Author: David Guyton

Association Croquet – Myths Busting!

TOO LONG
Not so. You can play for as long as you feel like. A lot of short lawn games last about an hour. There is a new 14 point game (12 hoops and the peg) that is an hour and a half but could be less.

NOT SOCIABLE
AC is a friendly game. Often you can play doubles and be on the lawn chatting with your partner. If anyone sees Robert and Mavis playing, the laughter can be heard for miles!

BORING
Less boring than golf croquet can be! Each game is very different as you work the tactics out. If you like snooker you’ll love it!

TOO DIFFICULT
Not so. It maybe takes a bit longer to get to grips with some of the shots, but it is essentially quite simple. Hit a ball, pick yours up and put it with another ball, hit both balls, run the hoop – repeat. What’s difficult about that?

ELITIST
What rubbish! Players come from all backgrounds and walks of life.

TOO EFFORTFUL
You do have to hit two balls together which is a little harder than hitting one, but we can play on a short lawn which is half the size so they don’t have to travel as far.

COME AND HAVE A GO!
We are a friendly bunch who love nothing more than sharing our enthusiasm for Association Croquet. Come on a Monday morning when the short lawners are having fun. Or a Tuesday evening when there’ll be loads of help available. Definitely sign up for the GC/AC partnership day on Tuesday, 7 May. That is really good fun and a good introduction to AC.

Don’t delay, contact me to sign up!

Sally Slater

Chester Croquet Club had a good start to the season on Sunday, 31 March, with an opening social, cream tea and casual and fun games of croquet. About 30 members attended with their families, so young and not so young were well represented.

Since then the lawns have been closed the majority of the time, and league matches against other clubs have had to be cancelled, due to heavy and incessant rain waterlogging the lawns. There has been no opportunity for practice.

The only match to take place so far this season was a short lawn association croquet match against Bury at their grounds in Coronation Park on Sunday,  12 August. The team of Sally Slater (captain), Jayne Taylor, Robert Jones and Michael Fletcher played well against their more practised opponents but lost 12 to 4. Michael won three of his games in his first ever croquet match which was an excellent result.

Once the weather changes for the better, then other matches should follow on thick and fast.

Chester Croquet Club opened the season with a social funday at the pavilion in Westminster Park on Sunday, 31 March, with a sparkling cream tea. Members brought along friends and family and about 30 people enjoyed playing croquet.

But the rain couldn’t stay away for long and was back on Monday, 1 April, to wash out the first of the season’s weekly roll-up sessions.

During a rare spell of sunshine between heavy rain overnight and more rain in the afternoon, a small but resolute band of volunteers managed to set out hoops for the four full lawns as planned  on Thursday morning, 28 March. The lawns were sodden with large areas of standing water across all four lawns but a minor benefit was that the ground was so soft it was possible to hammer in the hoops relatively easily without needing to drill holes into hard clay. Hoops for the eight short lawns were were set out on Saturday, 30 March, ready for the new season to start on Sunday, 31 March, and the first Social Funday of 2024. And, miracle of miracles after so much rain, the lawns are dry and ready for play.

You may have seen on the Club calender a new entry called GC Teatime Twosomes from 4 pm to 5.30 pm each Thursday afternoon. This is very similar to Tuesday’s Progressive Doubles – lose and you stay put and swap partners, win and you move on and swap partners. Three thirty minute games then tea and biscuits.

The difference is that the winner gets a pin badge. If there is a draw it is decided by a simple ‘nearest the centre peg from the boundary’ play off. Every week there is a pin to win and wear in your hat, lapel, piercing, mallet bag.

The first Teatime Twosomes is on Thursday,  4 April, at 4.00 pm sharp. You know the rules and routine so come along and win some Thursday Teatime Twosome pins.

See you there!

Tom Grievson

The 2024 croquet season starts on Sunday, 31 March 2024. The lawns are white lined and hoop laying will be done later this week. On our opening day please come to the Sunday Funday starting at 12 noon. Bring friends and family and a plate of food to share if you wish. Bubbly, drinks, scones and berries and cream will be provided.

There is a full programme of matches, tournaments and events planned for this year. All the usual regular weekly events continue with a couple of additions. As last year June is set to be a very busy month so please try to make a habit of looking at the calendar on our excellent website before setting off to your favourite croquet event.

