The All England Handicap northern area finals was held at Chester over the weekend, 31 August and 1 September.
This was the first time Chester Croquet Club has hosted the event. Eight participants from five clubs took part in the competition with each playing four games over the two days. The lawns were in good condition but there was a chilly autumn breeze for much of the time and several of the particpants found it difficult to adjust to the noticeable slope of Chester’s lawns. The two finalists were David Boyd and John Dawson, both from Chester. In their final match David Boyd pegged out with 26 points against 14 by John Dawson. Over the two days, David Boyd and John Dawson both won three of their four games but John Dawson managed a net win of 34 hoops against 24 hoops by David Boyd. As a result both players go forward to the national finals at Colchester over the weekend of 21 and 22 September. The competition was managed by Janet Davies and the chairman of the club, David Guyton, presented the winning trophy to David Boyd.
Participants:
Bowdon: Alison Court and Anne Whalley.
Bury: Richard Harvey and Graham Good.
Chester: David Boyd and John Dawson.
Fylde: Alan Morton.
Pendle: Garry Wilson
