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14pt AC competition, 16th September
The level competition was won by Chris Rolph and the handicap competition by Christine Merrington. Full results below.
Thanks very much to Alan Cottle for managing the event.
| 14 Pt Handicap | ||||||
| Round | Lawn | Match No | Player 1 | Player 2 | Score1 | Score 2 |
| 1 | 4 | 1 | Christine Merrington | Richard Ellis | 9 | 4 |
| 5 | 2 | Bruce Carr | Stephen Wingrove | 14 | 8 | |
| 6 | 3 | Richard Carline | Pam Gooders | 5 | 9 | |
| 2 | 5 | 4 | Christine Merrington | Bruce Carr | 14 | 2 |
| 4 | 5 | Pam Gooders | Stephen Wingrove | 11 | 4 | |
| 6 | 6 | Richard Carline | Richard Ellis | 9 | 2 | |
| 3 | 4 | 7 | Christine Merrington | Stephen Wingrove | 1 | 12 |
| 6 | 8 | Pam Gooders | Richard Ellis | 5 | 12 | |
| 5 | 9 | Richard Carline | Bruce Carr | 14 | 9 | |
| 4 | 4 | 10 | Stephen Wingrove | Richard Carline | 9 | 8 |
| 6 | 11 | Christine Merrington | Pam Gooders | 11 | 10 | |
| 5 | 12 | Bruce Carr | Richard Ellis | 6 | 8 | |
| 5 | 5 | 13 | Christine Merrington | Richard Carline | 14 | 7 |
| 4 | 14 | Bruce Carr | Pam Gooders | 12 | 10 | |
| 6 | 15 | Stephen Wingrove | Richard Ellis | 11 | 10 | |
| 14 Pt Level Play | ||||||
| Round | Lawn | Match No | Player 1 | Player 2 | Score 1 | Score 2 |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Ray Hall | Anne Bolland | 11 | 6 |
| 2 | 2 | Avril Rangoni Machiavelli | Chris Rolph | 3 | 14 | |
| 3 | 3 | Alan Cottle | Martyn Cooperman | 14 | 2 | |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | Alan Cottle | Avril Rangoni Machiavelli | 14 | 4 |
| 2 | 5 | Ray Hall | Martyn Cooperman | 7 | 10 | |
| 1 | 6 | Chris Rolph | Anne Bolland | 14 | 9 | |
| 3 | 3 | 7 | Chris Rolph | Alan Cottle | 14 | 11 |
| 1 | 8 | Avril Rangoni Machiavelli | Martyn Cooperman | 1 | 14 | |
| 9 | ||||||
| 4 | 1 | 10 | Ray Hall | Avril Rangoni Machiavelli | 5 | 9 |
| 2 | 11 | Chris Rolph | Martyn Cooperman | 14 | 9 | |
| 12 | ||||||
| 5 | 1 | 13 | Ray Hall | Alan Cottle | 0 | 14 |
| 14 | ||||||
| 6 | 1 | 15 | Ray Hall | Chris Rolph | 14 | 6 |
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Sussex Open Golf Croquet Championship 2020
A good field of 28 players contested the Hamilton Vase this last weekend in dry and generally warm conditions. Four blocks of seven players completed the first stage and 14 went forward to a knockout of 19pt and best of three matches.
The winner was 18 year old Eleanor Ross who beat Stephen Leonard in two straight games in the final. Eleanor hails from New Zealand and played in her national colours and is in the UK for five years so we shall certainly see more of her on the competition circuit.
The Manager awarded the consolation prize for those not in the knockout stage to Michael Bilton.
The tournament also decided the winner of this year's A Series - or in this case, joint winners, as Stuart Smith and Steve Leonard ended the year on equal points and so shared the trophy.
