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Chester Croquet Helps Raise Green Flag

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David Guyton (left) helps to raise the green flag.
David Guyton (left) helps to raise the green flag.

Visitors to Westminster Park, home of Chester croquet club, will have no problem finding the park in 2017. Just look for the Green Flag flying over the entrance. The park has just won a prestigious national award as an outstanding park. David Guyton – better known as a mean AC player and former chairman of Chester croquet club has another life as Chairman of the Friends of Westminster Park. As well as ensuring the croquet lawns are in tip top condition he contributes to the wider management and development of the park. Pictured here in the local Chester paper David naturally mentioned to the readers the two international and the national GC croquet matches which took place in 2016. They may not have actually been responsible for the award but they certainly help the local council to make the case.

Westminster Park is one of eight Cheshire West and Chester parks that have received the prestigious national Green Flag award for 2016/2017.  The award is presented to public parks and green spaces throughout the country which meet demanding criteria for providing safe, welcoming and well maintained facilities for a wide range of recreational and leisure activities.

The park achieved its first award in 2010 and, following biennial inspections by independent judges, the award has now been conferred for the fourth time.  The park has been leased by the council from the Duke of Westminster since 1946 and the range of facilities has developed considerably over the years.

The park now offers a nine hole, par three, golf course, public and club tennis courts, football and cricket pitches, bowling and croquet lawns, a BMX track, a multi-game hard surface sports area, an open air gymnasium, 400m and 1,000m jogging tracks as well as play facilities for children and young people, and a café.

The park is managed by the council’s greenspaces and streetscene teams with active support from the Friends of Westminster Park who represent the dozen sports and recreation groups that are based in the park.  Chairman of Friends of Westminster Park, David Guyton, said: “We are all very grateful to the council for maintaining Westminster Park as one of the premier sporting and recreation facilities in the borough and it is immensely pleasing that we now have such a wide range of flourishing activities based in the park.

“It is also worth noting that the park hosted for the first time two international Croquet matches and a second national tournament in addition to all the other regular games and league matches undertaken by the various clubs in the park.”

[With grateful acknowledgement to the Chester Chronicle (4 Nov 2016)]

 

 

Croquet, Ceilidh, and Chester Success

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“Pale” Croquet Tankard Won by Chester

Chester and Carrickmines players
Chester and Carrickmines players

For the second time this year the citizens of Chester were braced for international sporting honours. Whilst others were glued to their TV screens watching the Euros and the Rugby tours “down under”, the players of Chester croquet club were locked in a major international match against the premier croquet club of Ireland – Carrickmines Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club of Dublin.  Over a sunny weekend both teams enjoyed a total of 25 games ( a mixture of singles and doubles) on the excellent lawns of Westminster Park in Chester.

David Boyd
David Boyd

The teams assembled by land, sea and air on the Friday night and Saturday saw the Irish team working hard to master the intricacies of the now famous sloping lawns set in Chester’s Westminster Park. Both teams then celebrated an enjoyable day’s play with a buffet supper of Cheshire’s finest sausages supplemented by home made puddings and washed down with wine and English beer. Not to be outdone the visitors staged a brief ceilidh led by one of their players who used to play the violin in the RTE Symphony Orchestra.

Watching
Watching

After a short night’s rest it was ‘ back to business’ for two rounds of closely contested singles in glorious sunshine before Chester emerged as overall winners of the ‘Pale croquet’ tankard. ( the Pale being the medieval name for the settled part of Dublin).

John Dawson
John Dawson

After the match Sandy Greig, the Carrickmines captain, on whose initiative the match was arranged said ” We have greatly enjoyed the contest played in such a competitive but enjoyable atmosphere. 1916 was of course a notable year for Anglo Irish relations but we hope that the centenary year of 2016 will be the start of annual croquet matches between Chester and Dublin and we look forward to striving to win the trophy in a return match at Carrickmines in 2017″.

The Pale Trophy being presented to Chester
The Pale Trophy being presented to Chester

Sunshine, Slopes and a Short Croquet Trophy

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Chester hosts successful Short Croquet Tournament (15 May 2016)

Federation Millennium Short Croquet Players
Federation Millennium Short Croquet Players

 

Winner Brian Walton (Chester) receives the prestigious Short Trophy
Winner Brian Walton (Chester) receives the prestigious Short Trophy

Eight enthusiastic players ( two each from Bowdon, Bury, Craig-y-Don and Chester Croquet Clubs) opted to compete for the Millennium Short trophy rather than run the Chester Half Marathon and were rewarded with glorious weather and closely contested matches on manicured Chester lawns. The Swiss format produced a steady first round but by lunch the field began to spread. Like so many Olympic 1500m finals, it was the third lap which proved decisive. Emulating Herb Elliott in Rome in 1960, Brian Walton of Chester ( fortified by his lunchtime chilli con carne) made the decisive break beating Anne Alvey of Bury to move into a clear lead.

Any hopes of Brian fading against the low handicapped Roger Edwards of Craig-y-don on the last lap, were quickly dispelled as he powered to a fourth successive win to take the trophy. Chris Alvey restored the family fortunes by winning his last match against Jayne Taylor of Chester in a ” dip finish” to snatch the silver.

Runner Up Chris Avery (Bury) receives the much sought after 'bubbly'
Runner Up Chris Avery (Bury) receives the much sought after ‘bubbly’

All in all a very enjoyable day in which the winner and the runner up were rewarded with a bottle of the world famous Chester Sloping Lawn claret of which the 2016 vintage is especially prized amongst connoisseurs.

Many thanks to all for the friendly and enjoyable atmosphere.

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