Club

Croquet

Wrest Park

Inter Club Championship

19 June    v Sussex County (home)    Lost 2-5

Rod Ashwell (-½) and Howard Bottomley (0) lost to Rutger Beijerderwellen (-2) and Jack Davies (-1) -13

George Collin (1) beat Paul Castell (-1) +25

John Bevington (1½) beat Alan Cottle (0) +23

 Rod Ashwell (-½) lost to Rutger Beijerderwellen (-2) -26TP

 Howard Bottomley (0) lost to Jack Davies (-1) -16

 George Collin (1) lost to Alan Cottle (0) -5

 John Bevington (1½) lost to Paul Castell (-1) -3

Report by John Bevington

The Sussex team turned up at 10am and after coffee we made a start. Weather cool and cloudy with a fresh north wind; conditions which persisted throughout the day. John and George got off to a flying start, with their opponents underhitting (Alan) or feeling the cold (Paul). Paul’s solitary point was due to a peel by George. The doubles took an unexpected turn when Rutger went to 4-back himself, and later to the peg. Rod went round and pegged him out, but Jack hit in and finished with the help of a good stop shot approach to 2-back from near the first corner.

Howard provided a good lunch, which must have put new heart into our opponents. Rutger was the first to finish with a TP and Jack then beat Howard to put Sussex ahead. George and John were still in contention, and George pegged Alan out but a little later he hit in to win the game and the match. John and Paul played out a scrappy game in which John managed to evade a perfect cross wire by using local knowledge and the slope around hoop 2 on lawn 1, and later Paul, having just run rover, attempted to peg out through the hoop and ended up in baulk with a lift due.

An enjoyable day, a pity about the result.