Full results
Block Stage
| Block A | JI | AH | JD | SMS | NH | RW | DB | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Isaacs | 7 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | -5 | |
| Andrea Huxley | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 3 | -3 | |
| Jon Diamond | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | |
| Stuart M Smith | 7 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | -4 | |
| Neil Humphreys | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
| Robin Wootton | 7 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 3 | -2 | |
| David Bell | 3 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 6 |
| Block B | RS | LF | LT | JT | LS | PG | SC | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Sutton | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | |
| Liz Farrow | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | -1 | |
| Lionel Tibble | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 | |
| Jane Tewson | 5 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | -5 | |
| Louise Smith | 5 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | -7 | |
| Paul Gunn | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 | -16 | |
| Stephen Custance-Baker | 3 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| Block C | RB | CM | JH | SL | TB | MC | PD | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Bagni | 7 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | -5 | |
| Christine Merrington | 1 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 0 | -18 | |
| Jane Humphreys | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Stephen Leonard | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 13 | |
| Tony Butcher | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Morgan Case | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 8 | |
| Paul Durkin | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 3 | -4 |
| Block D | CB | JS | RC | ER | RB | MH | MB | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Britt | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 14 | |
| John Skuse | 5 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | -14 | |
| Ron Carter | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | |
| Eleanor Ross | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Richard Brooks | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Mark Hamilton | 4 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 2 | -6 | |
| Michael Bilton | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | -6 |
Knockout Stage
| First Round | Second Round | Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Diamond | Eleanor Ross 10-1 | Eleanor Ross 10-2 | Eleanor Ross 7-6, 7-4 | Eleanor Ross 7-6, 7-2 |
| Eleanor Ross | ||||
| Colin Britt | Colin Britt 10-8 | |||
| David Bell | ||||
| Ron Carter | Ron Carter 10-9 | Richard Brooks 10-5 | ||
| Andrea Huxley | ||||
| Robin Wootton | Richard brooks 10-9 | |||
| Richard Brooks | ||||
| Jane Humphreys | Roger Sutton 10-6 | Stephen Leonard 10-9 | Stephen Leonard 7-6, 7-5 | |
| Roger Sutton | ||||
| Liz Farrow | Stephen Leonard 10-9 | |||
| Stephen Leonard | ||||
| Stephen Custance-Baker | Morgan Case 10-9 | Lionel Tibble 10-8 | ||
| Morgan Case | ||||
| Tony Butcher | Lionel Tibble 10-9 | |||
| Lionel Tibble |
Consolation and other games
Andrea Huxley beat Christine Merrington 7-6
Andrea Huxley beat Robin Wootton 10-7
Christine Merrington beat John Low 7-3
Colin Britt beat Roger Sutton 7-1
Eleanor Ross beat Jane Tewson 7-5
Jane Humphreys beat Jon Diamond 7-5
Jane Tewson beat Colin Britt 7-6
Jane Tewson beat Jonathan Isaacs 7-5
Jane Tewson beat Neil Humphreys 7-4
Jon Diamond beat David Bell 10-4
Jonathan Isaacs beat John Skuse 7-5
Jonathan Isaacs beat Ross Bagni 7-1
Lionel Tibble beat Tony Butcher 10-9
Liz Farrow beat Andrea Huxley 7-2
Liz Farrow beat Jane Humphreys 10-5
Louise Smith beat Richard Brooks 7-4
Mark Hamilton beat Paul Gunn 7-2
Michael Bilton beat Paul Durkin 7-6
Michael Bilton beat Ross Bagni 7-3
Michael Bilton beat Stephen Custance-Baker 7-3
Morgan Case beat Jon Diamond 7-6
Morgan Case beat Robin Wootton 7-1
Neil Humphreys beat Michael Bilton 7-4
Neil Humphreys beat Morgan Case 7-4
Neil Humphreys beat Paul Gunn 7-3
Neil Humphreys beat Tony Butcher 7-4
Paul Durkin beat David Bell 7-5
Paul Durkin beat John Skuse 7-2
Richard Brooks beat Robin Wootton 10-9
Robin Wootton beat Stephen Custance-Baker 7-2
Ron Carter beat Tony Butcher 7-6
Ross Bagni beat John Skuse 7-5
Ross Bagni beat Paul Gunn 7-3
Stephen Custance-Baker beat Ron Carter 7-3
Stephen Leonard beat Stuart M Smith 7-4
Tony Butcher beat Stephen Custance-Baker 10-9
Challenge & Gilbey
A good haul for the Club during the Challenge & Gilbey competitions which ran from Thursday until Sunday.
Paul Castell won the handicap Gilbey Goblet, beating David Gillett (also from SCCC) +5.
Liz Farrow won the Council Cup, beating Roger Mills +20.
Full report
The reduced entry this year allowed to tournament to be arranged as two two-day events as it was felt this would attract more weekend players than an event which started Friday lunchtime; this proved to be the case.
The SCCC lawns were a joy to play on, something Sussex members are getting perhaps too used to. Weather was generally warm and dry if windy the first day and with a sudden heavy lunchtime downpour on Sunday which had most (but not all) players running for cover.
The Gilbey Goblet had 16 entrants with handicaps ranging from -1 (four players) to 18 - quite a few forests of bisques seen around the edges of lawns. Four blocks of four players followed by semi- and finals and consolation games gave five games to all participants over Thursday and Friday.
The Goblet was won by Paul Castell (handicap 0.5) who won all the games he played, beating David Gillett (handicap 7) in the final.
With 16 players entering the Challenge Cup, only two were played for this year. The top eight played for the Roehampton Cup in a single block of seven games and this filled the Saturday and Sunday nicely. Eugene Chang pretty much overran the opposition, winning 6 out of 7 games and taking home what he said was his first A Class national win. Four players ended on 4 wins each in second place.
The Council Cup (B class) was played in two blocks of four with semi- and finals on the Sunday. The competition was won by Sussex member Liz Farrow in a determined final against Roger Mills, winning +20.
During the Gilbey Goblet Clive Grimley (SCCC, handicap 11) achieved his Bronze award. The fastest game prize was won by Eugene Chang and the peeling prize by Roger Mills (handicap 1.5) with a TP against John Reddish. Thanks to Roger for providing those prizes, so quite fitting he took one of them home himself.
