News
Liz Farrow win Sussex Open
In a two match final against Robert Clark Liz won the Sussex Open GC Championship, taking home the Hamilton Cup.
Twenty four players entered the competition and spent Saturday playing in four blocks. Eight players qualified for the knockout championship (Stuart Smith, Ross Bagni, Robert Clark, Robin Wootton, Richard Brooks, Roger Sutton, Peter Balchin and Liz Farrow) and played best-of-three matches thoughout Sunday; the remaining players had a four-round Swiss competition for the Plate event, which was won by Ryan Cabble.
Stuart Smith, as the previous holder of the trophy and this year's winner of the GC A Series would have been a safe bet to win the trophy again, but he was evicted by Robert Clark 7-6, 5-4 in the semi-final. Robert himself was bested in the final by Liz 7-6, 6-5.
The Southwick lawns were in good shape, despite the very heavy use over the season, including the recent World GC - a tribute to the good work by our Contractor (and club member who played in this event) Ben Harwood.
Plenty of enjoyable croquet seems to have been played in good spirit and pleasant weather (if chilly in the mornings). Please all come again next year!
Full Results
| Block A | SMS | BH | PB | RC | BA | B | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart M Smith | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 16 | ||
| Ben Harwood | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 2 | -4 | ||
| Peter Balchin | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 9 | ||
| Richard Carline | 6 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 1 | -1 | ||
| Bill Arliss | 6 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 0 | -20 | ||
| BYE | 0 | 0 |
| Block B | RTC | PG | MH | JH | RS | SW | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert T Clark | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 21 | |
| Paul Gunn | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 1 | -12 | |
| Mark Hamilton | 4 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 2 | -7 | |
| Jane Humphreys | 6 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 4 | 2 | -6 | |
| Roger Sutton | 4 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 3 | -1 | |
| Stephen Wright | 5 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 2 | 5 |
| Block C | RB | DG | CH | IS | GT | RW | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Brooks | 10 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 15 | |
| Daphne Gaitley | 7 | 4 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 1 | -23 | |
| Christopher Heath | 6 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 5 | |
| Ian Shore | 8 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 8 | |
| Gavin Taylor | 6 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 0 | -17 | |
| Robin Wootton | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 12 |
| Block D | RB | RC | MC | LF | CM | LS | Wins | Net Hoops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ross Bagni | 10 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 7 | |
| Ryan Cabble | 9 | 10 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 7 | |
| Morgan Case | 10 | 8 | 3 | 9 | 10 | 2 | -4 | |
| Liz Farrow | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 4 | 11 | |
| Christine Merrington | 4 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 8 | 2 | -6 | |
| Louise Smith | 6 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 1 | -15 |
Championship Knockout
| First Round | Semi Final | Final | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stuart Smith | Stuart Smith 6-5, 7-1 | Robert Clark 6-5, 4-5, 6-3 | Liz Farrow 7-6, 6-5 |
| Ross Bagni | |||
| Robert Clark | Robert Clark 7-6, 5-4 | ||
| Robin Wootton | |||
| Richard Brooks | Richard Brooks 7-5, 7-5 | Liz Farrow 6-3, 7-1 | |
| Roger Sutton | |||
| Peter Balchin | Liz Farrow 7-3, 7-5 | ||
| Liz Farrow | |||
Championship playoffs
Stuart Smith beat Richard Brooks 10-6 to take 3rd place (Richard Brooks 4th place).
Ross Bagni beat Robin Wootton 5-7, 7-5, 7-6 and Peter Balchin (who received a walk-over from Roger Sutton)10-6 to take 5th place (Peter Balchin 6th place).
Robin Wootton received a walk-over from Roger Sutton to take 7th place.
