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Fed Croquet League in 2019

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How is Your Club Planning for 2019

The registration form for the Federation 2019 leagues has now been circulated to all clubs in the North West Federation.  Clubs are invited to complete the form and return it to the league manager no later than the 31stDecember 2018.

The Provisional Fixture Lists will be prepared and issued no later than the end of January.  Any changes to the draft fixture list should be agreed with opposing team captains and the league manager informed no later than the 25th February so that the final fixture lists can be prepared and issued by the 28th of February at the latest.  The 2019 league season will start on Saturday the 6th April and all matches need to be completed no later than Sunday 13th October.

At the Federation AGM in November some changes were proposed and agreed for the 2019 season:

  • The handicap criteria for eligibility to participate in the Advanced B league were amended.
  • Clubs may enter combined teams in the advanced B league if they wish.
  • Corner pegs are to be mandatory for all AC, including short lawn, league matches rather than optional.

 

 

 

 

Croquet Goes from a Wet Start to a Dry Finish

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NWFCC AGM at Culcheth, Sat 17 November 2018 – EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  by Tony Thomas

Fed Chair Paul Rigge (left) with 2018 League Winners – Alan Clare (Chester Centurions – Level Play Golf League); Derek Lunt (Southport – Midweek League); Francois Garcia (Bowdon – Advanced B League); Mike Hodgson (Westmorland – Short League); David Snaith (Westmorland – Golf League); David Boyd (Chester – Weekend Handicap League).

Chairman Paul Rigge welcomed about 40 people to the AGM and thanked everyone who had contributed to another successful season for the Federation. In his report he welcomed two new clubs to the Federation – Stonyhurst College and Criccieth.  Despite a glorious summer for Croquet, we need to encourage more players to enter the Federation Millenium Tournaments.  Secretary, David Walters, announced a workshop at Bury, about Club Development to be led by National Development Officer, Dave Gunn. The Treasurer, Liz Wilson, produced a healthy financial statement and recommended no change to Club Subscriptions.

CA Representative, John Dawson, was congratulated on becoming CA Vice Chair of Council, before describing how CA Council was being reduced in numbers and be able to deal more effectively with policy issues, e.g. the issue of Primary and Secondary club membership is now being re-examined.  The CA had a good input into the BBC programme ‘Countryfile Live’ at Blenheim and planning for similar success at Castle Howard in 2019.  It is hoped to get Croquet recognised as a Demonstration Sport for the 2020 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

League Manager, Ivan Wheatley, described another successful league programme of 154 matches where in one of the Leagues, the title was won in the last game of the season and by the closest of margins (one net game on the whole seasons results).  The wet Spring weather caused many postponements then the hot dry Summer produced interesting challenges on difficult lawns.  A Working Party has been reviewing the Level Play AC Leagues since the A league is no longer competitive and the B League needs to attract more players.  It is proposed to allow combined club teams in 2019 with a minimum individual handicap of 1 but the minimum aggregate team handicap be 6.  The highest handicap player should play in the Doubles game which generated some discussion, especially whether to allow alternate strokes doubles format.  The Working Party will finalise their recommendations in early 2019.  A Proposal from Southport was carried unanimously making the use of Corner Pegs compulsory in all AC league games in future.

During 2018, there was one Coaching Pod at Bury concentrating on Super Advanced, the Flying Circus delivered very popular Golf coaching at Crake and regular coaching surgeries were held at Pendle and Fylde.  James Hawkins highlighted the need to develop more flexible coaching schemes to adapt to modern employment patterns.

Federation Handicapper, Don Williamson, described some research currently taking place in York, focussing on incorporating Short Handicaps into the automatic handicapping system, so that players would only need one card in future.  This news was greeted with some scepticism, however, we await further developments. Don will also lead a club workshop in Spring to discuss the implications of the changes to the Golf Croquet rules.

Webmaster Tony Thomas described how the website has received over 50,000 hits in the last twelve months, the most popular pages being the Homepage, the League pages, the Who’s Who and surprisingly, the Honours Board.  Fresh news items usually attract over 60 hits within a few days.  To comply with the new General Data Protection Regulations, we need evidential agreements from members in order to display their name and contact details. This will be done by the webmaster for Federation officials and clubs will be asked to do a similar operation for Secretaries, Chairs and Team Captains.

Most clubs gave brief reports of their successes and developments, the common theme being damaged lawns either through excessive rain in Spring or extreme heat in Summer.  Bowdon reached the finals of the national Inter Club competition and have developed a successful Alternate Doubles evening.  Bury have installed new drainage system at Whitehead and have a new coach in Chris Alvey.  David Guyton from Chester has been awarded a CA Diploma.  Crake have made significant improvements to their lawns and are hopeful of Grants to improve their clubhouse.  Criccieth have installed a new canopy on their clubhouse and Culcheth continue to attract about 40 people for their indoor mat sessions.  Flixton are still developing their presence and have grown to 35 members.  Fylde hosted the All England Area Final and have offered their venue for 2019.  The lawns at Liverpool have been unplayable all season and have had very expensive repairs to their mower. Llanfairfechan continue their very active schools programme and their clubhouse attracts many visiting groups. Pendle lawns are now much improved after serious damage but membership is now only 20.  Salford are now using Banners to attract new members. Southport hosted the prestigious Chairmans Salver and have just completed an ‘Air to Ground’ lawn treatment where compressed air has been pumped twelve inches below the surface. Stonyhurst have now produced their first Mallett and are investigating the use of hoops for their Astroturf facility. Tattenhall have installed a new storage shed and fencing.  Westmorland have had their most successful season winning the Festival and then two league titles.

A Motion from Southport proposing the removal of voting rights for Federation Officers on Motions presented by clubs was overwhelmingly defeated.

