An outbreak of Covid in the North West and a last minute withdrawal from injury, resulted in a reduced number playing in what proved to be a very exciting close Tournament.

10 players from across the country travelling from a number of Clubs including Eynsham, Auckland, Ripon Spa, Crake Valley, Fylde and Pendle, and three players from Bury, were all welcomed to the quality lawns at Whitehead Park, Bury, for this B Level tournament.

David Cornes(Crake Valley) acting as the official Tournament referee, proved of great help and assistance to myself and others on the Bury Management Team. Thank you David.

Several new members who joined Bury Croquet Club during the last few months came along as spectators and hopefully they will be spurred on to progress in the game as a result.

2 Cross blocks of 5 games resulted in 4 players reaching the semi- final. Edwin Bone (Eynsham) v Marcia Henderson (Auckland) and Libby Dixon (Pendle) v Ian Saunders (Bury). These were both close games and were both won with a score of 7-5 by Edwin and Libby. Ian took 3^rd place over Marcia, winning 7-4.

‘Star of the Show’ for Bury CC was Ian Saunders appearing in his first home Tournament. Well done Ian!

Both Edwin and Libby only dropped one game en route to the final and again it was a close match resulting in Edwin being victorious 7-5. He was presented the trophy by Club President David Barrett.       

All visitors enjoyed their day at Bury and appreciated the hospitality and welcome shown by the club.       

Results:-

1^st        Edwin Bone (Eynsham)              10 points

2^nd        Libby Dixon (Pendle)                 6 points

3^rd        Ian Saunders (Bury)                   4 points

4^th        Marcia Henderson (Auckland)    2 points                   

Report by Sue Worth    

Additional Images to follow

What a great weekend! – the great North West Festival of Croquet appeared again on Southport lawns last weekend (25/26 June).  Despite the weather hitting us with everything – sunshine, wind, rain, thunder, even hailstones – nothing could dampen the colourful extravaganza this event has become famous for.  Old friendships were renewed, new ones made, in a non-stop schedule of croquet matches involving 33 teams from ten clubs, covering five disciplines of Golf and Association Croquet.  Newer members experiencing this event for the first time were enthralled by the spectacle, especially if they played in a few games.

The lawns and surroundings were magnificent thanks to weeks of hard work by Terry Dunbar and his team and the catering was just superb, thanks to Margaret Flemington and her wonderful team.

Although attendance was slightly down on previous years, the new format of a very tight schedule, shotgun start to some events, games finishing with no extra shots, no results on cards, resulted in more exciting and adventurous play, adding to the enjoyment of the weekend.

For the record – Bowdon took the Champion Club Trophy, winning the Handicap AC:

Level GC:

Short AC:

and Level play AC: 

Fylde won the Handicap GC:

The bottles of wine for best dressed players went to Liz Taylor Webb (Bowdon) and Peter Wilson (Fylde).

It is estimated over 80 players plus spectators were in attendance each day. A big Thank You to everyone who took part and everyone who helped with the many tasks needed to be completed for an event of this size.

P.S. Reminder to Bowdon – please bring the trophies back next year!

(Report and pictures by Tony Thomas, additional pictures by Sarah Clements)

What did you think of the Festival?

The organising committee would love to read your comments.  Please complete our simple questionnaire at:  https://forms.gle/YnncKg9X3KVqVnzP9 . It does not take long but your views are really important to us.  Thank you.

This short croquet tournament at York on 10-11 September, the only two-day short croquet / short lawn tournament in the CA’s Fixtures Book. It should appeal both to those taking their first steps in tournament play, and to more experienced hands looking to try the intricacies of playing on half lawns.

Entries are via the CA’s Tournament Entry System or direct (details on the flyer).