Consolation Event
| Plate | Games | Wins | Win % | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ryan Cabble | 4 | 4 | 100.0% | P.Gunn +4, C.Merrington +2, R.Carline +4, I.Shore +4 |
| Louise Smith | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | C.Heath +5, J.Humphreys +1, I.Shore -5, M.Case +2 |
| Stephen Wright | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | C.Merrington -1, L.Taylor +1, G.Taylor +4, R.Carline +4 |
| Ian Shore | 4 | 3 | 75.0% | L.Taylor +4, M.Case +3, L.Smith +5, R.Cabble -4 |
| Christopher Heath | 3 | 2 | 66.7% | L.Smith -5, P.Gunn +1, C.Merrington +4 |
| Morgan Case | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | G.Taylor +5, I.Shore -3, J.Humphreys +3, L.Smith -2 |
| Paul Gunn | 4 | 2 | 50.0% | R.Cabble -4, C.Heath -1, P.Balchin +4, G.Taylor +4 |
| Jane Humphreys | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | R.Carline +4, L.Smith -1, M.Case -3 |
| Christine Merrington | 3 | 1 | 33.3% | S.Wright +1, R.Cabble -2, C.Heath -4 |
| Richard Carline | 4 | 1 | 25.0% | J.Humphreys -4, G.Taylor +2, R.Cabble -4, S.Wright -4 |
| Gavin Taylor | 4 | 0 | 0.0% | M.Case -5, R.Carline -2, S.Wright -4, P.Gunn -4 |
| Louise Taylor | 2 | 0 | 0.0% | I.Shore -4, S.Wright -1 |
| Peter Balchin | 1 | 0 | 0.0% | P.Gunn -4 |
Other games
A number of 'bye' games were played (counting on card but not to tournament result)
Ben Harwood beat David Gaitley 10-9
Peter Balchin beat John Low 10-5
Richard Carline beat David Gaitley 10-6
Bill Arliss beat David Gaitley 10-8
Robin Wootton beat Stephen Wright 7-1.
There may be other unrecorded games including a Richard Carline doubles special on lawn 8 - result unknown but clearly greatly enjoyed.
Winter one-day competitions have changed!
Please put the following dates in your diaries!
October 18th GC level play singles This is now an AC tournament.
November 1st GC level play doubles
November 22nd GC level play singles
More winter tournaments here
All the above should be entered on-line on the Club's website.
Roger Sutton
Jonathan Isaacs and Ian Cobbold on CA Council
Congratulations to Jonathan and Ian on the election to the newly reformed Council of the Croquet Association.
Jonathan is a Vice-President of the Croquet Association, a member of the outgoing Council and has been heavily involved in the management and development of the CA for many years, as well as his huge commitments to our own club's development. Jonathan was responsible for starting the Croquet Academy at Southwick and coaches both AC and GC.
Ian's primary croquet club is Cheam where he is currently Chairman; he is on the CA Development Committee and is known to Southwick members through his involvement in golf croquet - he is both a Championship and Examining referree as well as player; for the SECF he is Development Officer.
The CA structure is in reform and the new Council is part of changes to the Constitution to reduce the size of Council and confine its role to high-level policy, strategic initiatives, scrutiny and transparency, with a separate Executive Board.
14pt AC one-day competition 4th September 2019
Congratulations to Paul Castell for winning the advanced competition today, and to Bruce Carr for winning the handicap competition.
Advanced competition
5 players took part in a five round block. Jeff Rushby took Paul Castell's scalp (19 points!) but Paul went on to win anyway. Both Paul and John Taylor ended with three wins but Paul had beaten John.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Wins | Place | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Paul Castell | +10 | +10 | -4 | +12 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2. David Cook | -10 | +9 | +5 | -4 | 2 | 3 | |
| 3. Chris Rolph | -10 | -9 | +5 | -7 | 1 | 4 | |
| 4. Jeff Rushby | +4 | -5 | -5 | -6 | 1 | 5 | |
| 5. John Taylor | -12 | +4 | +7 | +6 | 3 | 2 |
Handicap competition
Thirteen players took part in a five round Swiss competition. Two large contingents from SCCC and from Purley Bury dominated the entry so the Manager kept them apart as far as possible (to make a more interesting event, not to avoid bloodshed!).
Bruce Carr dominated the competition, winning all his games. Isobel George came second, losing only to Bruce in Round 4.
| Games | Wins | Results | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Bruce Carr | 5 | 5 | George Bolland +3, Stephen Wingrove +2, Jocelyn Wootton +10, Isobel George +8, Chrissie Merrington +5 |
| 2. Isobel George | 5 | 4 | John Greenacombe +5, Jocelyn Wootton +9, Ann Bolland +10, Stephen Wingrove +2 |
| 3. Stephen Wingrove | 5 | 3 | Chrissie Merrington +4, Rosemary Faulkner +8, Irtmgard Tonolo +11 |
| = 4. Chrissie Merrington | 5 | 3 | Roby Clark +5, Penny Hinton +6, Ann Bolland +12 |
| = 4. Irmgard Tonolo | 5 | 3 | Robyn Clark +3, Clive Grimley +3, Rosemary Faulkner +11 |
| = 6. Ann Boland | 4 | 2 | Penny Hinton +1, Irmgard Tonolo +1 |
| = 6. Jocelyn Wootton | 4 | 2 | Clive Grimley +6, Penny Hinton +8 |
| = 6. Penny Hinton | 5 | 2 | Rosemary Faulkner +9, George Bolland +6 |
| 7. Clive Grimley | 5 | 1 | John Greenacombe +6 |
| 8. John Greenacombe | 4 | 1 | George Bolland +1 |
| 9. Robyn Clark | 4 | 1 | George Bolland +8 |
| =10 Rosemary Faulkner | 5 | 0 | |
| = 10. George Bolland | 5 | 0 |
(Two games in last round went unfinished or score unrecorded)
There was a general view that we must run more of these one day AC competitions, and further events will be organised over the winter season.
