Refurbishment Update from Richard for the end of November
As happened to the last competition, tomorrow's GC doubles has been cancelled due to poor forecast.
(Cambridge Croquet Club, Australia)
Details of Visit to see work progress and report by Paul Brown is here.
Continuing for the first year the informal winter AC Hougon Trophy, the same group played over the summer for the Rottingdean Windmill trophy donated by John.
It was won by Chris Rolph who narrowly beat Chrissie on points, with David third. Hammy and John draw a large veil over theirs, but will do better in the winter event now started!
The aim of the group is to have an incentive to play competitive friendlies with players of similar ability.
On a blustery day all 24 players turned out despite the rather suspect forecast. With rain expected and lawns 1/2/3 ruled out resulting in double banking, the manager decided the best option was to play timed games of 55minute + 8 shots. This proved to be a sensible choice with heavy showers throughout the morning.
After lunch the weather improved and afternoon games where mostly played under blue sky and a moderate breeze.
Only 2 games across the 4 blocks ran out of time which makes one wonder if having a time limit focusses the mind somewhat!
Block A was won in style by Ben Harwood who won 4 out of his 5 games and also provided us with lawns in extraordinary condition going into the winter.
Block B winner was Robin Wootton who also won 4 of 5 games, narrowly missing out on a clean sheet with a 6:7 loss to Paul Green in his final game.
Block C was won with his usual enthusiasm by Michael Pudney from Chichester & Fishbourne, also on 4 wins out of 5.
Block D was a much closer run affair with 4 players each having 3 wins. Dena Howlett from Cheam won the block with +12 hoops, closely followed by Mark Barnham + 5 hoops, Tim Kent +3 hoops and Tim Weller, also from Cheam, with -1 hoop.
Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all for a very enjoyable day.
Linda Gavigan
And thanks to Linda for managing the event.
| Block A | LF | DS | BH | DD | RB | JI | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liz Farrow | 5 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |
| Douglas Shand | 7 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 2 | |
| Ben Harwood | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| David Dickins | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Richard Brooks | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 6 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs | 4 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 |
| Block B | TN | PG | BH | FA | RW | LM | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Nicholas | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 5 | |
| Paul Green | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Beryl Hughes | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | |
| Francis Ainley | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | |
| Robin Wootton | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Laki Marangos | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 2 |
| Block C | SN | JL | RE | TB | MP | AD | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sue Nicholas | 6 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 6 | |
| John Low | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 5 | |
| Richard Ellis | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | |
| Tim Bick | 4 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| Michael Pudney | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Alan Dickerson | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Block D | TM | TK | MB | TW | TE | DH | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Marjoram | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 5 | |
| Tim Kent | 7 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Mark Barnham | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Timothy Weller | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Trish Ellis | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 6 | |
| Dena Howlett | 7 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Winner | Runners Up | |
|---|---|---|
| Bush Cup | Tony Marjoram | Robyn Clark |
| Daldy Cup | Richard Ellis | David Gillett |
| D’Esterre Bowl | David Dickins | David Gillett |
| Franc Cup | Nigel Billingham | David Dickins |
| Freddy Reynold Cup | David Dickins | Ray Hall |
| Hazel Parker Salver (Short Croquet) |
Richard Ellis |
Rosemary Faulkner |
| Millennium Shield | Dominic Nunns | Phil Dunk |
| Moore Cup | Dominic Nunns | Paul Castell |
| New Challenge Cup | Not played | |
| Shine Salvers | Liz Farrow & Jonathan Isaacs | Pam & Gerald Gooders |
| Sussex Gold Cup | David Dickins | Jonathan Isaacs |
| Winners | Runners Up | |
|---|---|---|
| President’s Cup | Konstantin Yudintsev | Roger Sutton |
| Quaich Trophy | David Dickins | Dominic Nunns |
| Chairman’s Cup | Laki Marangos | Mark Barnham |
| Committee Cup | Susan Gale | Rosemary Wyld |
| Handicap Singles | Paul Griffiths | Jo Crosby |
| Handicap Doubles | Sue Kilby & Chris Baccarini | Alan Price & Jerry Key |
| Diana Brothers Drawn Pairs | Lesley Ardley & Peter Wyld | Roger Sutton & Tony Marjoram |
| Southwick Cup | Tony Marjoram | Tim Kent |
| Supervets (Dawson Cup) | Les Ardley | Angela Avis |
| GC Improvers Competition | Alan Price | Richard Stewart |
| GC Level Play Doubles Division 1 | Liz Farrow & Jonathan Isaacs | David Dickins & Steve Chapman |
| GC Level Play Doubles Division 2 | Francis & Will Ainley | Bob Clark & Sue Kilby |
| Victor Ludorum (AC) | David Dickins | |
| Victor Ludorum (GC) | Tony Marjoram | |
| Most Improved GC Player | Mark Barnham | |
|
Most Improved AC Player |
David Dickins | |
| Rookie of the Year | Chris Baccarini |
Pictures courtesy of various members
The Awards Evening took place this year at the Shoreham Yacht Club (complete with Replica HMS Victory in the foyer).
