Club

Croquet

Wrest Park

Eastern Championship 27-28 July

Manager David Maugham had the difficult task of coming up with a format that fulfilled CqE’s conditions for a Championship event, with 11 players sharing four lawns and just two days available. There were four preliminary blocks, from which would come two semi-finals and final all played as best of three.

As it turned out the semi-final between Debbie Lines and Gabrielle Higgins went the distance and the final between Debbie and David Maugham didn’t start until mid-afternoon. When it reached one game all at around 8pm it was agreed that the decider would be played when they are both at the Northern Championship at Bowdon at the end of August.

Debbie and David head to head in the final.

Blocks

David Maugham (-2½) 2 wins

Clive Goode (-½) 1

Bryan Harral (-1) 0


Gabrielle Higgins (-2) 2 wins

Neil Adams (-1) 0


Debbie Lines (-2) 2 wins

Nick Steiner (0) 1

David Openshaw (-1½) 0


Ian Lines (-1½) 2 wins

Joel Taylor (-2) 1

Stephen Cornelius (6) 0


Semi-finals

David Maugham beat Ian Lines +24, +23TP

Debbie Lines beat Gabrielle Higgins +20TP, -5, +18


Final

David Maugham v Debbie Lines 1-1 (scores not recorded)


Plate K/O

Joel Taylor beat Nick Steiner +11t

Neil Adams beat Bryan Harral +15


Joel Taylor beat Neil Adams +20TP


There was a welcome return by David Openshaw, a runner-up in our July tournament in 1976, the first open weekend tournament to appear in the CA calendar. David was a regular visitor for over twenty years and won the July tournament five times between 1981 and 1999; this in addition to more notable achievements such as his successful captaincy of several MacRobertson Shield teams. During the tea interval he talked to the Wrest Park members present (plus Tom Anderson) and donated some wooden shields - tournament trophies made and painted by Harry Green. Later on he gave Peter Rothwell an informal coaching session.

Weather: hot and sunny. Many thanks to George Collin and the rest of the team who put in a long shift on Friday to mow and move the lawns, mark the lines and set the hoops, and to David Woolley and John Bevington for catering duties.

David Openshaw holds up one of Harry Green’s shields. Clockwise from left: Bryan Harral, Tom Anderson, Stephen Cornelius, George Collin, Peter Rothwell and David Marsh.

Peter Rothwell getting advice from David Openshaw.

David Maugham in play during the last game of the day, watched by (l-r) Joel Taylor, Debbie Lines, Ian Lines, Stephen Cornelius, Peter Rothwell, David Openshaw and George Collin

© Wrest Park Croquet Club