Sarah Andrew was elected Development Officer and Ivan Wheatley the Festival Manager, all other existing officers were re-elected.  Paul Rigge presented James Hawkins with a CA Diploma for his services to Croquet.  The 2018 League trophies were presented to: Francois Garcia (Bowdon – Adv); David Snaith (Westmorland – Golf); Alan Clare (Chester Centurions – Level Play Golf); Derek Lunt (Southport – Midweek Handicap); Mike Hodgson (Westmorland – Short); David Boyd (Chester – Weekend Handicap).

The AGM closed at 12:30.  The Spring Meeting will take place on 2ndMarch 2019 at Culcheth.

This summary is a personal view from Tony Thomas and may not necessarily represent the official view of the Federation.

North West Croquet Players Awarded National Recognition

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Congratulations to Five North West Players Honoured by CA

At the CA AGM and Council Meeting on 2oth October, five north west croquet players were awarded CA Diplomas for Services to Croquet – Mike and Sylvia Steer from Bowdon, Frank and Janice Moir from Bowdon, David Guyton from Chester.  

(The report of the meeting can be found on the CA website –here) 

Their citations were as follows:

Mike and Sylvia Steer by Bowdon CC

CA President, Quiller Barrett, presents CA Diplomas to Sylvia and Mike Steer (Bowdon) at the CA AGM on 20 Oct 2018. (Photo: Chris Roberts).

Mike and Sylvia Steer joined Bowdon Croquet Club in 1996 and 1997 respectively and have both made a valuable contribution to the club. They have both been captains of several club teams and on winning teams in both Longman Cup and Sylvia in the Secretary’s Shield team. They have used their knowledge and skill to help with coaching on Taster Days and Beginners’ Courses for many years.

Sylvia’s keen interest in gardening and cooking has meant that she would often be seen tidying the borders and helping with catering for tournaments and other club events. She is also responsible for the ordering and distribution of club white clothing.  One of Mike’s greatest contributions was in his role as editor of ‘The Bowdon Clang’, a quarterly ‘magazine’ devoted to keeping members informed of not only what was going on within the club but in the world of croquet in general.  This was a huge commitment; which Mike undertook from January 2002 until October 2010. His latest projects have involved making videos of major National events held at Bowdon, which he has posted on You Tube

Over the years Mike and Sylvia have welcomed many visiting players to stay at their home. They have also supported tournaments both in the UK and abroad over many years, most recently on the Isle of Wight.

Frank and Janice Moir by Bowden CC
Frank and Janice have been members of Bowdon Croquet Club since 1999.  Both have successfully played in class and knockout events.  In addition, they have represented Bowdon in club teams competing in the North West Leagues. Frank has also been a past member of Bowdon teams that have been successful in CA competitions.

Frank & Janice have regularly helped with:
– Supporting Coaching on Taster Days and Coaching Courses.
– Tournament catering and social events.
– Providing accommodation for visiting players, some International, coming to Bowdon.
– Maintaining the Clubhouse – from emptying the dishwasher to cleaning out the huts & ensuring the bar doesn’t run out of beer.  They have provided the floral displays outside the clubhouse – both summer and winter.

Frank and Janice always make themselves available to offer friendship and support to new members whilst also concerning themselves with the welfare of sick and older members.  They have made an invaluable contribution to the promotion of croquet and the success of the Bowdon Club.

David Guyton by Chester Croquet Club

CA President, Quiller Barrett, presents a CA Diploma to David Guyton (Chester) at the CA AGM on 20 Oct 2018. (Photo: Chris Roberts)

David was Chairman of Chester Croquet Club from 2004 to 2015. During this time he oversaw major changes in the Club, the lawns and the public Park in which the club is situated. David has been an outstanding leading member of the club over many years. His notable achievements are

  • Bringing a comprehensive management system to the club during a period of major expansion. Not only were roles managed to meet the needs of the club but he established a culture of willingness amongst members to do” their bit for the club” As well as Chairing the Committee for 11 years with all the normal duties that requires he initiated an annual planning evening where all members can raise issues and put forward ideas for the future of the club in a highly democratic manner. He continues to publish and manage a comprehensive annual calendar of matches and events.
  • New club house and 25-year lease. In 2008/09 we had a new clubhouse which made a huge difference to all the members and potential members. David was instrumental in persuading the outgoing City Council to provide this clubhouse. He then painstakingly negotiated the long-term lease to secure tenure for the club.
  • Liaising with the Local Authority, a role he still performs for the club. David tracks down the correct officials and councillors, organises meetings, explains the issues, and persuades them into action. A prime example this year has been lawn watering. The lawns have been in grave danger from the drought without a sprinkler system. David organised members to provide a working party to help the grounds-people and finally achieved daily watering of our lawns.
  • Club Website. David taught himself the skills required to build a new website for the Club. He has completely authored the club website and is still a major contributor to regular updates. This required many dozens, if not hundreds, of hours dedicated to the single task.
  • Contribution to the North West Federation and the CA. David has ensured that the club has played a full regional role. Under his encouragement the club hosts NW and National tournaments each year. David produced a new data protection policy for the club which was then taken up by others in the North West. He co- authored the note on roles within the CA to stimulate a more thorough approach to effective governance.
Some of the Recipients of CA Awards for Services to Croquet with CA President Quiller Barrett (seated centre) at the CA AGM (photo: Chris Roberts).
Standing l to r: Mike Huxley; David Guyton; Mike Russ; Charles Waterfield; Steve Fisher; Douglas Gurney; Richard Field.
Sitting l to r: Klim Seabright; Gill Catt; Quiller Barrett; Sylvia Steer; Mike Steer.

 

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