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League Champions 2007:
Advanced: Bowdon Canons
Handicap: Chester
Midweek: Bury
Short: Bury
Golf: Pendle & Craven

Go to all League Results 2007

NW Fed Club Championship 2007:
Bowdon

Fylde Veni, Vidi, Vici in Longman Cup (they won it!)
The weekend had arrived, the Fylde team drove south on Friday and rolled into Wrest Park ready for the Longman Cup finals. The cup accompanied us, as Pendle (the current holders) had asked us to return it. We had opted to stay at the Cranfield University conference centre with the hopes of graduating to better success for the club. Like all good students, we retired to the pub to plan tactics for the next day and enjoy the excellent food and beer. We tried to ignore the ill-omens when the cream sank like a stone in the Irish Coffee. Saturday dawned, a heavy dew on the lawns but dry and bright. The setting was magnificent between the mansion house and the ornamental lake surrounded by a tree and statue lined avenue. The opponents were Woking and Fylde kept to the winning formula of the quarter finals, Leonard and Betty playing the doubles, Terry and Martin playing the singles. Martin was again looking to inspire us with his team talk (“Go and win”) and his now infamous knee-length white socks. The games started and Fylde made good progress in the singles, and after a balanced morning's play, Martin and Terry secured wins. The doubles match was evenly balanced to the end but Woking secured their first win of the day to leave the score 2 – 1 to Fylde at lunch. A pleasant lunch was taken in the sunshine with the members of the Dyffryn team who were 3 – 0 down to Norwich in the other semi –final and were hoping for a serious upturn in their fortunes for the afternoon. The afternoon session started on a new set of lawns. Martin and Terry were warned by the locals of the infamous slope on the lawn. One look and they both thought “ If you think that is a slope, you need to play on northern lawns, where slopes are real slopes!” Both Martin and Terry quickly found their rhythm and dominated their games.

Terry finished with a flourish, scoring a rover peel and using his last bisque to set up the peg out. Martin scored an equally convincing win over his opponent. 4 – 2 to Fylde and the match was won. On the other lawn, Betty was playing well and won her game to make the score 5 – 2, Leonard being unable to match his opponent at the end of his game. We retired to our rooms and found the perfect way to prepare for the following day's final, a champagne dinner to help Liz and Peter celebrate Pendle's victory in the Mary Rose competition (Well done to them). An early night and a hearty breakfast saw us back for the final. Dyffryn had reversed their fortunes and beaten Norwich 4- 3 and were our opponents in the final. Conditions were similar to Saturday but players on both sides struggled to get fluency in their play. Martin suddenly sparked and went on to win his game + 20, a true captain's performance. Terry's game was close but eventually was won by his opponent. In the doubles, Betty and Leonard were battling to get in to a winning position but eventually succumbed. Lunch and we were 2 – 1 down. In the afternoon, Martin put on a superb demonstration of controlled croquet. He won his match very quickly, his opponent only have a handful of shots and an absolute minimum amount of time on the lawn. His opponent was a native of Wigan, prompting thoughts that Martin should be given a new nickname of “Martin Onfire”. Terry took inspiration, found his form again and dispatched his opponent well within time. The score was now 3 – 2 to Fylde and we needed Betty or Leonard to win. With 40 minutes to go they were both in the lead but only by a handful of hoops. Then, sudden drama in Leonard's game. There was suspicion that his opponent had not recognised that he had made an error and continued, running further hoops. A spectator referee interfered, the tournament director was called, he consulted the chairman of the CA and there was commotion for 10 minutes before a ruling was given and play continued. Betty was still in play on the same lawn and managed to ignore the discussion and was able to hold on to her lead. 30 minutes left and the tension was mounting.

Then the timer went, Betty had won and the Longman Cup was Fylde's. Five minutes later Leonard completed a magnificent afternoon by winning his game. A proud moment for all the Fylde members privileged to be playing and spectating. A long drive home followed but time passed quickly, knowing that it had been an historic day for Fylde and that the Longman Cup was returning to the Northwest and the Fylde coast with us. So, with slight apologies to Julius Caesar...

We came, we saw, we conquered, ..... And we were proud.

