Federation Millenium Level Play Golf Croquet – Pendle, 10 October 2020
The only place in the country where competitive croquet was being played this deep into the autumn, yeap, Pendle & Craven Croquet Club. They hosted the Millennium Level play Golf Croquet after Bury decided to hand the opportunity over.
With the pandemic raging again & infection numbers rising across the NW (and indeed the whole UK), croquet players collected in Earby to contest the last of the Federation’s own tournaments.
Fresh hoop holes on all the courts, tight match play hoops, stop boards, plus all the Covid paraphernalia (‘owned’ chairs, one way systems, hand/ball/clip wipes…..etc) were laid on by the Pendle and Craven Croquet club – again setting the standard in preparation for which it is so well known.
Format for the single day (reduced to such as a nod to C-19, no need for hotels) was Block play with each round being 19pt. Some really hard fought games were viewed and enjoyed by the few spectators present. Mention must be made of two players, one from Fylde & the other from Westmorland – both playing in their very first Croquet Tournaments – exactly typifying why these events are promoted by your Federation, to give a gentle ‘open door’ to this world with and against your mates. What a great fun day in bright sunshine was enjoyed by all.
So saying that, it was a tournament, so there must be a winner – this year’s Champion; Paul Rigge. (seen in the picture NOT holding the trophy – that is still in total Covid Lockdown elsewhere).
