Tony Thomas, Author at Croquet in the North West

2018 National Inter Club Tournaments

17 April 2018 by Tony Thomas Leave a Comment

CA President, Quiller Barratt, presents the Longman Cup to Pendle captain Robin Delves. Also in picture: l to r - Libby Dixon; Paul Dowdall, Catherine Parnell. (October 2017) — CA President, Quiller Barratt, presents the Longman Cup to Pendle captain Robin Delves. Also in picture: l to r – Libby Dixon; Paul Dowdall, Catherine Parnell. (October 2017)

The Croquet Association organise a range of national competitions for clubs.
Here is the list of tournaments featuring north west clubs:

The Inter-Club Championship 2018 (AC)
Advanced Level, no handicap restrictions.
Featuring Bowdon – see Inter-Club results here

The Golf Croquet Inter-Club Championship 2018 (GC)
Featuring Bowdon and Culcheth – see GC Inter-Club results here

The Mary Rose Inter-Club Trophy 2018 (AC)
Advanced Level, players must have Handicaps of 0 or greater and teams must have a gross handicap of at least 4.
Featuring Bowdon, Chester, Fylde and Pendle – see Mary Rose results here

The Golf Croquet Inter-Club Shield 2018 (The Murphy Shield) (GC)
Featuring Pendle and Culcheth – see GC Murphy Shield results here

The Longman Club Team Cup 2018 (AC)
Handicap play, players must have a Handicap between 3.5 and 20. Teams must have a gross handicap of at least 24.
Featuring Bowdon, Bury, Chester, Crake, Pendle, Southport – see Longman Cup results here

The Short Croquet Inter-Club Trophy 2018 (AC)
Entries still being accepted – see Short Croquet results here

The Secretary’s Shield 2018 (AC)
Handicap play for players with a maximum handicap of 20.
Featuring Bury – see Secretary’s Shield results here

In each round, normally one doubles and six single matches are played in a single day by a team of four, but variation is possible – refer to the full regulations for details.

2017 Players in Murphy Shield at Nottingham (October)

Only Few Croquet Places Left

12 April 2018 by Tony Thomas Leave a Comment

There are now only a dozen or so places left on this season’s Northern Academy programme. The places are spread over five courses as listed below:

Mind Games:Develop a Winning Croquet Mindset – Saturday 21 April 2018

Many successful croquet players maintain a good mindset can be even more important than tactics and technique in helping you play your best. This one-day course will explore blocks to a good mindset, how to overcome them, and how to set yourself up positively for successful croquet. The day is for both AC and GC players and for players of all abilities.
Cost: £35 (CA Premium members £30). Course leader: Derek Knight

Openings and Leaves – Sunday 22 April 2018

How can the first moves in an AC game be used to seize control? What opening moves are available, and what are the strengths and possibilities of each? If my opponent uses an unusual opening, how might I respond? What are the principles of a good leave? How can I set up a strong leave, when should I do it, and how might I respond when faced with one? This one-day course is for AC players wanting to refine their understanding of these two key aspects of AC and strengthen their competitive play.
Cost: £35 (CA Premium members £30). Course leader: Roger Staples

From GC to AC in One Day – Friday 27 April 2018

Let your Golf Croquet skills give you a head start in Association Croquet! This one- day course covers croquet shots, building a break and other distinctive aspects of the AC game. It offers a full introduction to Association Croquet and aims to help participants play with understanding and pleasure. The day will include a supported game and plenty of opportunity for individual help and guidance.
Cost: £35 (CA Premium members £30). Course leader: John Harris

Classic Golf Croquet Skills and Tactics – Saturday26 May2018

This one-day course is for GC players who know how to play but want to consolidate their game, want to develop their understanding of the basic tactical moves, and want to know when and how to play them successfully. The day will include the skills required, principles of tactical play, and classic tactical shots, then move towards the more advanced aspects of play.
Cost: £35 (CA Premium members £30). Course leader: John Crossland

Golf Croquet Strategy – Sunday27 May2018

This one-day course is for more accomplished GC players who are confident about when and how to play basic moves such as blocking, promoting and clearing shots, but now want to develop their strategic skills and include more advanced tactics in their thinking and their play. The day will also include when and how to make best use of extra turns in handicap games.
Cost: £35 (CA Premium members £30). Course leader: John Crossland

Visit the Northern Croquet Academy website for details of Bookings, Accommodation and Location

Changes to National Short Croquet Tournament Regs.

8 April 2018 by Tony Thomas Leave a Comment

What a kerfuffle!! The CA announce details of a new Short Croquet national tournament but with some very confusing rules. Cue north west Fed officers taking up the cudgels – result – rules have been re-written.

The detail can be found on the CA website: https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=tournament/caCalendar&TwOpen=y&CalendarEntryID=2850&pup=y

In Summary:

Clubs can enter several teams of four players each and initial matches will be drawn on a regional basis.
Each match is eleven games, over three 75 minute sessions – round 1 is two singles and one doubles; rounds 2 and 3 are all singles. So each player gets three seventy five minute games per match. However, if Captains agree, the match can be sixteen games over four rounds of Singles, all play all!
Team players are restricted to Short Handicaps in the range 5 to 10, however, one player is permitted to have a Short Handicap which may not be lower than 3.
The aggregate handicap of a team must be at least 25

Closing date for club entries is 30th April (to CA Office) with first round matches to be completed in May.

2018 National Inter Club Tournaments

Only Few Croquet Places Left

Changes to National Short Croquet Tournament Regs.

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