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Bowdon Runners Up in Inter Club (07/10/07)
Bowdon will have to settle for runners-up spot in this year's Inter-Club competition after losing 6-1 to Bristol at Wrest Park on Sunday. The only win was Ian Lines and Colin Irwin beating David Goacher and Roger Jenkins in the doubles to be 2-1 down at lunch. However, all four singles matches were lost in the afternoon.

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Paul Rigge won the Bury Advanced Weekend by Geoff Young (25/09/07)
Bury Croquet Club's first two-day advanced tournament was run at Heaton Park on the 22-23 September 2007. In very pleasant weather twelve contestants took part in a knockout with subsidiary weighted Egyptian. Time limits were imposed only on the latter. The winner was Paul Rigge, of Bury, who beat Southport's Bob Burnett in a best-of-three final +3 +17. In the first game he went for a TP but was perhaps unlucky that the rover peel was only half successful, the striker's ball overrunning into the wire. Bob then went round and pegged out Y, with K for 1, and almost held out in the two-against-one. In the second game Paul eschewed peeling and got a steady win. He also secured a handicap reduction to scratch. The Egyptian was won by James Hopgood of Meadows.

Round 1: J Hopgood bt Sylvia Steer +18 TP; Richard Griffiths bt Peter Wilson +20; P Rigge bt Liz Wilson +4; Ray Lowe bt Michael Steer +11.
Round 2: Winn bt Hopgood + 17TP; Burnett bt Griffiths +17; Rigge bt Pidcock +17; Lowe bt Barrett +6.
Round 3: Burnett bt Winn +24TP; Rigge bt Lowe +4.
Final: Rigge bt Burnett +3 +17.

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Pennine Cup retained by West 5-4 over East by Charles Waterfield (24/09/07)
This year's cross-Pennine challenge, contested by a team drawn from the North West against the combined Croquet North & Yorkshire Federations, took place at Pendle & Craven on Sun 23 rd Sept. Many thanks are owed to this club (in particular Abdul Ahmed) for hosting the event and laying on excellent food! The 3-lawn match format mixes advanced doubles and singles, with three handicap singles.

The results (NW names first) were:
Ken Cooper & Robin Delves beat Andy Davies & Alice Fleck +3t
James Hawkins & Tony Thomas lost to Charles Waterfield & Roger Staples -24
Roger Schofield & Tony Phillips beat Phil Errington & Derek Knight +13
Advanced Singles:
Ken Cooper (-1) lost to Andy Davies (-1) -26tp
James Hawkins (0) lost to Charles Waterfield (1/2) -17
Roger Schofield (3) lost to Phil Errington (3) -12
Handicap Singles:
Tony Phillips (7) beat Derek Knight (7) +20
Tony Thomas (8) beat Roger Staples (8) +8
Robin Delves (11) beat Alice Fleck (9) +15

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Ian Lines Wins Southport Sept Advanced Weekend by Ian Lines (17/09/07)
15 players gathered at Southport in glorious warm sunshine on Saturday morning to compete for the Sandiford Salver. The format was a simple knockout with a consolation flexible Swiss event - all with no initial time limits.
There were few surprises in the early rounds on Saturday, although Gordon Hopewell had a good win over Charlie Askew. The lawns didn't look too difficult, playing at about 10 to 11 seconds, with reasonably tight hoops which weren't too difficult in the soft Southport soil. However, there were a few fast patches and the odd slope near some hoops, which perhaps explains why most games took over 3 hours, despite 9 of the 15 players having handicaps of 0.5 or better.
As the sun set on Saturday, Ian Lines was 1-0 up in a best of 3 semi-final against Alan Pidcock, and Richard White was pegged down in a scrappy first game against Dean Bennison in the other semi, with Ian wondering about the need for imposing time limits and his best laid plans for a best of 3 final.
On Sunday morning, Alan gave Ian a scare before allowing him to win +5, whilst Richard and Dean continued their long battle, until Richard eventually won +3. Richard managed to finish the next game +17 shortly after lunch, by which time the hopes of a best of 3 final had vanished.
Most of the games over the weekend must have had at least 50 turns - or maybe it just seemed that way. The final was (a little) better...
The Consolation Swiss was won with 3/4 wins by Tom Weston, who also earned a handicap reduction from 1.5 to 1. Also of note was Peter Dorke's ftp, just missing the 5 yard pegout, and Mike Sandler ending his streak of 13 consecutive losses.
Many thanks to all those who provided the excellent Southport catering, and to Keith Roberts and Ray Lowe for setting the hoops so well.

