Dave Nick — Croquet in the North West

Timely Win for Brian Storey at Crake

23 August 2013 by Dave Nick

Brian Storey Takes the Cavendish Clock
(Crake Valley Advanced Weekend – 17/18 August)

Saturday morning the players gathered for a weekend of competition and anticipation As we sat down for lunch the heavens opened and not a ball was struck in the afternoon. Most of the competitors retired to the Farmers Arms at Lowick, where the tournament dinner was held that evening, and yet again a fine Meal was provided by Angus and Debbie.

Sunday brought fine weather and a drying wind. The lawns played as good as ever.

The final of the event was between the veteran 66 year old from Bowdon, Brian Storey and the shy retiring youngster from Bury, Paul Rigge. Paul progressed to the final beating “The Wilsons of Fylde” and Dave Nick +24tp. Brian beating Peter Wardle of Crake Valley +26tp in the semi final with his second TP of the weekend.

The sayings: ” An old dog for a long trail, and experience will beat exuberance”, certainly held true with Brian being the event winner +15. Congratulations to Brian on his handicap change to minus one

Results:
M HOLMES    BT     J ALLCOCK    +26
D NICK   BT    P WARDLE       +9
B STOREY BT L WILSON   +I5
P RIGGE    BT    P WILSON    +23
P WARDLE   BT   J ALLCOCK    +6
D NICK     BT       A BRANDWOOD   +13
P RIGGE   BT     L WILSON    +26
B   STOREY   BT   P WILSON    +15
B   STOREY       BT     P RIGGE    +6TP
D NICK        BT      J   ALLCOCK   +15
P WILSON      BT      L WILSON     +2
B STOREY    BT   P WARDLE    +26TP
P WILSON      BT      J ALLCOCK     +12
L   WILSON    BT    A BRANDWOOD   +2
P RIGGE       BT     D   NICK    +24TP
A BRANDWOOD   BT   P WARDLE +15
L WILSON     BT       J   ALLCOCK   +15
P   WILSON   BT    D   NICK    +1
B STOREY    BT   P RIGGE   +15

Dave Kibble Sweeps to Victory in Spencer Ell Cup

11 September 2012 by Dave Nick

Dave Kibble Wins Spencer Ell – Dave Nick reports from Victoria Park, Southport

Spencer Ell players at Southport (Sep 2012).
l to r: Paul Rigge; David Kibble; Graham Gale; Duncan Hector; Martin Murray; Ian Parkinson; Dave Nick; Mark Ormerod.

FRIDAY

Immaculate-looking slowish lawns with easy hoops and occasional undulations give the advantage to the person with the innings, but many are failing to capitalise 🙂

Kibble managed two peels of an STP despite having to McCullough partner to 3-back and came to grief by running into partner whilst going to another ball after penult – the crowd were disappointed that the 8-yard Irish was not attempted but a rush taken on the other ball instead.

There was a new take on the tablecloth trick with a ball slamming into a ball box being used as a table for a glass of water. The ball cleanly removed the box and passed under the glass of water, which then landed unharmed the right way up on the grass!

SATURDAY saw the start of the air show with a visit from the Red Arrows over the lawns at midday. Then we had a Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane. The Vulcan bomber was majestic and even did some aerobatitics that almost rivaled the Eurofighter.

SUNDAY – interestingly, it was quieter! Lawns are speeding up a little in the sunshine and measured about 10 Plummers on Sunday morning.

MONDAY Heavy rain overnight on Sunday and drizzle Monday morning made the lawns rather slower. At lunch, manager Dave Nick said “What do donkeys on Blackpool beach get for lunch?” … “Half an hour, like you lot, so get out there and get on with it!”.

Kibble was feeling hard done by – a 2-foot cut on the DS peg ball hilled 3 inches and bounced off the peg missing to give Rigge a ball round. Then, after hitting back in and finishing three peels, a little promotion cannon to get a rush to the peg found some different paces, lumps of frog grass and stymied the rush! Rigge was brave with his choice of lift and hit with the hoop 1 ball for a finishing turn but tried 5 times to get a peel and finished 4-back and peg. Kibble missed but Rigge failed to finish, allowing Kibble to join then to peg out one, then two balls to leave penult vs. peg. Some lovely tactical play ensued with Rigge eventually running rover have having to jump over it to hit the peg or the ball behind the peg. Unfortunately his just was inches short and Kibble pegged out to get the +1 missing score in the set.

