News
There will be another chance to try out Short Court AC croquet on 3rd June, and on 29th June. Both days from 10-12pm. All welcome, particularly golf croquet players interested in seeing how the AC game is played. This is an introductory course but if you came to the earlier sessions, you are most welcome to come again. We may be able to organise a mini tournament later in the summer! Don't forget - there is an opportunity to spend a whole day learning Short Court AC with the Croquet Academy on Friday, 11th June. All details on the Academy website or from me - Frances Low (frances@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk)
GC Handicap Doubles 10th May 2021
The competition started with 5 blocks:
| Block A | AS&CK | A&HW | PH&MF | JI&LF | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Stewart & Cathy Kirkby | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| Andrew & Helen Wilson | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| Pat Harden & Margaret Funnell | 4 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 4 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs & Liz Farrow | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Block B | B&KH | DK&LG | DL&SR | PW&AT | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beryl & Ken Hughes | 3 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| David King & Linda Gavigan | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Di Langridge & Sue Rice | 6 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Peter Wyld & Anne Taylor | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Block C | HB&PA | MH> | PM&SC | L&CA | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hilary Bird & Peter Adams | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Mike Huxley & Gavin Taylor | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Patricia Mechem & Susan Caulfield | 6 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Les & Christine Ardley | 6 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Block D | LT&AH | S&TN | CM&RB | IC&JC | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louise Taylor & Andrea Huxley | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | |
| Sue & Tony Nicholas | 4 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 2 | |
| Chrissie Merrington & Roger Buxton | 5 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | |
| Ian Cobbold & Jean Cobbold | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Block E | CH&PB | FP&TJ | CH&FA | FB&EP | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Heath & Paul Brown | 7 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 2 | |
| Fiona Phillips & Tony Jolly | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3 | |
| Clive Hayton & Francis Ainley | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| Fran Box & Eileen Prodger | 4 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
This was followed by cross-over blocks:
| Block1 pm | CH&FA | JI&LF | HB&PA | S&TN | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clive Hayton & Francis Ainley | 7 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs & Liz Farrow | 1 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | |
| Hilary Bird & Peter Adams | 7 | 7 | 5w | 3 | 1 | |
| Sue & Tony Nicholas | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Block2pm | CH&PB | A&HW | DK&LG | LT&AH | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Heath & Paul Brown | 5 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3 | |
| Andrew & Helen Wilson | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 1 | |
| David King & Linda Gavigan | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | |
| Louise Taylor & Andrea Huxley | 7 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
Block Final: Andrew & Helen Wilson beat Sue & Tony Nicholas 7-4
Plate
| Players | Results | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Stewart & Cathy Kirkby | beat Les & Chris Ardley +4, Beryl & Ken Hughes +1, Pat Mechen & Sue Caulfield +3 | 3 | =1 |
| Fiona Phillips & Tony Jolly | beat Chrissie Merrington & Roger Buxton +1, Peter Wyld & Ann Taylor +1, Mike Huxley & Gavin Taylor +5 | 3 | =1 |
| Pat Harden & Magaret Funnell | beat Peter Wyld & Ann Taylor +6, Les & Chris Ardley +2 | 2 | =3 |
| Fran Box & Eileen Prodger | beat Ian & Jean Cobbold +2, Peter Wyld & Ann Taylor +3 | 2 | =3 |
| Mike Huxley & Gavin Taylor | beat Di Langridge & Sue Rice +2, Ian& Jean Cobbold +4 | 2 | =3 |
| Pat Mechem & Sue Caulfield | beat Beryl & Ken Hughes +1, Di Langridge & Sue Rice +4 | 2 | =3 |
| Les & Chris Ardley | beat Chrissie Merrington & Roger Buxton +3 | 1 | =7 |
| Chrissie Merrington & Roger Buxton | beat Fran Box & Eileen Prodger +3 | 1 | =7 |
| Di Langridge & Sue Rice | beat Ian & Jean Cobbold +5 | 1 | =7 |
| Beryl & Ken Hughes | beat Pat Harden & Magaret Funnell +1 | 1 | =7 |
| Peter Wyld & Ann Taylor | 0 | =11 | |
| Ian & Jean Cobbold | 0 | =11 |
Plate Final: Andrew Stewart & Cathy Kirkby beat Fiona Phillips & Tony Jolly 7-5
SECF level play GC league match report: A win for Sussex
Both teams were made up from players who have attended the clubs Tuesday low handicap sessions and there was no shortage of experience on display. Most notably the Sussex B captain Jonathan whose commitment to playing and administration in croquet spans over two decades. Also the Sussex A captain Richard whose fifteen year tournament history means that there are now only four other players in the world who have played more GC ranking games.
Sussex A started as favourites with handicaps totalling -6 compared to Sussex B with a combined total of +5. The match was keenly contested with 5 of the 18 games played going to the deciding 13th hoop.
At lunch Sussex A had won the two singles 2-1 & 2-0, the doubles was held over at one game each, to be completed later.