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Pendle reach Final of Mary Rose Competition by Peter Wilson (17/09/07)
Robert Essler (2) & Peter Wilson (2.5) paired up in the morning doubles against David Walters (1) & Alan Mayne (2). The game was a dour tactical battle with very few chances to get going although the quality of the hitting in was very high. In the singles Pendle's captain, John Filsak (2.5) beat Lorna Frost (4.5) but Liz Wilson (3) lost to John Wastell (3). By this point David and Robert had got to 4 back but Peter and Alan had hardly started so the game was pegged down and lunch taken with the game score at 1 -1.

After lunch both teams were chasing the magic four games to win. Pendle added to their score when John Filsak beat John Wastell but Robert lost to David. The score was now 2 -2.  Peter then beat Alan leaving just Liz in play in a very tight game with Lorna. Liz's nerve held and as she pegged out there was a lawn invasion as her team mates ran on to congratulate her and each other. The doubles game remained unfinished.  Final score 4 -2.

Pendle would like to thank Bowdon for their hospitality and sportsmanship throughout the day. We will be trying to bring the Mary Rose back to the North West.

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Fylde reach Final of Longman Cup by Liz Wilson (10/09/07)
Fylde played Ashby at home on Sunday 9th September for a place in the finals weekend at Wrest Park. The Fylde team were Martin Bradshaw (12), Terry Vernazza (18), Leonard Ainsworth (18) and Betty Bates (24). Ashby's team arrived in good time and comprised Tim King (4.5), Derek Buxton (10), Mick Haytack (10) and Jeremy Staley (10). The bisques were definitely to Fylde's advantage!.

In the morning Leonard and Betty paired up for the doubles match against Derek and Jeremy. This they won +2. Terry ran out of bisques too early against Tim who played an excellent game on our difficult lawns and won +6. Martin had a comparatively easy win against Mick +11. At lunch Fylde were 2 - 1 up and needed two of the afternoon games to win.

The afternoon games were played in handicap order. Terry won +10 against Mick taking quite a few attempts to run the final hoop. Betty could not find form and lost to Jeremy - 13. Leonard lost to Derek - 7. The final game between the two captains Martin and Tim was a tight affair which ran to time. Tim had trouble hitting in on our undulating lawns and Martin managed to keep him out of the game to win +4 on time. A 4-3 win to Fylde who now go through to Wrest Park on 6th and 7th October.

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All England Handicap North West Area Final by Peter Wilson (4/9/07)
16 players entered this 5-round Swiss tournament representing Bowdon, Southport, Huddersfield, Bury, Pendle, Woodhall Spa and Fylde on 1/2 September at Pendle. At the eleventh hour an injury prevented Ashby from sending a representative and a reserve from Southport was called in.

On Saturday short spells of sunshine broke through the cloudy gloom throughout the day. The lawns, now settling into their third year, played well. Bronze merit awards were achieved by Justin Brightmore from Bury and Francois Garcia from Bowdon. At the end of the third game Mel Foster and Robert Wilkinson had both won three games and so they met on Sunday morning.

Robert beat Mel and won a silver award in the process putting him as the only player on 4/4 however a group of four players were close on his heals with 3/4.

The final round saw several players in contention for the 3 places on offer in the Roehampton Final. The draw threw up a magnificent final round game - David Eckford from Woodhall Spa (the current holder) who got to peg and peg against Robert on 1 and 3. Robert got in and took a ball to peg and made a good leave. David missed and Robert was off again with another all round break and peg out to take the outright tournament win and trophy. Melanie Foster (Southport) and Andrew Webb (Pendle) won their respective games to take the remaining places.

Five players tied for fourth place. The reserve list in tie break order J. Dennis, J Guthrie, S Cooper, F Garcia (All Bowdon) and D Eckford (Woodhall Spa).

