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News from 2002

League Results 2002

Millenium Golf finishes just in time (06/07/08)
Pennine Trophy Going (?) to the North East (06/07/08)
Bowdon win NW Fed Club Championship (29/06/08)
Southport win inaugural Croquet trophy (31/05/08)
Tim King wins Lancashire Open Golf (19/04/08)
Jacob Carr Snowballs to Victory at Pendle (24/03/08)
Llanfairfechan win massive funding for new facilities (12/03/08)

North West Fed Millenium Golf Croquet Handicap Just Survives (06/07/08) by Jean Hargreaves
This new tournament was played at Heaton Park. Eight players participated representing 5 clubs. All played all with double-banking. Several games went to time. At the end of round 6 we had 1 player who had won 5 games and 2 who had won 4 games. One of the latter was due to play the former in the last round so it could have worked out that 3 players could have tied at the end of round 7. However, the eventual winner, Alan Mayne from Bowdon, won his last game on the Golden Hoop, making 6 wins out of 7 games. We had 3 players in joint second place, each with 4 wins. Despite the heavy showers at intervals during the day a good time was had by all, and we have been asked "when is the next one". We managed to finish the tournament and do the presentation just before the lawns were flooded with a tremendous thunderstorm!

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Pennine Trophy may go to the North East (06/07/08) by Bob Burnett
In the annual match between the North West and the North East held at Pendle last Sunday (6th) the North East emerged victorious. Their team of Andy Davies, Bruce Rannie, Philip Errington, Roger Staples, Mike Evans and David Millener won all three doubles games in the morning session and three of the singles in the afternoon to record a 6 - 2 win. The weather stayed mostly fair although a heavy shower at lunch time slowed the already very slow lawns even more. Despite their excellent win there was no trophy to take home as it has gone missing since last year.

Full results:- (North West names first):
Advanced Doubles: Bob Burnett & Graham Saunders lost to Andy Davies & David Millener -23; Liz Wilson & Abdul Ahmad lost to Philip Errington & Roger Staples -24; David Walters & Simon Wolf lost to Bruce Rannie & Mike Evans -8.
Advanced Singles: Bob Burnett bt Andy Davies +2; David Walters bt Bruce Rannie +10; Liz Wilson lost to Philip Errington -4;
Handicap Singles: Abdul Ahmad lost to Roger Staples -24; Graham Saunders lost to David Millener -14; Simon Wolf v Mike Evans (match abandoned) .

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Bowdon win NW Fed Club Championship at Southport (29/06/08) by Tony Thomas.

Over 100 competitors in twenty three teams took part in this annual NW Fed Croquet tournament. This is the only Croquet tournament in the UK where players and clubs come together to contest Croquet in all disciplines.

The organisation, management and catering were excellent. The South Lawns playing really well and the North Lawns providing their greatest challenge yet with a speed of minus something Plummers. Add to the mix the Southport weather of sun, rain, wind and more sun to provide a convivial croquet atmosphere.

Crake Valley won the Advanced section, Pendle the Handicap, however Bowdon won both the Short and Golf sections to take the NW Fed Club Trophy.

NW Fed Chairman Barry Keen (in his last year as Chairman) presented the trophies and thanked the numerous people for their dedication in making this event such an enjoyable success. Manager Alan Mayne who kept the two days of play moving efficiently thanked the Southport club for their commitment to this event.

Southport Win Inaugural Croquet Trophy (31/05/08) by Tony Thomas

The inaugural Mexico Trophy tournament took place at Southport and Birkdale Croquet Club last Saturday, 31 May, in Victoria Park, Southport.  This new Croquet tournament will be played annually between Southport and Fylde Croquet clubs, in memory of the great lifeboat disaster of 1886, when the boats of both Southport and Lytham capsized with the loss of 27 crew, whilst going to the aid of the barque Mexico.  The event will raise money for lifeboat charities.

In the heat of an early summer sun, experienced players as well as beginners, rose to the occasion, closely contesting matches in Advanced, Handicap and Short croquet formats.  At lunchtime with Fylde leading 9-4, players retired, appropriately, to the Fishermans Rest for lunch, (this hostelry was used as a base by the Southport Lifeboat in 1886).  Suitably fortified, Southport players made an exciting comeback in the afternoon, eventually emerging victorious 20-14.

Over £500 was eventually raised for the new Southport Lifeboat House Appeal and Keith Broter, Senior Cox was presented with an interim cheque fior £300 by Southport club President Professor Alan Pidcock.  The impressive Mexico Trophy (in the form of a mounted brass Anchor) was then presented to Southport captain Bob Burnett.

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Tim King won the Lancashire Golf Open by Geoff Young
The 8th Lancashire International Open Golf Tournament was hosted by Bury CC on April 12-13 at Heaton Park. Twenty contenders spent the Saturday in two blocks of ten, in a format giving each 8 games. Block A was won by Ian lines with seven wins, Brian Storey and John Moore winning six and the fourth qualifier on who-beat-who from a three-way tie on five being Freda Vitty. In Block B four six-game winners were similarly put into the sequence Chris Sheen, Samantha Curry, David Openshaw and Tim King.

This meant that in the KO phase on Sunday Ian and Tim met in a quarter-final. Overnight weather had delayed the start so they were put on the first playable lawn, 50 yards from the pavilion, so the disappointed crowd had a poor view. The other three lawns trickled in later, so the average time loss was about an hour. The weather then cleared and progress was steady, the final fittingly being the last game to finish ( just before six) with Tim beating Chris 6-7 7-4 7-4. The 12 non-qualifiers played a round robin of doubles won by Dave Turner and Fergus Thompson.

Picture left - Bury club president David Barrett presents the Lancashire Open Golf Croquet trophy to Tim King

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Jacob Carr Snowballs to Victory by Barbara Dutton
The John Beech Memorial Handicap Tournament gave players a stern test at Pendle over the Easter weekend. With cold winds, rain, sleet and snow to contend with the players did well to complete their matches, even playing after dark. On Saturday players rolled huge snowballs around to clear the lawns for play and then had an early lunch to warm up. Manager David Maugham from Bowdon club also won the most games played trophy with 12 games but the overall winner was Jacob Carr from Tyneside, who won all his 11 games played and also collected the cup for the fastest game in just 42 minutes with a victory over David Maugham. Lee Hartley collected the Low Bisque cup and Howard Bowron the High Bisque cup. Sadly vandalism by young footballers from the new playground and theft of three solar garden lights marred what was otherwise a friendly and enjoyable event in spite of the weather.

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Lanfairfechan wins massive development grant
Llanfairfechan Croquet club is undergoing massive developments. A new clubhouse is being built at a cost of £125,000. They have been granted £93,000 from the Welsh Assembly which together with grants from the Croquet Association, Conwy Council, Llanfairfechan Town Council, various Rotary clubs have made the exciting venture possible. The club have also raised substantial funds from Life Membership (at £400) and a Buy a Brick fund raiser. Moneywise, still not quite there with £20,000 still to be found, so still fund raising but what a fantastic achievement so far, congratulations to everyone at the club.

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