Our website is full of up to date information about the Club and its doings, its members, its events and news of the successes or otherwise of our teams and players. It also contains details of Club policies and documents (Home – Policies and Documents) including our Child Safeguarding Policy. Mavis Sellars (07715 050850) is the Safeguarding Officer.

Subscriptions are due now but should be paid by 1 May at the latest please. Use either Bank transfer (details on website) or directly to our new Treasurer, Ian Graham. Ian lives very close to the Club; you can see his new roof from the Clubhouse.

The lawn booking system continues this year which is helpful to those who do not live close by the Club but please remember that your booking does not guarantee sole occupancy of a lawn. Double banking is the norm but we do not mix AC and GC on a lawn.

More info on existing and new tournaments and events to follow but, in the meantime, please come and enjoy your Club and see you at Sunday Funday perhaps?

Tom Grievson
Chair

Chester Croquet Club held its annual end of season dinner and presentation evening at Chez Jules on Thursday, 9 November, to celebrate successes of the season.

In national competitions, at the beginning of the season Chester emerged as winner of the Croquet Association’s Secretary’s Shield for association croquet in a re-play of the final against Newport, Essex, which was rained off at half time in October 2022. In this year’s events, Chester reached the final of the Murphy Inter-Club competition for golf croquet but lost to East Dorset.

In  North West Federation league matches, Chester came first in the golf handicap league, first in the level play golf league and second in the advanced B level association league. They also won the Snowdonia Cup.

In internal competitions there were three played in association croquet, with David Guyton winning the Mason Cup for full lawn handicap association croquet, Roger Brooks winning the short lawn open and Paul Taylor winning the Hasting Wang short lawn. Five competitions were played in golf croquet. Sarah Clements won both the golf croquet challenge cup and the RAT trophy. Jude Wise won the Peter Bingham award, Ian Meadows won the Christine Long trophy and at the end of her first season Wendy Lord won the Newbies competition.

There were also cups given out for the most improved players of the year. Michael Fletcher was awarded the association cup and David Mann the golf.

A full set of results is posted in the Members Only area.

 

 

Storm Babet visited Chester on Friday, 20 October, and considerately gave the lawns a good autumn watering – 50 mm of rain, the average for a whole month, in just twenty four hours. They always say water flows downhill but the largest puddles were on Lawn 4. Photographs courtesy of Sally Slater who braved the elements.

The club’s annual internal short lawn association croquet competition was held on Monday, 9 October, when 10 members played on a gloriously hot sunny day. It consisted of five rounds where, after a random selection to start round 1, the best two play and so on. The winner is the one with the most wins, or if there’s a tie, then the head to head or hoop difference is taken into consideration. The winner was Roger Brooks with Sarah Clements a close second.

The Peter Bingham Award was also decided this week. This is a season long competition where points are scored every Tuesday morning golf croquet roll up session. It is to reward consistent attendance and play over the season. The winner was Jude Wise with 276 points. Equal second was Ian Shaw and John Hampson on 257 points and Lesley Newman was fourth.

Book now for End of Season Dinner

It’s time to look forward to our end of season presentation dinner and social evening.  To be held this year at Chez Jules on Northgate Street on Thursday, 9 November, at 6.30 pm.

Chez Jules changes its menu daily so they can’t give me the menu for our evening, but there is a sample menu on their website to give you some idea if you’ve not been there before. Two courses for £27.95. They will take the orders on the night and individual/couple payments too.

There is a bar in the room upstairs where we will be holding our dinner.

Parking is nearby at Delamere Street car park or the New Market car park – both have evening rates.

We still have 20 places available, so don’t hesitate, come and have fun, and meet fellow members away from the croquet lawns.

Please let me have your names if you would like to attend.

Thanks

Sally Slater

End of Season Dinner on Thursday, 9 November

We are holding our annual presentation end of season dinner at Chez Jules, Northgate Street, Chester, on Thursday, 9 November, at 6.30 pm.

You will be able to order on the night. There is a bar in the room for drinks. Payment will also be done on the night so please remember to add a tip individually if you wish to.

This is a lovely, sociable evening where we give out the trophies of the various competitions held during the year and we have an optional table top quiz too, with prizes.

We can only accommodate 60 people so I’m afraid we can only have members attending, no partners. Please let me know by e-mail  if you would like to come. Once 60 has been reached we will have a waiting list if necessary.

Many thanks

Sally Slater