Ailsa Lines won the entire Bowdon Northern Week! by John Wastell (27/07/07)
At the Northern Week at Bowdon, Ailsa Lines won the 'A' Class event, the Advanced Doubles (with Richard Griffiths) and the Handicap Doubles (with John Saxby).
The 'B' Class winner was Alan Mayne and 'C' Class champion was Liz Webb.
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Mary Rose - Pendle & Craven beat Nottingham 4-3 by Liz Wilson (17/07/07)
Pendle's team of Robert Essler (2), Peter Wilson (3), Liz Wilson (3) and Abdul Ahmad (6) started the match as underdogs against the Nottingham Team of Dean Bennison (1), Lawrence Whittaker (1.5), William Gee (1.5) & Martin Beacon (3.5). The morning's weather was unusually pleasant and warm. Liz's match against Martin was very close but Liz pulled it back at the end and won +2. In the other singles game Abdul had to take on the hard hitting youngster William Gee (16 years old) Abdul decided the only way to win against such tough opposition was to get in there, go for it and impress and this he did forcing errors out of William which he managed to capitalise on. Abdul came out the eventual winner +5 - a remarkable result. The doubles game finished a very respectable +17 to Pendle against superior opposition in which Robert's excellent hitting in was very important. Pendle went into the afternoon's games 3-0 up.

The afternoon saw a big change of fortunes. Liz Wilson lost -26 in 40 minutes to William Gee and it looked like all the other three games were going badly too. Fortunately Abdul continued to play doggedly and came out +6 winner over Martin. The score now stood at 4-1 and this gave Pendle the match. This was a great relief to the two games on the other lawn. Peter lost - 23 to Lawrence and the final game, which could have gone either way) was eventually won for Nottingham by Dean +4. Man of the match was undoubtedly Abdul Ahmad.

Pendle now go on to play Bowdon in the Semi-final.

Results:
Robert Essler and Peter Wilson vs Dean Bennison and Lawrence Whittaker +17 to Pendle; Liz Wilson vs Martin Beacon +2 Pendle; Abdul Ahmad vs William Gee +6 Pendle; Robert Essler vs Dean Bennison +4 Nottingham; Peter Wilson vs Lawrence Whittaker +23 Nottingham; Liz Wilson vs William Gee +26 Nottingham; Abdul Ahmad vs Martin Beacon +6 Pendle
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Mary Rose - Bowdon beat Colchester 4-3 by Andrew Winn (04/07/07)
Bowdon met Colchester on the neutral territory of Wrest Park on Wednesday 4th July. Despite the recent rains the lawns were not overly damp, but were on the slow side of medium paced. Ominous dark clouds passed by occasionally, the out players seeking shelter under some of the fine mature oak trees during brief but heavy downpours, whilst debating whether the chicks in a nearby nest were kestrels or sparrow hawks.

Bowdon: Andrew Winn (capt) 0.5 (scraping in on a technicality!); David Walters 1.5; Mike Sandler 3; Sylvia Steer 4.5.
Colchester: Terry Mahoney 2; Ken Pickett 2.5; Colin Hemming (capt) 3.5; George Woolhouse 4.

Results, (Bowdon players first):
Andrew & David beat Terry & Ken +12; Sylvia lost to Colin -24; Mike lost to George -6, after 4 hours 15 minutes of hacking around and blobbed hoops; Andrew beat Terry +9; David beat Ken +16; Mike beat Colin +13; Sylvia lost to George -18; Mike Sandler sealed the victory with a final turn from hoop 2 with forward ball already on peg.
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Bowdon NW Fed Champion Club for 2007 (02/07/07) by Peter Wilson

BOWDON is the 2007 Championship winner! Southport & Birkdale is runner up and Bury was placed 3rd.

Bowdon won both the Short Croquet and Golf Croquet shields (only losing one match - to Southport in the Short event). Fylde won the Handicap Shield being undefeated in this section. Bury, Chester, and Culcheth clubs were also represented. This year Pendle & Craven, Llanfairfechan and the I.O.M.did not enter.

As far as I know, there is nothing else like this event on the croquet calendar. Teams from clubs all over the area battle for five trophies in four disciplines over two days on six full and six half lawns.

Many clubs use the event to give their newer rising stars a first taste of competition and for those players the wonderful sight of Southport CC full to the brim is something they always remember. But the event also allows many of the established players to get together over a weekend and promotes a sense of unity amongst the clubs in the Northwest.

Nevertheless for each club it is not always easy to get teams together and so congratulations to Mike Steer and his teams from Bowdon for not only doing so but actually playing very well in the difficult conditions.

Did I mention the Weather?

Prior to this weekend the whole country had been swamped by endless rain causing many towns to be flooded for days on end. Severe weather warnings were given for the Northwest but on Saturday the lawns were good and the tournament was on with over 30 games played..