Sussex A Team wins SECF GC Level League again
On Friday the Sussex County A team secured a close win against Tunbridge Wells and so we have won the league title for the second year running.
Ian Cobbold had to win the final match to confirm our victory and this went all the way to the thirteenth hoop in the third game of his best of three match.
Having won our previous matches against Surbiton 5-2 , Woking 4 - 3, and Compton 7-0 we are now in a position where we cannot be caught.
Thanks to all my team members Richard Brooks, Liz Farrow, Chris Coull, Ian Cobbold, and Jonathan Isaacs for another successful season.
Roger
Winter GC one-day competitions
Please put the following dates in your diaries!
October 18th GC level play singles
November 1st GC level play doubles
November 22nd GC level play singles
More details nearer the dates.
All the above should be entered on-line on the Club's website.
Roger Sutton
Sussex GC County Team promoted to First Division
The Sussex County GC team under a new captain this year (Richard Brooks), who had been invited by his predecessor Bill Arliss to take over the roll, were very pleased to bounce straight back into division 1 after last year's disappointment of relegation. Bill had decided to retire from the role after many years of service to the County side and I would like to personally thank him for inviting me to join the team over a decade ago.
Having checked on players likely availability I decided that my policy this year would be to give as many as possible the opportunity to represent the County. Therefore I selected the full complement of 8, using 5 each day. Only two players, Liz Farrow and myself played both days. On Saturday we were joined by Roger Sutton, Ian Cobbold and Chris Heath. Sunday’s team included Mark Hamilton, Ben Harwood and Chrissie Merrington.
Having adopted this selection policy I must admit that I found it quite challenging to produce a playing schedule that fulfilled the requirements of the competition and gave everyone as equal a number of games as possible. However I was able to send everyone a copy of the playing schedule in advance of the event, albeit only a couple of days before! Now the details
On the first day the captain was able to lead from the front with with 4 good wins out 5 and Liz followed suit with 4 out of 5. The others managed 3, 2 & 1 game wins between which was enough to place us in third overnight, with 3 match wins. At this point I should explain to those who aren’t familiar with the scoring method used for the Counties, that each match between teams comprises of 1 doubles and 2 singles games. As ties are not permitted the result will always be a win or loss by 3-0 or 2-1.
On the second day the captain had lost his mojo losing his 3 games, 2 of them at the 13th hoop. Liz maintained her consistency winning 2 out of 3. Now we must congratulate our other three players Mark, and newbies to the County side, Ben and Chrissie who got us over the winning line. They all put their hearts and souls into it showing great determination, winning some tense games sometimes at the 13th hoop. I think they might have felt they had a point to prove in justifying there selection, which they achieved admirably. In fact Ben and Mark finished the day unbeaten on 4 and 3 game wins respectively.
Our team finished clear winners with 7 out of 10 match wins one ahead of both Essex and Buckinghamshire in joint second place. There is a method of determining the places of those on an equal number of match wins which I won’t attempt to explain and bore you with here, as it didn’t concern us!
Finally l congratulate all of my team members but warn them, as those of us who have been there before know, it is gets much tougher in the first division. We will be pleased to welcome the services of Peter Dowd next year who has recently moved to Eastbourne and has indicated that he will be eligible and would like to join our squad. Peter is a top 30 GC player with a higher ranking than any of our current side so competition for places will get tougher!
Trophy presentation at Compton Croquet Club (photo: Chris Roberts)
AC 14pt level/H/C competition, 4th September 2019
The original competition in August was cancelled due to expected heavy winds and rain.
|
A New date! You are invited to play in an AC 14pt level or handicap singles competition on 4th September 2019 SCCC members £10, non-members £15 |
If you entered the August competition and have told me you wish to enter this new date, there is no need to do anything; I will have transferred your entry details.
Otherwise, you can enter on-line on the SCCC website.
You can check whether you have already entered here.
| Sussex Members: why not forsake the usual AC roll-up on this day, give a tenner to the club and play in this competition instead??? |
All AC handicaps accepted. Do come along and have an enjoyable day.
John Low
Sorry but due to the very poor weather forecast for Wednesday,
this competition is cancelled.
We are hoping to run it on another date shortly and I will let you all know that that is decided.
This is the new August!
John