Croquet in the North West

North West Federation of Croquet Clubs - for everything Croquet in the north west

You are here: Home / Pendle Retain Festival Cup in Record Breaking Event

Pendle Retain Festival Cup in Record Breaking Event

by

Covid prevented it in 2020, delayed it in 2021, but it finally happened … the Great North West Annual Festival of Croquet made a very welcome return at Southport last weekend for the 26th time.  Was it worth the wait? Well record numbers provide the answer – 41 teams played in the five competitions and it is estimated over 107 people attended each day, supporting the claim this event is the largest gathering of Croquet players in the UK (some claim the world!). It started in sunshine, finished in sunshine, between we had wind and rain, but this could not deter the wonderful ‘great to be back’ atmosphere at Southport & Birkdale Croquet Club.

Teams clad in different colours, the mix of beginners and experts, contesting five different croquet competitions, produce an unrivalled spectacle of excitement and enjoyment making this the premier event in the north west croquet calendar.

The Southport club presented 16 lawns in excellent condition, a tribute to the many weeks of preparation led by the Grounds Manager Don Williamson and over the weekend the club members who arrived early to set out all equipment needed and kept refreshments flowing throughout the event.

The number of games required to be played put pressure on the lawn availability and gave a logistical headache to Manager Ivan Wheatley, who managed the event superbly. As always, the Federation was willing to try new ideas – Triple Banking was used again in the Level Play AC event, the strange colours not causing too much hassle, whilst Doubles teams were controversionally utilised in the Short AC event without causing any major problems – another first for the Federation.

As always, some excellent croquet was played, with rounds of applause from watching spectators in abundance, of course not forgetting cries of anguish from players who fluffed their shots.  The standard of play was high with many close contests in all sections.  Tales of games ‘given away’could be heard all over the weekend.  The most outstanding performance was produced by the two youngest players – Jack Good and Will Mellor representing Bowdon, who won every match they played and securing the Level Play Golf Croquet shield for their club.

Jack Good and Will Mellor
Pendle 2021 Festival Champions
Back Row: Sharon deMaine, Paul Dowdall, David Carpenter, Garry Wilson, Gediminas Smolskas, Andrew Webb, Bob Burnett, Paul Rigge.
Front Row: Karen Bamforth, Libby Dixon, Gabiji Smolskiene.

And the Winners Were:
Level Play AC Winners – Pendle.
Full Lawn Handicap AC Winners – Westmorland.
Short Lawn Handicap AC Winners – Fylde.
Level Play Golf Croquet Winners – Bowdon.
Handicap Golf Croquet Winners – Pendle.
The overall Festival Champions – Pendle (who also won in 2019).

Paul Rigge, Federation Chairman summed it all up in his closing remarks – “Isn’t it great to be back, what a wonderful weekend, thank you everyone for making this Festival such an incredible event”.

Southport Croquet Raises £600 for BHF

by

Ann Major from the British Heart Foundation receives a £600 donation from club President, Brian Lewis, flanked by Peter Williams (Treasurer) and Tony Thomas (Organiser)

Wow! What an afternoon! Nearly 70 members turned up for the Southport Charity One Ball event to raise money for the British Heart Foundation, who are celebrating their 60th anniversary.  The larger than expected attendance tested the organisation plan to the limit, but with players wearing articles of red clothing to match the Heart Foundation house colour and to the background sound of the Rave Music Festival in the Park next door, a great atmosphere was enjoyed by everyone.  Beginners and experienced players had a great deal of fun on our beautiful lawns as twenty minute, One Ball and Golf Croquet games kept everyone on their toes. 

We even had some extraordinary prizes for ‘hoop of the day’, ‘shot of the day’, ‘blob of the day’, etc, and eventually the mathematical skills (don’t ask!) of the scorekeepers produced an overall winner for the afternoon.  Step forward Sue Wilkie whose accurate shot in a final ‘Shoot Out’ gained her the prestigious trophy, presented to her by Club President Brian Lewis. Afternoon Tea was fantastic as the table sagged under the feast of food donated by members, trade was brisk on the Refreshment Table, the Tombola Table had an array of ‘quality’ gifts and when added to the Donation Bucket, we raised £600 for the British Heart Foundation. A great achievement by everyone.

New member Sue Wilkie receives the One Ball Trophy from Club President Brian Lewis

Robin Tasker – New North West Rep on CA Council

by

Robin Tasker, an experienced AC player from Chester CC and known to many in the Federation has been elected to represent the North West Federation on the CA Council for a term of three years from 16th October 2021.

Robin follows in the footsteps of John Dawson, also from Chester, who has stepped down from this position after representing the North West with great distinction. On behalf of all members in the north west we thank John for his time and excellent contributions.

Here is more information:

North West Council Constituencey
Candidate Elected for October 2021 – 2024
Robin Tasker

I started playing croquet at Chester Croquet Club six years ago having played briefly in my twenties before the usual (and enjoyable) demands of life took over. And it was a good decision to do so as croquet provides a healthy outdoor activity combined with technical and mental challenges; and also a welcoming, well-organised and supportive community both in Chester and across the North West.

My working life was all about computer networks from being Head of Networking for a large UK Research Council to leading the UK’s efforts in the international standardisation of all matters related to data communications. As such policy and strategy were central to my work together with the need for clear communication, negotiation and diplomacy to get things done. Such skills are very much transferable, and it is these that I would wish to bring to this role.

At my first Southport Festival of Croquet I was inspired (and somewhat overawed!) by seeing the sheer numbers of people playing and enjoying the game, and again the sense of community was clear to see. For croquet to thrive and grow, tapping into this sense of belonging is vital. There is undoubted scope to reach a wider and more diverse audience but this must be approached realistically and in a sustainable manner. But nonetheless I believe this to be vital for croquet to confirm its relevance and to secure its future.

Personally I enjoy the competitive side of the sport and therefore see the improvement and development of both technical and tactical skills as key for a thriving sport at all levels within the game. Of course it is perfectly fine to simply enjoy the game, but actually it’s also great fun to see just how far you can be challenged. And often I am!

Proposer: Liz Wilson Seconder: John Dawson

Find a Category

Webmaster – Chris Alvey (webmaster@croquetnw.co.uk)