All the winners present
Thanks to Fiona Phillips and Liz Farrow for organising the club competitions.
Saturday saw a disappointingly small field for our first off-season doubles tournament on a windy Autumn day. The Block of 6 pairs inevitably had a range of handicaps but everyone enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and the chance to play against those they wouldn't normally meet.
The day was dominated by Linda Gavigan & Simon Ancell and Sue Nicholas & Beryl Hughes who each won 4 games. In the final round Sue & Beryl needed to beat Linda & Simon by 5 hoops to win the day but could only manage a 7-6 victory. As a result, Linda & Simon were the overall winners with +17 net hoops against +14 for the runners up.
There was a notable 7-6 win for Clive Jones & Elizabeth Bell over Sue & Beryl.
Well done to all the players and congratulations to the winners.
Thanks to Vincent for managing the event.
| The Block | BH&SN | JM&FB | RW&PW | SG&AJ | LG&SA | CJ&EB | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beryl Hughes & Sue Nicholas | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
| Jim Mander & Fran Box | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Rosemary Wyld & Peter Wyld | 1 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Susan Gale & Angela Jones | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 4 | |
| Linda Gavigan & Simon Ancell | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 | |
| Clive Jones & Elizabeth Bell | 7 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
Many congratulations to Jonathan Isaacs who has been elected President of Croquet England. Jonathan is of course our Club President and has a long history of service to Croquet England and before that to the Croquet Association. He previously chaired the CA's Council for two terms, leading the restructuring to form Croquet England during the second. Before that, he chaired the CA's Marketing Committee. In addition, he founded the Croquet Academy, pioneering the academy concept.
Many congratulations also to Angela Avis. Angela was recognised by Croquet England for her amazing work as part of the leadership of our catering, her contribution to the club and her efforts on behalf of the Alzheimer's Society.
For the final event at the old clubhouse before the modernisation begins, Sussex County were delighted to welcome 11 other teams from England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain and Latvia for the Grand Final of the relatively new European Club League event, with Sussex qualifying for the final as hosts. Playing in at least one player’s head as the players strode out onto the lawns were the great fanfaring trumpets of football’s quasi-Handel Champions’ League music.
As is often the case at these international events there was a terrific atmosphere of camaraderie, celebration and fun. The Sussex team was made up of Richard Brooks, Steve Chapman, Pete Dowd (captain), Liz Farrow, Dom Nunns and Konstantin Yudintsev. Rotating the squad to provide various combinations of four players for each match was proving an effective strategy, as after a good start Sussex ramped things up further on the second morning with two of the only 6-0 wins in the event to top their group.
Whilst probably marginal favourites on paper for their quarter-final match-up the team ran out of steam slightly against skilful and determined opponents from Spain in the form of Club de Campo de Vigo, losing out by 4 games to 3. Roehampton ran out the eventual convincing event winners, with Sussex County finishing 7th.
All agreed that this was an excellent addition to the croquet calendar, providing a wide variety of players the opportunity to travel to clubs and parts of Europe which might be new to them. Which Sussex County players will take up the challenge next year of a trip to who-knows-where to try to secure qualification for the grand final once more?
Dominic Nunns
The 19th AC World Championship will commence on Saturday 18 October in West Palm Beach, Florida. 72 players representing 15 different countries will be competing for the title.
Among these is Gabrielle Higgins from Sussex County Croquet Club - best of luck Gabrielle!