Cornwall Croquet Club

Newsletter No 25 -  July 2004

Chairman's Personal Notes

I took part in the Plymouth Weekend Tournament on the 12 th and 13 th June together with Nigel Grant. Nigel is a new arrival, lives in the Holmbush area of St Austell and plays off a handicap of 16. Having become a temporary member of Plymouth CC and paid his entry fee, he was accepted into the tournament and duly returned their generosity by reaching the final and then having the grace to lose. Well done, Nigel. As far as I was concerned, I found my new handicap of 7 too much of a problem, giving away 38 bisques in four games and being knocked out in the second round.

Porthpean

The lawns at Porthpean have been steadily improving since the rainy weather returned. Quite a large part of Lawn 1 is grassing over and looking very promising.

The green-keeper, John, has now cut it quite short with a cylinder mower and I could very well mark out a 30 by 24 yard court which would be a little bumpy but playable. Unfortunately it is rather pointless at the moment as we do not have any hoops. The best prospect for Lawn 2 remains at late Spring, 2005.

The hut - such a unpromising name; can we call it "The Pavilion"? - is now virtually complete, fully erected, water-proof and two coats of dark green paint. The window and door frames need a second coat of "dark oak" preservative paint. I am trying slowly to fit out the interior and thinking how to improve the security.

We now have 10 white plastic chairs .

I have also obtained quotations for two large signs, one for the side of the hut and one for the roadway entrance (see your printed newsletter for details) - not cheap but they are designed to draw attention. We will need other bits and pieces as mentioned in the last newsletter and which I hope some members are getting quietly on with.  

Disappointment

We have not yet received the grant that we have applied for from the Croquet Association. We were told we would hear by the end of May but five weeks later we were informed that a full Business Plan is required. By the time you receive this, it will have been forwarded to the Chairman of the Development Committee. We have to keep our fingers crossed as, without it, we have insufficient equipment to run.

Club Finance

Once we start to play on our lawn(s), we have to institute the full subscription. This has been set at £80 for a full year, with reductions for country members, youngsters and so on. Of that sum, it has been agreed with Howard Rosevear that we keep a proprtion, the rest going to him to recompense him for the costs of establishing the lawns and to cover also their maintenance.

However Howard has generously stated that he will not expect any contribution from the Club for his costs and for "rent" until both courts are in reasonable condition.

Personal

Rosemary Bradshaw and I (and my wife, Pam, but not as a player) went on the Florida trip in February and some of you may have read the report in the Gazette. It was a really enjoyable trip, the US Croquet Centre being beyond possible expectation. The mixture of people was interesting and Florida an agreeable contrast weather-wise to that in an English February. The travel agents really tried to ensure that everyone enjoyed themselves and I unhesitatingly recommend the trip to anyone with a handicap of 18 or better. I see they are next year also organising a trip to New Zealand incorporating croquet as well as tours. Worth a thought!

Fowey Croquet Club

This club, operating in difficult circumstances, using part of the local school's playing field, has achieved amazing things in recruiting and in setting up an interesting programme of events. It provides me with quite a lesson in what can be achieved with a centrally organised membership of which a number of members have volunteered for the boring tasks of making the club work. My immediate reaction on receiving their latest programme is "Thank you, Tim and Ian. We really wouldn't be much without you".

Anyone who feels like organising a coffee morning, a small croquet tournament, a barbecue or any other form of entertain-ment, please let me know.

Tri-Fold Brochure

We have produced a tri-fold brochure, the cover of which is displayed below. This is printed on A4 and is intended for general publicity, i.e. distribution to schools, libraries, information kiosks, etc. I am getting quotations in St Austell for printing 200 copies. Anyone who has a favourite printer and can better me, please let me know.