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Croquet Skills Updating – Referees and Handicappers

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ASSOCIATION CROQUET REFEREE’S COURSE

To be held at Bowdon Croquet Club on 25/26 February 2017

Barry Keen will be running the following course at Bowdon Croquet Club:
• The course is aimed at players who wish to be trained as Referees for Association Croquet, although players who just have a keen interest in the Laws will also benefit.
• The course will run from 10am to 5pm on each day.
• There will be a fee of £10 payable on the day.
• The fee includes tea & coffee throughout the course. Bring your own lunch.

Please send an application to attend to Barry Keen before 11 February.
(barry.keen1@ntlworld.com)

 

FEDERATION HANDICAP MEETING FOR ALL CLUB HANDICAPPERS

To be held at Bury Croquet Club, Whitehead Park, on Saturday 25 March 2017
(Ainsworth Road, Elton, BL8 2PY)

This meeting is for ALL handicappers in Clubs in the North West Federation and for others who may be interested, such as team captains.

It will cover for both Association and Golf:-

  • The appointment, duties, responsibilities and limitations of action for Club and CA handicappers. 
  • The guidance and tools available.
  • A Discussion session, questions and answers.

It is hoped that as many handicappers as possible will attend, but if your Club handicapper cannot attend please send a representative from your Club.

So that we can communicate directly with handicappers, can Secretaries please supply a list of CA and Club handicappers for AC and GC active at your Club, together with their contact details.  This information will be used to update both the Federation and CA records.

There will be refreshments available, so please advise the names of those who will be coming & whether or not they want lunch and any dietary requirements.

More information: Don Williamson; (don.williamson1@btinternet.com)

 

Croquet Christmas Tale

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santa-sleeping

Santa was laid up on his Chester field sofa in his westcoat his white beard in a bow. Don Ning his hat he settled down to read his favourite comic, Andy Capp and to listen to Mott the hooppell. He peeled an orange and read about Philip Green, a blackguard feeling the squeeze who was accused out of the blue of lining his pockets to buy a yacht, not a Finn, essential for a millionaire to sail into Southport. He had cornered the market but had baulked at laundering money. His attention flagging he rushed to the end of the article and browned off he said “that takes the biscuit” so he filed his nails instead. Rolling up the paper he stood up and feeling in the pink decided to have a ball, “mine’s a double vodka in straight glass followed by a triple brandy”, he said. Wired up by the booze and browned off he dragged on his coat and went into the level yard. Burying his feelings and stroking his craggy chin he thought “when push comes to shove, a good primary and secondary education helps you to know when to stop before you get shot”. Still fed up he got on to his sleigh and headed north west where he had more land to see a friend and score some drugs to split with him. He went slowly so as not to draw attention to himself, lose his way or miss his turn. Caught up in the moment he had no time to lose before the police banned it and he pegged out!

John Dawson

xmas-sock

 

Remember when the Fletcher Brothers played Croquet here?

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Don Williamson referees a shot by Rob Fletcher
Don Williamson referees a shot by Rob Fletcher

John Dawson (Chester) has sent us the following fascinating article on the Fletcher Brothers in Australia.  Rob Fletcher is a former world champion and still one of the best players in the world and still in his twenties!  He is ranked number 1 in Australian Association Croquet, whilst his younger brother, Mal, is ranked number 2.  Eldest brother, Greg, is ranked number 1 in Golf Croquet in Australia.

Many readers will remember two days in 2010 when the Australia national team played a representative north west team at Southport, in preparation for their MacRobertson matches against New Zealand, USA and Great Britain.  Many of our players had the privilege of playing the Fletcher brothers.

The web version of The Age ( Melbourne’s top paper – also read right across Australia), presumably also in the paper version recently carried an article on the Fletcher Brothers with a great combination of text and video.  Article mentions chess like thinking, playing angles like snooker, practising etc.  Take a look:

small country clubhttp://www.theage.com.au/victoria/the-western-district-timber-merchants-among-croquets-elite-20161218-gtdmhy.html

Clearly the brothers Fletcher make great ” copy” but one has to admire the medium – it is a good Christmas read!  (but I’ll leave the log splitting to others).

John Dawson

Australia national team played a north west representative team at Southport (2010)
Australia national team played a north west representative team at Southport (2010)

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