Chester Croquet Club celebrated the conclusion of one of its most successful seasons with a well attended supper and trophy presentation at Chez Jules on Wednesday evening, 13 November.
The club achieved victories in three of the six North West Federation leagues, was winner for the second year running in the short lawn section of the Southport Croquet Festival, and competed in three national competitions reaching the finals in one and the semi-finals in another. In addition, there was a record number of individual successes in various country-wide tournaments.
This year’s winners of the the club’s internal leagues and competitions were presented with their awards by club chairman, Sarah Andrew.
| Fletton Trophy | Mark Lloyd |
| Mason Cup | James Thomas |
| Hibiscus Trophy | Peter Fey |
| Hasting Wang Short Lawn Bowl | Elaine Walton |
| Early Bird Golf Doubles | Cynthia Graham & Angela Tindall |
| Hasting Wang Golf Singles | James Thomas |
| Hermitage Golf Doubles | Liz Baskerville & Pat Wheeler |
| Mollie McBride RAT Trophy | Pat Wheeler |
| Peter Bingham Award | Jill Foley |
| Christine Long Award | Martyn Seal |
| Most improved player – AC | James Thomas |
| Most improved player – GC | Tom Grievson |
Individual successes during the year were:
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- Richard Smith won the Southport Advanced Tournament over the weekend of 27-28 April, winning all six games and raising his world ranking from 185 to 163. He went on to win the Cheltenham AC A Class championship on 7-9 June and was semi-finalist in the South of England Championship at Eastbourne over the weekend of 20-22 September raising his world ranking to 125.
- John Dawson won the English Veterans AC handicap championship at Budleigh Salterton from 24 to 29 June, winning six out of seven games.
- James Thomas won the North West Federation Short Lawn Tournament at Fylde on Saturday, 11 May. He went on to win the Jubilee Trophy Handicap Tournament at Fylde over the weekend of 27-28 July, winning all five of his games, was winner of the Bury Handicap AC Weekend on 3-4 August and was winner again at the national Open Short Croquet Tournament at York over the weekend of 28 & 29 September winning nine of his ten games.
- Sally Slater playing in her first country-wide competition was winner of the High Bisquers Tournament at Cheltenham on 12-13 August.
- Brian Walton achieved a Croquet Association Silver Merit Award by taking his second ball through all 12 hoops without the use of bisques and winning his game in the final against St Albans for the Secretary’s Shield.