SCCC provided a covid-19 secure environment for the competitions with most of the buildings closed and results being submitted and available to players digitally. Unfortunately no catering was possible but there was a fridge with self-service soft drinks and lager (and proper beer, thank you Clive for the Hophead).
John Low, Manager
Rain stopped play at the Opens last week. Fortunately Richard Carline was on hand with the sponge roller and cleared lawns 4 and 1 for play so the final could take place.
A sunny day of association croquet on Wednesday played in two competitions under handicap and advanced rules. Thanks to all who took part and followed Covid restrictions assiduously.
The handicap competition was won by Christine Merrington who won all her games. Congratulations Christine - hope you like your new handicap! Second place was Simon Ling.
| Handicap Block | SL | RF | BC | AG | CM | MC | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Ling | 10 | 14 | 14 | 13 | 6 | 3 | 21 | |
| Rosemary Faulkner | 11 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | -19 | |
| Bruce Carr | 3 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -18 | |
| Alan Grundy | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 1 | -23 | |
| Christine Merrington | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 41 | |
| Morgan Case | 5 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 3 | -2 |
The advanced rules competition was played in two blocks of four with cross-over semi-finals and final. The winner was Chris Coull who beat Liz Farrow in the final. Congratulations to Chris.
| Advanced Block A | CC | CH | JL | JI | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Coull | 14 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 25 | |
| Clive Hayton | 10 | 5 | 14 | 1 | 5 | |
| John Low | 7 | 6 | 6 | 1 | -14 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs | 0 | 4 | 14 | 1 | -16 |
| Advanced Block B | LF | PD | CR | MC | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liz Farrow | 14 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 5 | |
| Phil Dunk | 8 | 14 | 14 | 2 | 5 | |
| Chris Rolph | 12 | 7 | 11 | 1 | -6 | |
| Martyn Cooperman | 7 | 10 | 14 | 1 | -4 |
| Advanced Final Rounds | Games | Wins | Win % | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Coull | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | L.Farrow +12, P.Dunk +4 |
| Martyn Cooperman | 2 | 2 | 100.0% | J.Isaacs +11, J.Low +13 |
| John Low | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | C.Rolph +1, M.Cooperman -13 |
| Clive Hayton | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | L.Farrow -12, P.Dunk +8 |
| Jonathan Isaacs | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | M.Cooperman -11, C.Rolph +8 |
| Liz Farrow | 2 | 1 | 50.0% | C.Hayton +12, C.Coull -12 |
| Phil Dunk | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | C.Coull -4, C.Hayton -8 |
| Chris Rolph | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | J.Low -1, J.Isaacs -8 |
There will be an extra AC 14pt competition in the one-day series on 16th September 2020. You can enter on-line now. £10 for members, £15 for non-members, no catering etc.
Annual Midweek Tournament
A gala of croquet at Southwick on Wednesday and Thursday with players in five different competitions in AC and GC, played under clear blue skies, as is always the case in Shoreham of course.
12 players competed on Wednesday and Thursday for the A class Abbey Challenge Cup, one of Sussex's more impressive pieces of silverware, and for the B class Scott Cup.
With limited numbers this year the Abbey Challenge was played in a flexible format to give the players as many games as they wished over the two days and were by and large left to their own devices by the manager: an American block as the basis, interspersed and followed by additional flexible Swiss games. Joel Taylor came fired up from the Eastern Championships and took the cup with 7/9 wins from nearest rivals Chris Coull and Chris O'Byrne. Congratulations to Joel.
Most notable performance was probably from veteran Paul Castell who beat Chris O'Byne +14otp in what Chris described as 'brilliant play' and 'amazing'. Paul went on to beat Chris again in the Swiss rounds.
The competition for the Scott Cup was a 5 match block which was won by Liz Farrow, with 4/5 wins. Congratulations to her. Chris Rolph won his Silver Merit Award with an all round break against David H Boyd, taking the game +3. Well done to Chris. David also made an all round break of 12 in the same game but alas ......
The three GC competitions were all single day events. 12 players competed for the Jellicorse Cup (A class) in two blocks with a single play-off round. The cup was won by Richard Brooks who beat Ian Shore 7-2. Congratulations to Richard. The B class competition (currently no cup) followed on Thursday and was in the same format; it was won by Stephen Hayns who beat Frances Low 7-6 in the final round. Congratulations to Stephen.
Unfortunately the original Covid restrictions only allowed us to have space for one block in the C class event. Nonetheless the six players had lawns 3 and 6 to themselves; Diana Langridge and John Knight both ended with 4 wins each; although Diana had beaten John, he had the better net score and so took the cup - not the Isaacs trophy as advertised but our open competition Daldy Cup which has been out of use for some time.
As recommended there was no manager's table or office and results were sent by text to the manager who uploaded them immediately to CroquetScores so they could be seen and checked, a system that worked very well. Everyone complied very well with the Covid restrictions on distancing etc and I am sure the croquet balls, carriers etc at Southwick have never been so clean. It is a shame there could be no catering, and we missed the Sussex beer. Still, the lawns played beautifully.
Full results on Croquetscores (AC) and CroquetScores (GC).