootton | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| B | PD | tJ | DM | LT | AS | BH | GT | SA | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phil Dunk | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | |
| Tony Jolly | 7 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4 | |
| David Marcus | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 6 | |
| Louise Taylor | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Andrew Stewart | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Beryl Hughes | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 8 | |
| Gavin Taylor | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| Simon Ancell | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| C | GT | VL | DC | RP | SFT | LG | KH | FA | PM | RP | Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graham Tucker | 6 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | |||||
| Vincent L'Estrange | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | |||||
| Dave Comber | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |||||
| Richard Pointon | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |||||
| Simon Fenn Tye | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 3 | |||||
| Linda Gavigan | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | |||||
| Ken Hughes | 6 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| Francis Ainley | 7 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |||||
| Pat Mechen | 1 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |||||
| Rachel Pointon | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
Final
Vincent L'Estrange beat Simon Fenn-Tye 7-5 (3rd and 4th places)
Linda Gavigan beat Rachel Pointon 7- 2 (1st and 2nd places)
CA Interclub GC match against Woking on May 10th.
Richard, Bob, Ian and Liz ventured forth on 10th May to Woking with Richard and Liz having a (pleasant?) detour through more of the countryside than they had envisaged due to a road closure. We weren’t too late!
Richard and Bob won the doubles without too much trouble, while Liz and Ian lost the first two singles.
After a lunch break Richard and Ian won their singles while Bob lost his.
After a nail biting finish Liz finally won the 3rd game decider of her afternoon match giving Sussex County Croquet Club a 4 -3 win over our opponents.
Having lost the toss for which lawns to play on, we will now be going to East Dorset on June 8th to play the second round.
Liz
SECF level play GC league match
Having played Woking a week earlier in the inter-club knockout competition we returned the challenge them again in this league match. Both teams had made one change to their previous line up but the final result was the same a 4-3 match win for Sussex.
Owing to the different rules of the respective competitions the batting order for our team had to change somewhat. I had played as number one the week before, I was now relegated to position three.
This time our successes were Liz and Richard who each won both of their singles matches. Morgan and Bob fought hard but found Woking’s Jeff Dawson and Mike Town to be in top form on the day.
In the end everything hinged on Liz’s last singles game which she nearly lost at the tenth hoop when the opponents ball was almost through to score the point.
Amazingly she was able to clear it from an angled position behind, near the boundary and then went on to win 7-6.
Report by Richard Brooks
Sussex A captain
Skittles Evening
Thanks very much to Fran Box for organising a very successful and enjoyable Skittles and Fish & Chips evening.
Purley Bury wins trophy
Eight teams again took part in this competition but, unlike last year, the weather was pleasant with only spits and spots of rain on Saturday and warm sunshine most of Sunday.
This year we reverted to the normal Swiss format of play so fine rounds were achieved over the two days.
By the end of Saturday and the first three rounds, Reigate Priory was in the lead with 5 wins, away from Cheam, Guildford & Godalming and Purley Bury, all with four wins each.
Sunday morning saw Reigate Priory falter somewhat, their B team losing to Purley Bury, but still in the lead by one win. The final round pitched Reigate Priory A against Purley Bury A at the lop of the Swiss ladder, a match which went down to the wire, being won +1 on time by Purley Bury.
The Sussex lawns played well and it was just a shame we were unable to attract more clubs to enter a team for this event which is one of the very few where you see a wide range of playing ability in the same competition.
Thanks to Clive Hayton and Richard Pointon for managing the bar and to Karen Hayton, Sue Gale, Pat Harden and Rachel Pointon for the lunches.
Purley Bury Team Captain with Jonathan Isaacs presenting the trophy
GC Doubles One-day Competition 6th May 2022
Block 1was won by Richard Brooks and David King. The cross-over of Blocks 2 & 3 was won by Francis Ainley & Ian Johnson.
Full Results
| Block 1 | BA&PH | RB&DK | LF&JI | CH&RW | CM&RS | B&RC | ASK | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Aikens & Paul Hinton | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | =3 | |
| Richard Brooks & David King | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Liz Farrow & Jonathan Isaacs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Chris Heath & Robin Wootton | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 7 | |
| Chrissie Merrington & Roger Sutton | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | =3 | |
| Bob & Robin Clark | 7 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | |
| Andrew Stewart+Kathy Kirkby | 5 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 6 |
| Block 2 | FA&IJ | T&RE | AB&FB | R&RP | B&KH | DL&SR | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Francis Ainley & Ian Johnson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Trish & Richard Ellis | 4 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
| Anne Bolland & Fran Box | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Rachel & Richard Pointon | 4 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 6 | |
| Beryl & Ken Hughes | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 4 | |
| Diana Langridge & Sue Rice | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 |
| Block 3 | SC&PM | JS&PH | ST&MA | LD&TJ | SF&AG | C&LA | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan Caulfield & Pat Mechen | 7 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |
| Jenny Sutton & Pat Harden | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 5 | |
| Sandra Towner & Mike Akester | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Liz Dury & Tony James | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Simon Fen-Tye & Alan Grundy | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Christine & Les Ardley | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
Block 2 & 3 Play-offs
Beryl & Ken Hughes beat Simon Fen-Tye & Alan Grundy 7-6
Francis Ainley & Ian Johnson beat Liz Dury & Tony James 7-6
Early bird Chrissie Merrington arrived first at the Club yesterday. Gate still locked. Key in her bag in the boot. Shut boot, opened gate, then discovered she had locked her car key and phone in the car.
