Phil Scarr Wins Southport Advanced Tournament 14/15 Sep 13

Sixteen players, including five locals, assembled for the Southport Advanced Tournament.  At stake – the Sandiford Plate; above – the roar of the Southport Air Show; ahead – some excellent croquet battles; the forecast – wonderful first day weather to be followed by gale force winds and torrential rain on the second day.

Despite the spectacle of the Red Arrows, Spitfires, Lancaster Bomber, Typhoon, all performing acrobatics in the sky, players from Hurlingham, Fylde, Bowdon, Crake, Tyneside, and Middlesborough played a good standard of croquet on excellent lawns, including a spectacular straight quadruple by Dave Nick.  Mindful of the worsening weather forecast, play continued until 8pm and in the gathering gloom two players emerged top of the leader board – Phil Scarr (Middlesborough) and Mark Ormerod (Hurlingham).  Phil Scar hitting in and winning a game by the light of the clubhouse security lamp.

Sunday dawned wet and windy to the news that the second day of the Air Show had been cancelled due to the worsening weather and our leaders made a very early start to grab any advantage the weather situation could provide.  By lunchtime, in torrential rain, Phil emerged as the tournament winner.  Presentation made over lunch, all lawns cleared by the players and the lawns were left to the seagulls and ducks as everyone hurriedly departed in the howling gales.