Rain fell constantly and everyone needed their waterproofs on. This rather reduced the effect of having team colours for the first time but there were many special touches to be seen here and there. A special mention to Bowdon for their Orangeness and to Sylvia Steer for the shoelaces!

Only towards the end of Saturday did the lawns begin to puddle. During the night the rain just got worse and in the morning it was clear that play would not be possible. (A lucky escape for Dave Nick, scheduled to play Advanced Doubles in pink). Although the second day was abandoned, the schedule of play from Saturady enabled Keith Roberts, the tournament manager, to produce results in all events except the Advanced Doubles.

( The Advanced was scheduled as all play all over two days; 3 Saturday, 2 Sunday, unlike the Golf, Short and Handicap events which were all play all on each day. As Sunday's play was cancelled it was not possible to determine a winner as some teams had only played one game relevant to the Championship (games vs Manager's Select don't count).

With no play on the Sunday, trophies were left unpresented and will be formally awarded at the NW Fed Annual Meeting in November at Culcheth.
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Fylde beat Tyneside in Longman Cup (28/06/07) by Liz Wilson
The morning was bright and sunny and the lawns had been mowed early on the same day. Our team was Lee, new member Abdul Ahmad, Betty and Ken. The morning session comprised of one doubles (Abdul and Ken – played David Turner and Nora Burbridge) and two singles matches. The morning singles finished quickly with Lee beating Sheila Watts +26 in one hour and Betty loosing to Jacob Carr a short time later. The doubles went to time with Abdul nursing Ken round to finish +9 giving Fylde a 2 -1 lead at lunch. The Fylde lawns were proving difficult for the two Gordie ladies who struggled to hit the length of the lawn. During lunch the rain set in and made conditions difficult, particularly for the visiting team's ladies. After lunch Lee beat David Turner +13 in a game that could have gone either way and soon after Jacob came home a + 13 winner against Ken Harper. The last two games became quite exciting as they were both very close and could go either way. Betty dug deep and produced a fine +7 win over a weary and despondent Nora. The final game was finally won by Abdul +8.
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Pendle knocked out of Secretary's Shield (21/06/07) by Barbara Dutton
The Secretary's Shield is a national knock out competition, played between teams who came top in their own leagues last year.  Pendle & Craven's opposition were a team from Kingston Langley, Wiltshire, who travelled up on Tuesday and stayed locally. Pendle lost all three games in the morning a doubles and two singles. In the afternoon John Filsak and Abdul Ahmad won their singles so the final result was a loss to Pendle by 5 to 2.
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Ian Line takes Pendle Advanced Trophy (10/06/07) by Ian Lines
14 players gathered in glorious sunshine at the newly established Pendle and Craven Croquet club, in the hills north of Manchester, to compete for the David Openshaw Trophy. The revelation of the weekend was the astonishing improvement in the quality of the lawns (5 lawns - 1 currently being rested). At the beginning of last year it was almost impossible to play a 4 ball break (as David Maugham will testify), but this weekend all the lawns would have to be described as very easy. The lawns are relatively flat and evenly paced (guessing 9 Plummers), and although there are still some patches of clover, I don't recall anyone this weekend claiming that they were ever robbed by the lawn. It was generally agreed that the lawns are significantly better than Southport, and were probably about as easy as lawns 9 and 10 at Cheltenham.

The field included 3 minus players: Ian Lines (-2), Dave Nick (-1.5) and Bob Burnett (-1), who all decided that the lawns were so improved that peels were de rigueur. Bob had 1 TP, Dave had 2 TPs, a TPO and a quad, and Ian had 6 TPs in 9 games. Dave also had the first 4 peels of an SXP, just failing 3 back trying to get a forward rush for the delayed double. James Hopgood (3) also came close to completing his first triple, just over-hitting the rush on peelee before the straight rover peel.

The tournament was run as a draw and process. Curiously, only Ian and Bob were seeded, and the process half had to be redrawn once it was realised that Ian and Dave were meeting in the semis of both draw and process. There was some debate on the best way to seed such a draw and process - perhaps someone can advise?

