Blewbury Croquet Club
£42,000 lottery award

The Oxfordshire club has received one of the largest lottery sport awards to be made for croquet. The grant is said to be the first by the Sport England Lottery Fund for brand new croquet facilities.

Grants from the Vale of White Horse District Council, the parish council and village trust funds, allow Blewbury is to spend a total of £70,000 to provide two croquet courts and a shelter, on part of a five-acre extension to the village recreation ground. The croquet courts are part of a £150,000 improvement scheme for football, cricket, tennis, basketball and croquet and include the renovation of a sports pavilion.

The club currently uses a private court in the village - with its own courts the club, which has a membership of 24, would be able to attract a wider range of players.

As a condition of the lottery grant, the club will be expected to encourage interest in the sport, with young players especially; the club already holds regular coaching sessions and matches with Blewbury and Chilton primary schools

The new courts will encourage Blewbury to enter national and local croquet competitions such as the Longman Club Team Cup and the Southern League and enable it to run tournaments for players at all levels as well as offering free coaching.

Work is due to start in October 2001 and the courts are expected to be ready for use in September 2002.

The CA is looking for new headquarters

12/07/2001 - by Don Gaunt (Chairman)

I regret to have to tell you that after over 40 years, the Hurlingham club have informed me that they can no longer give a home to the headquarters of the Croquet Association. This is not because of any disagreement between us. It is due to the Hurlingham Club’s undertaking extensive re-structuring which has severely limited their available space. In addition, the extra administration accommodation that had been planned is not now going to be built, owing to planning restrictions.
I can assure you that there is no loss of good-will between us and Hurlingham , and that there is every intention that major events such as the Opens will continue to be held there as before.

I would like to record here, our gratitude to Hurlingham for the immense amount of support and assistance that they have given to us over the last four decades. This help has been given in time, money and expertise and in large amounts of all of them. Thank you, Hurlingham.

We have been given 12 months, which may seem a long time, but it is not really, when one considers all that is going to have to be done. Furthermore, it will be in our interests not to have to leave things to the last minute as it would mean moving in the middle of the next season. Ideally we need to be in place before the 2002 season starts.

This is going to be a formidable task for us, so besides informing you of the situation, I am also seeking your help. This help can be in any form - ideas, expertise in office relocation, offers of help, offers to serve on the relocation working party we are setting up, suggestions on location (including where you think it should NOT be), even money!

So what needs to be done? There are two offices presently at Hurlingham, the administration office and the commercial office. The administration office presently consists of a Portakabin with just enough room for two or three staff and their associated equipment. We also have a considerable amount of stuff stored in the basement of Hurlingham House. The commercial office is about a third of the size of the administration office, and again is barely large enough to hold the stock needed.

It is probably not essential that the two offices be located at the same place; there are arguments for and against this. It does however need to be borne in mind that the office staff, Nigel & Janet, and the commercial agent, David, all live in various locations within reach of Hurlingham. Any relocation far from there could well mean the loss of one or more of them.

Please direct all offers of help, in whatever form, via the Secretary.

Although this is, undeniably a serious problem, with a bit of luck and a lot of goodwill, we may turn a problem into a success story.

Reg Bamford takes world title

by Charles Randall (Filed: 08/07/2001)

From an article in The Daily Telegraph 9th July 200

REG BAMFORD, a South African, won his first world championship title by defeating Robert Fulford, the holder and the world's highest ranked player, in London yesterday.

By winning the final 3-2 on Hurlingham's easy-paced lawns, the London-based Bamford, deservedly took his fifth British Open title, which was on offer concurrently with the world event sponsored by Lincoln Unit Trust Managers.

Bamford recovered from 2-1 down to overtake his Surbiton club-mate, landing two sextuple peels - cannoning the partner ball through six consecutive hoops in a single break. This tactic had not been achieved before in all seven previous world finals.

Fulford was given a hard semi-final by the New Zealander Dennis Bulloch, a restaurant owner from Nelson. Bamford, by contrast, swept past the American university economics student Jacques Fournier.

The only one of 13 opponents to take even a game off Bamford before the final had been Ray McInerney, one of two Dublin brothers in the championship.

Results:-

LINCOLN WORLD CH'SHIPS
(Hurlingham, W London).

Semi-finals: R Bamford (S Africa) bt J Fournier (US) +16tp, +26tp, +25; R Fulford (GB) bt D Bulloch (NZ) +8tpo, -14otp, +26tp, +25tp.

Final: Bamford bt Fulford -16tp, +17stp, -3, +26stp, +26qp.

Doubles final: R Fulford & C Clarke (GB) bt Bamford & S Mulliner (GB) +12tpo, +17tp.

World Golf Croquet Championships to be held in Florida in February, 2002

The 5th WCF World Golf Croquet Championships will be held at the new National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, from 10 to 17 February 2002.

The 10-acre center is being built by the Croquet Foundation of America as the home of the Foundation, the United States Croquet Association, and the National Croquet Club.

The World Croquet Federation, the United States Croquet Association and the National Croquet Center staff are cooperating to make this event a fitting world championship debut for the world's largest dedicated croquet facility.

This will be the first world championship event held at the center, due to be opened later this year. There are twelve courts and the championship will have abundant lawn space at one venue for the usual 48 players.

One benefit of having so much lawn space is the ability to offer more value to players from all over the world. For example, the initial block play will be, for the first time, 19-point games; the top four of each of the eight blocks will go directly into a best-of-three elimination ladder, first-round losers will go into a second best-of-three elimination ladder, and players who lose two consecutive matches will go into a single-game elimination ladder. All places in the event will be decided, from first to last.