Parkinson won a good three-ball ending to seal Kibble’s victory with two games to play.

Dave Nick is proud of playing with black and blue all tournament.

TUESDAY The lawns were flooded on Tuesday morning so play started on the north lawns (in the cage), which were hastily cut and prepared by the hard-working grounds staff. They were slow and hilly but easy and fun.

Dave Kibble presented with Spencer Ell Cup by Southport Chairman Alan Pidcock

2012 - Southport - Spencer Ell After 14 Rounds:

	DK	DN	MO	PR	DH	GG	MM	IP	WON	TOTAL	POSITION
DAVE KIBBLE	XXXXX	+15TP	+5TP	-22	+23STP	-25(3)	+5(3)	+17	5	11	1
	XXXXX	+4	-9	+1	+3TP	+24TP(3)	+21(3)	+3	6
DAVE NICK	-15TP	XXXXX	-26	+8	-3	-3	+22TP	+26TP	3	9	2=
	-4	XXXXX	+3	+3	+13	+26TP	+26	+3	6
MARK ORMEROD	-5TP	+26	XXXXX	-6	+8	+9	+2	-16	4	9	2=
	+9	-3	XXXXX	-4	+12	+6	+17	+3	5
PAUL RIGGE	+22	-8	+6	XXXXX	+7	+17	-8	+18	5	8	4
	-1	-3	+4	XXXXX	-9	+25	+6	-4	3
DUNCAN HECTOR	-23STP	+3	-8	-7	XXXXX	+12	+11	+13	4	7	5
	-3TP	-13	-12	+9	XXXXX	+9	-7TP	+18	3
GRAHAM GALE	+25(3)	+3	-9	-17	-12	XXXXX	-25TP	+12	3	5	6=
	-24TP(3)	-26(TP)	-6	-25	-9	XXXXX	+20TP	+18TP	2
MARTIN MURRAY	-5(3)	-22TP	-2	+8	-11	+25TP	XXXXX	+18	3	5	6=
	-21(3)	-26	-17	-6	+7TP	-20TP	XXXXX	+25	2
IAN PARKINSON	-17	-26TP	+16	-18	-13	-12	-18	XXXXX	1	2	8
	-3	-3	-3	+4	-18	-18TP	-25	XXXXX	1

Another First for Dave Nick

21 August 2012 by Dave Nick

Dave Nick won the Cavendish Clock at the Leven and Crake Valley Advanced Tournament for the first time with six wins out of six.
“The recent heatwave had taken its toll on two of the four lawns and it proved impossible to force the hoops into the parched ground”. The two lawns which were playable were measured for speed somewhere between 18 and 20 plummers! The eight hardy souls (who could not or would not be turned away) played a loosely based all-play-all with play getting underway at 1pm on Saturday afternoon.

Results:

Dave Nick 6 /6; Phill Scarr 5/ 6; Paul Rigge 4/6; Bob Burnett 4/6;
Peter Wardle 2/6; Peter Wilson 2/ 6; Liz Wilson 1/ 6; Peter McDermott 0/6.

B Burnett bt P Wilson +10 P Rigge bt P McDermott +15 Dave Nick bt Liz Wilson +21tp P Scarr bt P Wardle +15
Dave Nick bt P Wardle +1 P Rigge bt B Burnett +21 Liz Wilson bt P McDermott +11t P Scarr bt P Wilson +22
B Burnett bt P McDermott +9 P Wilson bt Liz Wilson +11 Dave Nick bt P Scarr +16 P Rigge bt P Wardle +13
P Scarr bt B Burnett +9 P Wardle bt Liz Wilson +6t P Rigge bt P Wilson +9 Dave Nick bt P McDermott +3t
P Wilson bt P McDermott +18 P Scarr bt Liz Wilson +5t B Burnett bt P Wardle +4 Dave Nick bt P Rigge +21tp
B Burnett bt Liz Wilson +21 P Scarr bt P Rigge +12 Dave Nick bt P Wilson +11 P Wardle bt P McDermott +26

Timely Win for Brian Storey at Crake

Dave Kibble Sweeps to Victory in Spencer Ell Cup

2012 - Southport - Spencer Ell After 14 Rounds:

Another First for Dave Nick

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