The most interesting game was probably the semi-final of the draw half between Dave and Ian. Ian went to 4 back 4th turn with a spread, Dave hit the peg ball from corner 1, and did an immaculate TPO. Ian rolled off 1 but failed miserably to roll out of corner 2. There was then some tactical play, during which Ian stole a few more hoops, until Dave did a 2 ball break round to 2 back. Dave then decided to peg out his forward ball, leaving him on 2 back v 4 (and with a more familiar tactical situation). Ian hit in and rolled off 4 from 20 yards, and did a 2 ball break to 4 back. Dave then lived up to his name and nicked a long shot (bouncing off 4 back first!). Dave made 2 back, Ian made 4 back taking position at penult, Dave failed 3 back into the jaws, Ian failed a 3 foot angled penult, bouncing to 2 inches dead in front (blunder - should have just jawsed it!), Dave finished +3tpo.

Dave then proceeded to beat Bob in the final of the draw half +26 in 35 minutes to win the Chris Hudson Trophy for the fastest game.

In the overall final, Ian went to 4 back 6th turn with a spread. Dave (again) hit the peg ball, but only got as far as hoop 2 with a good leave. Ian cornered and Dave went to 4 back with a failed MSL giving Ian a 9 yarder with the 4 back ball. Ian had a leave, Dave missed the 20 yarder and Ian had a standard TP. The only excitement was when Ian apparently blobbed penult with yellow from 6 inches - Dave jumped out of his chair, and was ever so slightly disappointed to find that yellow was firmly wedged, so Ian had a simple replay to win +17tp.

The hoops were originally set on Saturday to about 1/16", but as it was realised how easy the lawns were, these were tightened on Sunday to 1/32". However, playing with Barlow GTs in the heat, this inevitably led to half a dozen occasions when balls jammed. There was some debate as to whether a player always has the option of a replay if any ball jams in any hoop (e.g. on a croquet stroke inadvertently jam oppo in a random hoop and end up wired from everything). What happens if the striker's ball goes off lawn?

All the games were also part of a consolation Egyptian, the A-class (Chris Clarke Trophy) of which was won by Bob, and the B-class (Jeremy Dyer Trophy) by Ian Parkinson. Ian had qualified for the B-class final against Derek Watts by beating Liz Wilson in a tie breaking shoot out at the peg. This practice was obviously useful in the final as Ian had to hit the peg from 10 yards to beat Derek +1(t).

The ladies of Pendle & Craven again provided truly delicious lunches and teas - as always - and 16 of us enjoyed the tournament dinner at the Tempest Arms. Many thanks should also be recorded to Abdul Ahmad for all the work he put in mowing lawns, setting hoops and managing the whole event, and for the good natured way in which he coped with all the good humoured flak and banter to which he was subjected! In conclusion, it seems that Pendle & Craven has now established itself as an excellent tournament venue, and players are encouraged to take advantage of the first-class facilities. I understand there are still spaces available for the midweek 50+ tournament (17-20 July).

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More success for DM at Bowdon Advanced Weekend (05/06/07)
David Maugham won the Peterson Cup for the eighth time at the Bowdon Advanced weekend on 2/3 June 07. Picture (left) shows David Maugham being presented with the Peterson Cup by Club President Martin Granger Brown after beating Colin Irwin -17tp, -20, +26tp, +17tp, +10tpo last Sunday. Middle picture - Runner up Colin Irwin, Picture on right - Egyptian winner Ian Lines.

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The UK may have had a wet Whit weekend but Southport again hosted an excellent handicap tournament. It may have been a bit damp at times but this did not detract from the enjoyment of 24 players who attended this popular event. Manager Barry Keen expertly managed a Knock Out and a Swiss, keeping every lawn in play and only lost 40 minutes on one lawn over the three days.The catering was excellent ("the best ever seen at a Croquet tournament" - Barry Keen) and the lawns are showing improvement after the significant investment in previous months.Lee Hartley (Fylde) won the main trophy beating Brian Lewis (Southport) in the Knock Out Final. Alwen Bowker (Dyffryn) won the Swiss. All three players gaining handicap reductions.

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Last weekend Chester Croquet Club hosted the annual North West Millennium Handicap Tournament at Westminster Park. This was the second time that Chester has hosted the event. Thirteen players from five North West clubs, Bowdon, Bury, Chester, Fylde and Southport, took part in the competition. Each participant played three 3 hour full lawn matches on Saturday and two 3 hour matches on Sunday. After a grey, chilly and blustery start on Saturday morning the weather improved during the afternoon and evening and playing conditions on Sunday were ideal.

