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Patrick Cheyne Wins Millenium Handicap (17 May 09)
Patrick Cheyne from Bowdon won the the North West Federation of Croquet Clubs Millennium Handicap Tournament at Chester last weekend.
He is seen here receiving the trophy from Janet Davies and Chester club member and tournament manager Elmyr Hughes. The runner up was David Boyd from Chester. Needless to say, the weather was quite horrid at times! (Picture, courtesy of Bowdon Website, www.bowdoncroquet.co.uk)
NW Millenium Handicap at Chester by David F Guyton (21/05/07)
Last weekend Chester Croquet Club hosted the annual North West Millennium Handicap Tournament at Westminster Park. This was the second time that Chester has hosted the event. Thirteen players from five North West clubs, Bowdon, Bury, Chester, Fylde and Southport, took part in the competition. Each participant played three 3 hour full lawn matches on Saturday and two 3 hour matches on Sunday. After a grey, chilly and blustery start on Saturday morning the weather improved during the afternoon and evening and playing conditions on Sunday were ideal.
Three competitors won four out their five matches and the final result was determined on points. Justin Brightmore of Bury, playing off a handicap of 12, achieved first place and David Guyton of Chester, with a handicap of 14, came second. Barry Keen, Chairman of the North West Regional Federation of the Croquet Association, presented the awards at the end of the tournament. He complimented the winners and Chester Croquet Club for hosting the event and contrasted the pleasant conditions this year with the cancellation caused by heavy rain last year.
MILLENIUM HANDICAP WON UNDER DURESS
Blustery gales were blowing in from the Irish Sea when Chester Croquet Club hosted this year’s Millennium Handicap Tournament at Westminster Park on 7/8 May 2005. This was the fifth annual event since the tournament was founded in 2000 and the first to be hosted by Chester now that the club has four full-sized lawns.
Six clubs from the North West Regional Federation, including Bowden, Bury, Fylde, Pendle and Southport as well as Chester, fielded a total of fourteen contestants, each of whom played five three-hour full-lawn matches in a marathon session over the two days.
Tournament Manager and North West Federation Chairman, Barry Keen, described conditions as “playing under duress”. Overall winner of the tournament was Lee Hartley from Fylde Croquet Club who won all five games he played having taken up the game only last year. Runner up in second place was Mark Lloyd of Chester who won four games and who was overall winner in 2004. Other competitors from Chester were Alan Clare, David Guyton and Alan Stubbs.