There the car sat until she was able to commandeer a phone from a passer-by and persuade her sister to bring her spare keys.
In the meantime all the other competition (and tennis) players had to park on the roadside.
Still, at least she got the pick of the car park!
Empty car park after Chrissie chose her space!
(Photos: Pat Harden)
In future ....
Evening Roll Ups Underway
The first of our summer season GC evening roll ups took place on Tuesday, 3rd May.
This weekly roll up will take place from 5pm until dusk on Tuesdays through to mid September.
A group of us enjoyed a friendly social chat before venturing onto the lawns to play doubles or singles in closely contested matches. Indeed, one hotly contested game of singles was still being played out when the rest of us chose to return home.
The evening was a promising start for this new, weekly event. The blend of friendly, social interaction with the fun of playing Croquet was particularly enjoyable in the quiet calm of the evening. As we progressed from hoop to hoop we considered how we can have even more fun as the Summer progresses , perhaps with themed evenings. Please offer your suggestions, they will be gratefully received and considered.
We look forward to welcoming you to our evening sessions throughout the season . Don't forget you can also bring guests along too, for the usual guest fee, to share the fun.
Graham Tucker
Nine players entered this event on Friday 29th April, dressing to the Mind Charity code of blue hue. One withdrawal (on commitments) allowed seven games of All play all, running to mid-afternoon in thoroughly enjoyable sunny, crisp conditions on Lawns 2; 3; 4 & 5. The contestants were Paul Castell; Liz Farrow; Clive Hayton; Phil Dunk; Robin Wootton; Ray Hall; Deborah Marcus & Rosemary Faulkner.
Handicaps ranged from minus - 3 to + 17.5 (difference divided by three and rounded to nearest half bisque).
All the players scored individual successes. Clive was runner up with 4 wins but joint winners on five wins each were Paul, Phil and Robin, who was nominated to take the SCCC place at Surbiton CC for Southern Area Final Sun' 8th May. £120 was raised for the Mind Charity. Many thanks to the entrants and generous contributors to the National Total.
Robin Wootton
Thanks to Robin for managing this event.
GC B and C Series Tournaments
The B Series competition was won by Robyn Clark and the C Series event by Simon Turner. Congratulations to them both. Thanks to Jonathan Isaacs for managing the competitions and to the team who provided the lunch: Angela Avis and Trixie and Richard French.
B Series Results
Block Stage
| Block | Wins | Losses | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ian Rees | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| Robyn Clark | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Ray Hall | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Julie Tremble | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| David King | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Tony Nicholas | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Brian Jamieson | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Beryl Hughes | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Graham Tucker | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Sue Nicholas | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Douglas Shand | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Bridget Goodman | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| David Russell | 3 | 3 | -2 |
| Phil Davies | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Simon Ancell | 2 | 3 | -4 |
| Alan Grundy | 2 | 3 | -5 |
| Andrew Fall | 1 | 4 | -8 |
| Rosemary Faulkner | 1 | 4 | -8 |
| Richard Platt | 1 | 4 | -8 |
| Carol Driver | 0 | 5 | -16 |
Knockout Stage
| Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Robyn Clark | Robyn Clark 7-1 | Robyn Clark 7-6 |
| Sue Nicholas | ||
| Tony Nicholas | Tony Nicholas 7-1 | |
| Ian Rees | ||
Simon Turner (Ealing) wins the C series Gc Tournament at SCCC
12 players competed in the CA C series GC tournament at SCCC on 1st May.
The tournament was run with 2 blocks of 6 players followed by a semi final and final to determine the final four placings.
Simon Turner (Ealing) won all his matches to take the trophy, finally beating Simon Fenn – Tye (SCCC)7-4 in the final. Paul Brown (SCCC) came third beating Francis Ainley (SCCC) 7-4 to take third place.
The standard of play was extremely good and certainly Simon turner & Simon Fenn-Tye are two names to watch in the future.
(Picture to follow)
Simon Turner playing Paul Brown in the semi final
(Picture to follow)
Simon Fenn- Tye playing Francis Ainley in the Semi Final
C Series Results
Block Stage
| A | SF | CF | PT | PB | JB | ED | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Fenn-Tye(SCCC) | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 9 | |
| Colin Farquharson(Eynsham) | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 | -5 | |
| Phillip Tremble(Guildford) | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Paul Brown(SCCC) | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| John Bryson(Guildford) | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | -7 | |
| Elizabeth Drury(Compton) | 4 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| B | KH | CJ | BP | ST | FF | FA | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ken Hughes(Cheam) | 4 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | -11 | |
| Carol Jamieson(Caversham) | 7 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | -4 | |
| Bernie Phillips(Guildford) | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 1 | -7 | |
| Simon Turner(Ealing) | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 20 | |
| Fiona Fall(compton) | 6 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | -10 | |
| Francis Ainley | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 12 |
Knockout Stage
| Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| Simon Fenn-Tye | Simon Fenn-Tye 7-2 | Simon Turner 7-4 |
| Francis Ainley | ||
| Simon Turner | Simon Turner 7-6 | |
| Paul Brown | ||
| Other places | Wins | Losses | Net Hoops |
| Elizabeth Dury | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| Phil Tremble | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Ken Hughes | 0 | 1 | -5 |
| Carol Jamieson | 0 | 1 | -6 |
| John Bryson | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Colin Farquharson | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bernie Phillips | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| Fiona Fall | 0 | 1 | -3 |