Three competitors won four out their five matches and the final result was determined on points. Justin Brightmore of Bury, playing off a handicap of 12, achieved first place and David Guyton of Chester, with a handicap of 14, came second. Barry Keen, Chairman of the North West Regional Federation of the Croquet Association, presented the awards at the end of the tournament. He complimented the winners and Chester Croquet Club for hosting the event and contrasted the pleasant conditions this year with the cancellation caused by heavy rain last year.

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Pendle B Trophy goes to Middlesborough by Barbarea Dutton (21/5/07) The Advanced 'B' Class Tournament was held over two days, 19/20 May. The weather was kind and the lawns played well. Fourteen players competed travelling from as far away as Woking, Tyneside and Liverpool. At the end of day one Peter McDermott and Peter Wilson were joint leaders and finished the day playing each other, a game which Peter McDermott eventually won. At the start of the last round (Round 5), Peter Wilson, Peter McDermott and Tom Griffiths were equal on 4 wins each. Tom Griffiths did a triple peel to win his round 5 match. After a marathon battle Peter McDermott of Middlesborough fought his way to a win. Picture shows Mrs Schofield (wife of tournament manager Roger Schofield) presenting the cup to Peter McDermott. Return to top
Bowdon out of Longman by Derek Buxton (21/05/07) Bowdon lost 6-1 to Ashby in the Longman Cup. Ashby names first: Jeremy Staley (10) & Derek Buxton (11) beat John Wilkinson (4.5) & Lorna Frost (5) +7T; Mick Haytack (11) beat Rupert Webb (9) +6; Arthur Rowe (14) beat Liz Webb (8) +23; Jeremy Staley beat John Wilkinson +11; Mick Haytack beat Lorna Frost +15; Derek Buxton lost to Liz Webb -15; Arthur Rowe beat Rupert Webb +22; Arthur Rowe, who had never played a 26-point game prior to this match (even in practise) can expect a significant handicap reduction as a result of his performance. Return to top
Bowdon progress in Mary Rose (20/05/07) by Andrew Winn Bowdon beat Bury 5-2 in Mary Rose competition. Bowdon: Andrew Winn (1.5), David Walters (1.5), Mike Sandler (3) and Sylvia Steer (4). Bury: Paul Rigge (1), Barbara Young (4), Ken Anderton (4), Paul Kenworthy (8). Results: ( Bowdon players first): Winn & Walters beat Rigge & Young; Winn beat Rigge; Walters beat Young; Sandler lost to Anderton; Steer lost to Kenworthy; Sandler beat Kenworthy; Steer beat Anderton. Return to top
Longman Champions Knocked Out by Barbara Dutton (17/05/07) Pendle & Craven went to Bevereley, Yorkshire, to defend the prestigious Longman knock out Cup, which they won last year. Sadly they were a player short of a full team and so had to concede two games to the opposition. Andrew Webb won both his singles games but Robin Delves and John Snowden lost theirs although games were close. The final result, Beverley 7 Pendle and Craven 2.
David Maugham wins Southport Jubilee Tankard (yet again) (22/04/07) David Maugham retained the Jubilee Tankard trophy at Southport last weekend (21/22 April) with Ian Lines winning the consolation plate event. Out of 22 participants 9 were Bowdon members. Semi finals: Richard White (Nottingham) beat Ian Lines; David Maugham beat Ailsa Lines. Final: Richard White took first game but David Maugham won 2-1. Plate Final: Ian Lines beat Dave Nick (Crake Valley) in a 1-ball. Return to top
Ian Lines won the Lancashire International Open Golf Croquet Tournament 14/15 April 2007 by Geoff Young The 2007 Lancashire International Open Golf Croquet Tournament was held at Heaton Park, Manchester on April 14-15 in summery weather, the lawns recovered from hibernation and most of the players likewise. The blocks were set up to keep Ian Lines and Tim King apart, and this proved a sound step as they eventually met in the best-of-five final. Ian looked to be romping home 2-0 in games when at 5 all in game 3 he played the wrong ball and Tim took full advantage to win 7-5. However Ian smoothly took the fourth game for victory. Michael O'Brian beat Fredy Viity for third place. the consolation doubles event went to David Walters and Ros Pimlott. (more details: www.croquet.org.uk) Return to top
