Golf Croquet report
Thu Aug 11, 2005 - GOLF CROQUET CLUB AFTERNOON
Six of Cornwall Croquet Club’s members led the way on Thursday afternoon at one of the Club’s new Golf Croquet Club Afternoons. Although the sport is generally played by two or four players, the six decided to embrace the competitive spirit and play a three way doubles match.
Three of the six were beginners and were each paired with a more experienced player. Confirming croquet’s reputation (mostly undeserved) as a vicious game, if the players couldn’t run a hoop, they knocked their opponents’ balls out of the way to ensure they couldn’t either! As each hoop was scored by one of the teams, the pairings turned out to be well matched, none making a decisive break in the early stages.
As the match continued, Rosemary Bradshaw and Jacquie Webber put their initial nervousness behind them to catch the early leaders, Club President Howard Rosevear and his partner Barry Edwards.
Meanwhile, the third pairing of Penny Rowe and Nigel Grant was quietly accumulating points, although Penny was not best pleased with her partner for twice peeling an opponent’s ball through hoops and scoring points for the opposition!
All the pairs approached the twelfth and final hoop with a chance of at least taking the match to a Golden Hoop tie break! Cleverly, Barry Edwards placed her black ball in the hoop – not quite through but blocking the others. Only a hard shot from behind the hoop could dislodge the ball back whence it came, but there was none there! In a rare example of competitive fraternity, Nigel Grant tried a clever shot with his white to position Rosemary’s red ball just there but only succeeded in wiring red. Black duly made the hoop and the Rosevear/Edwards partnership celebrated with a jig round the lawn!
Picture by Rosemary Bradshaw.
L to R:- Howard Rosevear, Jacquie webber, Barrie Edwards, Nigel Grant, Penny
Rowe.