Club

Croquet

Wrest Park

Beds & Herts League

11 April     v St Albans/Meldreth (home)     Won 5-1

Bryan Harral (1) and David Morris (20) beat Terry Mahoney (3½) and Bob Brashaw (12) +1T

George Collin (1½) and Ray Pearcy (14) beat Chris van Essen (3½) and Robert Skeen (9) +7

Bryan Harral (1)  beat Chris van Essen (3½)  +2T

George Collin (1½) lost to Terry Mahoney (3½)  -7

Ray Pearcy (14) beat Robert Skeen (9) +1T

David Morris (20) beat Bob Brashaw (12) +11

Report by Bryan Harral

Wrest Park started off the 2010 season where we left off last year, with a win over a combined team from St Albans and Meldreth – now christened St Aldreth! Although convincing in terms of games won, several were a bit too close for comfort. Yours truly will not be forgetting the pegging-out laws which saved us from certain defeat in the doubles. Near time Terry pegged out his ball having peeled me through rover putting them one ahead – or so he thought.

Reference to the laws to see if I could peg myself out reveals that Terry‘s move is illegal, so ball replaced and we are level when time is called. Red and blue are for 4-back and it’s golden hoop time. Red (Bob) blobs 4-back, blue (David) is four feet away to the side, he can only see one inch of blue. David plays a superb shot and nicks red. Croquet stroke: roll both balls back through the hoop. Red goes, blue sticks. Continuation shot: move blue two inches into rush peel position. What does he do, he moves blue ten inches, we must be doomed.

But no, Bob rushes blue into the jaws, then gets into the same tangle that David was in two minutes earlier and we are back in again. This time David makes no mistake, takes the hoop and we have won. 2 – 0 at lunch.

In the afternoon David rediscovers his form and wins comfortably. Ray, on the other hand, says he is playing badly but goes on to win by one on time. Meanwhile I snatch a narrow victory in my last turn. It was the first time most of us had lifted a mallet this year so not a bad result.


© Wrest Park Croquet Club