Besides the National Croquet Center, other local clubs are helping to host the event including the Palm Beach Croquet Club at Palm Beach's famous Breakers Hotel, and the renowned Beach Club. Social events will be held at both these venues.

The 5th WCF World Golf Croquet Championships, together with a Croquet Festival from 17th to 24th February and dedication of the new clubhouse, should be one of the biggest events in the history of the sport, from the standpoint of publicity, spectators and sponsor participation.

Golf Croquet is the foundation of the National Croquet Center's promotional effort for the sport. On the day of the finals (February 17th), there will also be finals of the Golf Croquet Corporate Challenge, to which many local corporations will have donated $1,000 for the USCA's Youth Development Program.

World Croquet Federation President Tony Hall will attend the event as a player and possibly as Chief Referee. Support staff will include Archie Peck, National Center Director of Croquet, Johnny Mitchell, President of the USCA International Committee, Sherif Abdelwahab, Chairman of the USCA Golf Croquet Committee and Bob Alman, National Center Marketing and Community Affairs Director.

At least three courts will be reserved for practice to all players in the championship from February 7th. On the day before the event starts, February 10th, up to ten courts will be available for practice

From among the substantial South Florida croquet population, referees will be recruited and trained in special one-day events associated with the USCA National Championships, Seniors & Masters, and other major USCA events during the fall and early winter.

Recruitment of ball-boys/girls will present a special problem and - it is hoped - a unique opportunity as well. The opportunity to serve in a world championship will be offered to high-school students participating in the Youth Development Program.

Further information: Tony Hall, telephone 61-2-62577161, fax 61-2-62486676, email tony1h@ozemail.com.au, 5/6 Fawkner St, BRADDON, ACT 2612, AUSTRALIA.

Inter Counties Championship - 2001

Avon was without three of its strongest players in the Inter Counties Championship played at Eastbourne last weekend.

They finished third from the bottom of the first division despite winning five matches out of ten, and will be demoted to the second division next year.

With KRISS CHAMBERS away at university, the only Nailsea player available this year was ALEX LEGGATE.

JAMES DIXON played for Hertfordshire who came fourth in the second division, just missing out on a promotion place.

For a full report click on the CA website click here.

The CA proposes to strengthen the World Croquet Federation

The Croquet Association proposes that changes should be made to the constitution of the WCF to make it more effective. The proposals will be discussed at the WCF Council meeting to be held in London during July and members of the Federation will have the opportunity to vote on them later in the year.

The CA believes that the changes will bring the major croquet playing countries and the WCF closer together. The intention is to try to ensure that the limited resources available throughout the world to administer croquet are better co-ordinated and focused.

The changes being proposed will clarify the role of the Federation as an organisation that should concentrate on developing croquet internationally by, in particular, promoting international events on a regular basis.

A number of changes are designed to strengthen the links between national governing bodies and the Federation. The CA proposes that the WCF Management Committee should be reorganised so that five of its members are directly nominated by each of the national governing bodies of Australia, Egypt, England, New Zealand and USA; the other two members of the Committee are to be elected by the remaining full members of the WCF. This will mean that the Committee, having much stronger links with the national croquet bodies, should be in a good position to reflect more directly the wishes of players world-wide. The national associations are likely to feel much more part of the WCF and more committed to ensure it succeeds.

The CA believes the Presidency of the WCF should rotate on a regular basis. A major role of the President should be to chair the WCF Management Committee to ensure its overall effectiveness. The President should be in position for a maximum length of 30 months but could if desired hold the post for one year only.

The Croquet Association strongly recommends that national bodies never mandate their nominees on the WCF Management Committee. Committee members should be quite free to vote as they wish and in this way we believe they will very quickly become a cohesive committee, intent on moving international croquet forward in a very positive way

Quiller Barrett Chairman, Management Committee
David Openshaw Chairman, International Committee

Robert Fulford began the defence of his World title with a win this
weekend in the UK's first championship of the season, the Winchester
One-Ball Championship. After effortless wins in the first two rounds,
he struggled in the difficult, fast conditions (!) to beat Roger
Jenkins in the semi-final, only winning the third game of the
best-of-three match by pulling a seven-point break out of the hat.

Lionel Tibble, previous one-ball champion, looked a likely winner of
the final. Though losing a prolonged tactical battle in the first, he
finished the second game with a superbly controlled 9-point break and
took a good lead in the third. However, Robert hit in and finished
with his own 9-point finale.

Saturday's handicap event was won by Robert Pennant-Jones (7/9) and
six players, with handicaps ranging from -1 to +24, tied for second.

Watch out for a write-up and pictures in this Thursday's 'Country
Life' magazine.

Kevin Carter; 22.4.01

Following her victory in the Australian Open Championship final over Bruce Fleming, Helene Thurston has now moved into the World top 20.
Her provisional grade is 2499 which puts her into 19th place.

Helene's grade is now above Debbie Cornelius's current grade of 2481.
Debbie has not played for two years, but is rumoured to have entered
this year's World Championship.

Helene's victory is the first by a woman player in one of the major Open
Championships of the world since Mrs V Crane won the Australian Open in
1974. Jean Jarden won the New Zealand Open in 1966 and Hope Rotherham
won the Open Championship in 1960.

The top 3 Aussies are

Grade (Index)
Trevor Bassett 2576 (2500)
Bruce Fleming 2523 (2599)
Helene Thurston 2499 (2579)

For further information see Chris William's website at

http://www.butedock.demon.co.uk/records/australia/index.htm

or at

http://www.sport.net.au/croquetwest/