David Maugham wins inaugural John Beech Tournament, Easter 2007 The John Beech Tournament (formerly the Easter Tournament) held over the four days of Easter concluded on the cold afternoon of Monday after a hard fought contest. This is an Association handicap croquet tournament where all players begin with a base index of 100, the higher the final index the better. The weather was good at the start of the Easter tournament, so was Kathryn Schofield and daughter Charlotte, who were managing the tournament for the afternoon, preparing afternoon tea, providing tea and coffee, keeping score and entertaining their delightful two year old grandson, sporting a new haircut. The day started with a short speech from Kathleen Beech at a short ceremony to unveil a plaque in memory of John. She said John would be pleased with the lawns today and hoped they would stay this way to perpetuate his memory. (no problem, with their son and lady friend, assisted by Abdul, cutting the grass each day). David Maugham from Bowdon club won two trophies, the overall winner with a finishing index of 134, and also the trophy for the most games played - 15 games completed over the 4 days. David Turner from Tynesside won the Short Bisques trophy with an index of 122. Robin Delves from Pendle & Craven won the High Bisques trophy. Abdul Ahmad from Pendle & Craven won the fastest game trophy with a time of 48 minutes. All games were un-timed, so Wharred Turns were introduced if games seemed prolonged - a wonderful way of speeding up the end of a game. Picture shows from left to right: David Turner, David Maugham, Robin Delves and manager Roger Schofield. Poetry by Alice Fleck. Return to top	At the dinner on Saturday The company was fine The food was delicious The wine was divine But the singer? Oh how she did whine Footnote: Her opponent was joined up at Rover Alice only had one hoop to do So she tried to hit in to finish the game And ran Rover from corner 2
	Ian Lines and Ray Lowe gain success at the Advanced Millenium (6/04/07) Ian Lines won the Neil Williams trophy again, by winning 6 matches out of 8 to take the trophy for the second year running at Heaton Park at the weekend. The 'B' event was won by Southport's Ray Lowe. Return to top
Pendle and Craven Croquet Club Annual Dinner, Friday 23rd February 2007 Fifty-eight members, friends and vistors sat down to an excellent meal in Colne Golf Club to celebrate the past year and look forward to the next. A few moments of silence preceded the meal in memory of John Beech, founder and chief administrator of the club until his death. We were honoured by the presence of our President, Mr Ted Fort, of Fort Vale Engineering who regaled us with the history of Earby,  and some of his own history as an apprentice at Rolls Royce, Barnoldwick in the 1950's. David Openshaw, the President of the World Croquet Federation and Chairman of the Croquet Association, also spoke, exhorting the club to encourage more people, especially young people, to come and play the game. He offered the chance of Pendle & Craven applying for some prestigious international matches in 2009. This would set the club at the forefront of British Croquet. He also related some of his past history, being born locally and having history with QEGS school in Blackburn which had its own croquet lawns and produced some of the best English players. Chairman, Geoff Whitaker, thanked all members and visitors for their attendance and continuing support for the club. The club won the beautiful Longman Cup in 2006 and this was presented by David Openshaw to team Captain Robin Delves, followed by The North West Federation Trophy to team Captain David Pollitt, and club trophies: Treasurer, Peter Dowdall won three of the club trophies and Abdul Ahmad, Secretary, won the New Year One Ball trophy. Maureen Whitaker, Catering Manager, won the Whitaker Cup for Golf Croquet. John Filsak, Tournament Secretary and Andrew Webb won the Association Doubles plates. The Tombola finished, raffles were drawn. Mrs Beech, to loud applause, winning the necklace made and donated by Ann Dowdall. The evening was rounded off beautifully by Alice Fleck, accompanied by her husband Derek on guitar, who sang one of her own humourous poems, an encouragement to play  more croquet. Return to top
New Years Day - One Ball at Pendle by Roger Schofield and Barbara Dutton (1/1/07) Only five players entered this year's rearranged One Ball competition. The court ran true and smooth and while there was no standing water it was very slow, there having been a great deal of rain in the night. Abdul played very well taking the lead in every game and maintaining it to the end. All players found it difficult to hit in and impossible to keep a break going for more than a couple of hoops. Earby had better weather than many places, being very kind, the best yet, with only about five minutes of rain and the same of hail. The winner was Abdul Ahmad with 3 wins, beating Robin Delves, Roger Schofield and John Filsack.

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