5 places left at the inaugural event

The recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Croquet England, Andy Dalby-Welsh, visited Bury Croquet Club on Wednesday 17 June 2026 as part of a tour of croquet clubs across the North of England.

Based in Cheltenham, Croquet England is the national governing body for the sport and supports clubs, players and the development of croquet throughout the country.

During his visit to Bury Croquet Club’s Whitehead Park lawns, Mr Dalby-Welsh met club members, toured the facilities and enjoyed the opportunity to play on the club’s lawns. The visit was part of a wider Northern tour, which also includes a visit to Bowdon Croquet Club, hosts of a major international England v Spain Golf Croquet Tournament taking place from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 June.

Speaking after his visit, Mr Dalby-Welsh said:

“It has been an absolute pleasure to visit and play at Bury Croquet Club, and brilliant to receive such a warm welcome from club members. It has beautiful grounds with excellent facilities, including a unique indoor playing area.”

On behalf of Bury Croquet Club, Vice Chair Roy Spencer presented Andy Dalby-Welsh, accompanied by Croquet England Communications Officer Alison Maugham, with engraved handmade wooden bowls as a memento of the occasion.

Andy Dalby-Welsh has more than 20 years’ experience of leadership across the sport, disability and youth development sectors. Most recently, he served as CEO of London Youth Games. Prior to that, as Deputy CEO of Activity Alliance, the national lead organisation for getting disabled people active, he worked to influence disability inclusion nationally and oversaw governance reform towards a federated structure.

Andy is visually impaired and represented the England Blind Cricket Team over several years, bringing personal experience of inclusive sport alongside his professional expertise.

The visit highlights Croquet England’s ongoing commitment to supporting clubs across the country, strengthening relationships with local organisations and promoting the growth and accessibility of the sport.

Further information or photographs contact Roy Spencer

Paul Rockall (Gainsborough) won the ‘B’ Level Tournament at Bury, beating Glynis Davies (Northampton) in the Final (7-4,7-5)

12 players travelled to Whitehead Park, and it was pleasing to welcome some who were competing at Bury for the first time.

The threatened rain held off in the morning but, unfortunately, not in the afternoon.

Play consisted of two blocks. In Block A, Paul Rockall won 4 of his 5 games with Glynis Davies (Northampton), Robert Mumford (Ripon Spa) and Chris Stuttard (Middlesborough) all winning 3 and Susan I’Anson (Ripon Spa) and Pamela Dawson (Southwell) both winning 1.

Block B matches were played at a quick pace and Margaret Crossland (Sheffield) dominated by winning all 5 matches. Ian Hammond (Southwell) and Bernard Lord (Bury) both won 3, Eddie Wilson (Backworth) won 2 and both Linda Hammond (Southwell) and Dave Hunt-Jackson (Pendle and Craven) won 1.

The semi- final consisted of Paul and Glynis from Block A and Margaret and Bernard from Block B.

In the 11^th/12^th Play off Susan I’Anson beat Linda Hammond (7-5). The 9^th/10^th Playoff for the Shield was won by Pamela Dawson who beat Dave Hunt-Jackson (7-3). Eddie Wilson won the 7^th/8^th Playoff against Chris Stuttard in a close match (7-6) Robert Mumford was successful in the 5^th/6^th Playoff against Ian Hammond and won the Plate (7-2)

We saw some hard fought games in the semi-finals with great shots resulting in Glynis Davies winning her match against Margaret Crossland (7-6) and Paul Rockall defeating Bernard Lord (7-4).

The Final and 3^rd/4^th Playoff were best of three, and all took place in the increasing rain. Bernard and Margaret went to 3 games, but in a very close third game Bernard emerged the winner to take 3^rd place (7-5, 2-7, 7-6).

In another exciting match Paul Rockall took just 2 games to become victorious and win the cup (7-4, 7-5).

Club President David Barrett presented the trophies and wine.

Thanks go to Referee, John Crossland, the Tournament Management and the grounds and the Catering Teams for making the day a great success despite the weather.

Full results can be seen on Croquet Scores https:/croquetscores.com/2026

Report by Sue Worth