In the afternoon in spite of determined efforts by the visitors, Sussex A were able to win three of the four singles by 2-1, 2-1 & 2-0. Sussex B won the remaining singles 2-0 and completed a win in the doubles 2-1.
The final result was a match win for Sussex A by 5 - 2
Of course we were then able to thank the visitors for coming, wished them a safe journey home and invited them to come back at any time 😂😂
The teams were as follows:-
| Sussex A | Sussex B |
|---|---|
| Morgan Case (-2) | Roger Sutton (0) |
| Bob Clark (-2) | Jonathan Isaacs (1) captain |
| Liz Farrow (-1) | Chris Heath (2) |
| Richard Brooks (-1) captain | Tony Jolly (2) |
I would like to thank my team and Tony of Sussex B for their help in setting up for the match.
Finally my thanks to Ben and his team for providing excellent lawns with firm hoops in new positions and well set to the 1/16” maximum clearance that I had requested.
Report by Richard Brooks
The competition was won by Guildford & Godalming who beat Surbiton by 5 hoop points.
(3 members of the winning Guildford & Godalming team)
Results
| GAME | NAME | ▼ | ▼ | NAME | |
| Caterham 1 | +16 | Purley Bury 1 | |||
| Cheam/Rother Valley 1 | +6 | Reigate Priory 1 | |||
| Guildford & Godalming 1 | +6 | Sussex County 1 | |||
| Medway 1 | +8 | Surbiton 1 | |||
| Caterham 2 | +9 | Reigate Priory 2 | |||
| Purley Bury 2 | +1 | Sussex County 2 | |||
| Cheam/Rother Valley 2 | +9 | Surbiton 2 | |||
| Guildford & Godalming 2 | +1 | Medway 2 | |||
| Caterham 1 | +22 | Sussex County 1 | |||
| Reigate Priory 1 | +2 | Surbiton 1 | |||
| Medway 1 | +8 | Purley Bury 1 | |||
| Cheam/Rother Valley 1 | +10 | Guildford & Godalming 1 | |||
| Caterham 2 | +1 | Surbiton 2 | |||
| Sussex County 2 | +5 | Medway 2 | |||
| Reigate Priory 2 | +6 | Guildford & Godalming 2 | |||
| Purley Bury 2 | +3 | Cheam/Rother Valley 2 | |||
| Caterham 1 | +3 | Medway 1 | |||
| Surbiton 1 | +5 | Guildford & Godalming 1 | |||
| Sussex County 1 | +15 | Cheam/Rother Valley 1 | |||
| Reigate Priory 1 | +2 | Purley Bury 1 | |||
| Caterham 2 | +4 | Guildford & Godalming 2 | |||
| Medway 2 | +3 | Cheam/Rother Valley 2 | |||
| Surbiton 2 | +9 | Purley Bury 2 | |||
| Sussex County 2 | +7 | Reigate Priory 2 | |||
| Caterham 1 | +? | Cheam/Rother Valley 1 | |||
| Guildford & Godalming 1 | +7 | Purley Bury 1 | |||
| Medway 1 | +4 | Reigate Priory 1 | |||
| Surbiton 1 | +15 | Sussex county 1 | |||
| Medway 2 | +15 | Surbiton 2 | |||
| Cheam/Rother Valley 2 | +15 | Guildford & Godalming 2 | |||
| Sussex County 2 | +? | Caterham 2 | |||
| Purley Bury 2 |
+11 |
Reigate Priory 2 |
Summary results
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Wins | Round wins | Net hoops | Position |
| 1. Caterham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | =4 | ||
| 2. Cheam/Rother Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | |||
| 3. Guildford & Godalming | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 30 | 1 | |
| 4. Medway | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
| 5. Purley Bury | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |||
| 6. Reigate Priory | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | =4 | ||
| 7. Surbiton | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 24 | 2 | |
| 8. Sussex County | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
SCCC GC B/C Level One-day Competition
Congratulations to the three winners: Tony Nicholas, Trevor Hopper and Denis Murphy.
Full results
| Block A | RC | MB | CR | AF | AS | TN | DK | AM | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robyn Clark | 7 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 5 | |
| Malcolm Beecham | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Chris Rolph | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Andrew Fall | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 6 | |
| Andrew Stewart | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 8 | |
| Tony Nicholas | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| David King | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | |
| Avril Machiavelli | 7 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Block B | TH | AG | DL | RF | LG | HB | SN | DM | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trevor Hopper | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 1 | |
| Alan Grundy | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 2 | |
| Di Langridge | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 5 | |
| Rosemary Faulkner | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 6 | |
| Linda Gavigan | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 7 | |
| Hilary Bird | 1 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | |
| Sue Nicholas | 5 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 3 | |
| Deborah Marcus (SCCC) | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Block C | CU | RE | DM | SC | HJ | PB | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colin Upton | 4 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Richard Ellis | 7 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Denis Murphy | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Sue Caulfield | 5 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 5 | |
| Hilary Jolly | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6 | |
| Paul Brown | 2 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 4 |
SCCC GC 2- One-day Competition
The competition was won by Morgan Case, who beat Liz Farrow in the final round.
