Match Report
SWF Golf Croquet League v Dowlish Wake
Tue 24 Jun 2008
(played at Dowlish Wake)
A team of six, Pam & Ron George, Elizabeth & Paul Schofield and Barry & David Edwards, from Cornwall visited Dowlish Wake, a pretty village near Ilminster.
The venue provided a new challenge for the Cornwall players - croquet lawns are usually laid to be as flat as possible. Their three lawns are on a playing field which has a very definite slope. Cross-slope shots had to be aimed off up-slope by feet, or in some cases yards, from the intended aiming point. Downslope, a gentle tap could over-run very easily, and upslope, the strength of a blacksmith would have been useful!
Not surprisingly, the Cornwall players' efforts to master the unusual conditions met with varying success, but they took some comfort from watching the home side also having problems! Also, as might be expected, there were a number of miracle (or fluke) shots which benefited both teams.
At lunch, the match was still wide open, with Dowlish Wake leading by one point, 6-5.
The afternoon session finally went Dowlish Wake's way, although with very close finishes to couple of games. The tally in the afternoon was Dowlish Wake 5.5, Cornwall 3.5, leaving a victory for the home side by 11.5 to 8.5 points.
Final Score: Dowlish Wake 5.5 Cornwall 3.5