Cornwall Croquet Club
Match Report
Mon 18 May 2015 - SWF Golf Croquet Level Play (Played at Cornwall CC)
Cornwall v East Dorset
On May 18th, Cornwall played their second league match of the season, against East Dorset. Gale force winds and occasional rain greeted those setting out the lawns, but apart from one vicious shower during the first set of doubles, the rest of the day remained dry. However, the very strong winds persisted, making things quite difficult, as players were buffeted by gusts while trying to aim and play, and the wind very definitely affected the run of the balls.
Play started with the four doubles, played single banked. In the first matches, Cornwall managed a win, and a very narrow defeat, but the other two doubles went to East Dorset. The four singles before lunch were also won by East Dorset three games to one, leaving the visitors with a 6-2 lead at the break. In the afternoon singles, Cornwall fought back well, with some good wins, and in that session, honours were even at six all. Of the twenty games played, seven were won by the narrowest margin of one hoop. Only one game went to time.
Although Cornwall lost the match, the team were encouraged by this result, played against a strong side with mostly lower handicaps. A possibly critical factor was E. Dorset’s ability to play reliable jump shots, a skill in which Cornwall were mostly nothing like so adept.
The teams were: Cornwall: David Edwards (3); Stephen Read (3); Rhona Foster (5);
Kathryn Smith (5), Ron George (5), Tony Backhouse (5).
East Dorset: Tom Weston (0); David Kendrick (3), John Speigal (4):
Terry Mathews (3); Sue Mathews (7)
Final Score: Cornwall 8 East Dorset 12
Report by David Edwards.