Mary Rose 2019

v Bristol (home)     2 June     won 4-3

George Collin (1½) & John Bevington (1) lost to Martin Leach (½) & Wayne Wiseman (½) -2(t)

Nick Evans (1½) lost to Eric Soakell (3) -24

Tim Brewer (2½) beat Richard Williamson (3½) +20

George Collin lost to Martin Leach -6

John Bevington beat Wayne Wiseman +5(t)

Nick Evans beat Richard Williamson +5

Tim Brewer beat Eric Soakell +16

The match got under way at 10am, Bristol having travelled over from an overnight stay in Hitchin. The weather was fine and warm but breezy. Three and a half hour time limits were agreed. The lawns were parched and it was sometimes hard to judge the pace. Lawn 3, on which the doubles and top two singles were played, is less even than the others causing vertical take-offs and unexpected swerves to either side. This led to some cautious play as it was important to retain the innings.

In the doubles John got to 4-back, followed by Martin, but play got bogged down with George only making hoop 1 after nearly two hours. It remained quite close till near the end when a late surge saw Bristol take the win. The singles were divided so Bristol were 2-1 up at lunch, taken at around 2pm and provided by Bryan Harral, Wrest Park’s non-playing captain.

Tim then won again, and with Nick beating Richard and Martin winning against George the match stood at three all. John was behind but had made up ground when he played the wrong ball in a take-off after making 2-back, handing Wayne all the balls. Wayne, with one ball on 4-back, accepted the gift and had established a five point lead when he made to run 2-back with control off John’s backward ball but just failed to get through. John hit and went from hoop 4 to the peg (with time being called during the turn) and pegged out, leaving partner on the east boundary and Wayne wired across the peg. Wayne lifted the 2-back ball and missed.

© Wrest Park Croquet Club  

v Woking (away)     25 August     lost 2-5

George Collin in play during the final stages of his game against Alan Edwards, watched by spectators in the shade. The tennis courts are behind the hedge.

John Bevington (1) and George Collin (1½) beat Andrew Dutton (½) and Alan Edwards (½) +16

Nick Evans (1½) lost to Ian Anderson (2½) -26

David Woolley (8) lost to Nick Harvey (1) -19

John Bevington beat Andrew Dutton +16

George Collin lost to Alan Edwards -3

Nick Evans lost to Nick Harvey -22TP

David Woolley lost to Ian Anderson -24

Spare a thought for Nick Evans. Having driven from Northampton to Woking, with stops at Newport Pagnell, Milton Keynes and Luton followed by queues on the M25, he never took croquet in his first game and lost to a triple peel in the second before having to drive us all home again. All this in temperatures of over 30°C.

Woking’s two lawns are a pleasure to play on: fast and true. John and George established and held on to a substantial lead in the doubles, but David’s loss had us 2-1 down at lunch. In the afternoon David and Nick’s games were over relatively quickly, which, with the match lost, left John and George playing for honour. After John won the crowd were treated to a 3-ball ending after George had pegged Alan out. Alan had already claimed the shot of the day when he missed his roquet after 1-back but ran 2-back with enough control to get a rush into the lawn off the now redundant pioneer. The game ended with cheers and applause when Alan hit the peg on his first attempt from the middle of the east boundary.

Club

Croquet

Wrest Park