| Block A | RB | LF | JI | RC | CH | RS | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Brooks | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | |
| Liz Farrow | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 1 | |
| Jonathan Isaacs | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | |
| Richard Carline | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Chris Heath | 3 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |
| Roger Sutton | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| Block B | MC | IC | CM | NH | RW | JH | Wins | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morgan Case | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 1 | |
| Ian Cobbold | 2 | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | |
| Chrissie Merrington | 3 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 2 | |
| Neil Humphries | 4 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 5 | |
| Robin Wootton | 3 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 6 | |
| Jane Humphries | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
The final round was a playoff between the two blocks:
Morgans Case beat Liz Farrow 7-2
Roger Sutton beat Chrissie Merrington 7-2
Ian Cobbold beat Jonathan Isaacs 7-4
Jane Humphreys beat Richard Brooks 7-4
Neil Humphreys beat Chris Heath 7-4
Robin Wootton beat Richard carline 7-3
Club well represented in AC Home Internationals
Club member Dominic Nunns has been selected to play for England in the 2021 AC Home Internationals which take place on 12-13 June.
Congratulations also to Chris Coull who has been selected to represent Scotland and Tudor Jenkins who is on the provisional list to play for Wales.
Many congratulations to all three.
Calling All Members
As the season gets underway there are a multitude of jobs for which we need your help.
(New members may not be aware that most tasks at the club, apart from lawn maintenance, are carried out by volunteers from the membership as subscriptions do not cover the full cost of running the club.)
It’s a great way to get more involved in what’s happening around the club and meet other members. Currently we need help with the following:
Kitchen Contact: catering@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk
In preparation for re-opening the kitchen and clubhouse, I’ve arranged a professional deep clean of the kitchen and bar on Thursday 13th May and need help with the following:
Emptying all cupboards, shelves, drawers etc before the cleaning.
Taking down the curtains, wash, iron, rehand.
Cleaning windows inside and out.
After the kitchen clean, washing and replacing all china, utensils etc.
Teams of 2, masked and working with doors and windows open.
Catering
Subject to the next step in the roadmap on 17th May, we plan to recommence catering on a slightly reduced scale for AC Intercounties on 29th May-1st June.
Help needed on each of the 4 days to prep and serve lunch.
I’ll circulate a separate list of other catering dates for both tournaments and corporate events. New volunteers always needed (as are cakes!).
Bar Contact: Chris Rolph bar@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk
Volunteers also needed for the same dates as above to help in the bar.
Gardening Contact:Eileen Prodger gardening@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk
Help needed to maintain the flowerbeds. Weeding, pruning, planting and watering throughout the season. Bedding plants welcomed.
Maintenance Contact: works@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk
We have a working party who maintain the buildings, carry out minor repairs, painting etc. as well as major projects such as the new machine shed by lawn 3. Enthusiastic DIYers always needed.
General Housekeeping
Sadly, we don’t have any magic elves to keep things neat and tidy so if you see bins that need emptying, toilet rolls that need replacing, or any other small tasks, it would be appreciated if everyone would help in this way. Supplies can be found in the ladies changing room and the commercial dustbin is behind the hut near the rear entrance.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Linda Gavigan
phone or email on linda@sussexcountycroquetclub.org.uk
Club Competitions Draws
There have been some minor amendments to the draws for some of the GC club competitions. Please check if you entered the Handicap Doubles, Level Play Div 2, Quaich or President's Cup.
Sussex hosts Dulwich in CA GC Inter-club
On Sunday 25th April we hosted Dulwich at Southwick for this first round match.
In this competition the venue is decided by previous ties played between the teams.
After a historical search it was found that Sussex had played at Dulwich in 2007 so this time it was due to be a home tie for us.
With COVID restrictions still in place, meaning our canteen and changing facilities were not open, it was agreed that players should bring their own refreshments and wearing of ‘whites’ would be optional. Both options strongly preferred by the home captain.
Dulwich were able to produce a very strong side with two of their players ranked in the top twenty both having -4 handicaps.
The teams were as follows:-
| Sussex in ranking order | Dulwich in ranking order:- |
| Bob Clark | Pierre Beaudry |
| Morgan Case | Simon Carter |
| Richard Brooks (Captain) | Guy Scurfield (Captain) |
| Liz Farrow | Jonathan Claxton |
Results
Sussex names and scores are given first
Morning Doubles
Bob(-2) and Morgan(-2) lost to Pierre(-4) and Simon(-4) 7-5, 3-7, 4-7
Morning Singles
Richard(-2) beat Jonathan(0) 7-5, 7-6
Liz(-1) lost to Guy(-2) 7-4, 3-7, 5-7
Afternoon singles
Bob lost to Pierre 5-7, 6-7
Morgan lost to Simon 6-7, 3-7
Richard beat Guy 1-7, 7-4, 7-6
Liz v Jonathan 7-4, 6-7 All concerned deciding not to play the last game as the match was already won by Dulwich 4-2.
I thank my team for putting up a good fight against strong opposition and wish Dulwich well in the next round.
Report by Richard Brooks