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On Sunday, 8 June, Chester’s team of Mark Lloyd (captain), David Boyd and David Guyton played host to Bowdon Angels in the NW Federation Advanced B-Level association croquet league.

The final result was a 4 – 1 win for Chester but it was a much closer match than appears from the result. Three of the four wins by Chester were won by the slimmest of margins of one, two or three hoops.  By lunchtime the score was equal. Bowdon had lost the singles game but had won the doubles game by two hoops in the morning. In the three singles games in the afternoon, which all went to time, David Guyton finished two hoops ahead. Mark Lloyd and David Boyd were both hehind when time was called but managed to overtake in their final innings by one and three hoops respectively.  The result could have gone in Bowdon’s favour. But it didn’t. Well done the Chester AC team!

 

 

 

On Friday, 6 June, Chester played away against Tattenhall in the first match of this year’s Snowdonia Cup competition between Chester, Craig-y-Don, Llanfairfechan and Tattenhall.

A thrilling encounter unfolded as the hosts edged out Chester 10–6 in a closely contested match. With the weather forecast predicting rain throughout the day, players and spectators were relieved as conditions stayed largely dry, aside from a couple of brief but manageable showers.

The early stages of the match were finely balanced, with both sides showing determination and quality. After the opening three rounds, the scoreboard reflected the even contest, with the teams locked at 6 games apiece.

However, it was Tattenhall who found another gear in the closing stages when they strung together four consecutive victories in the final round to seal the match 10–6.

Chester who had shown great resilience and flair throughout, were left to rue missed opportunities as the momentum slipped away late on. Tattenhall, meanwhile, celebrated a hard-fought and well-earned victory that keeps their Snowdonia Cup campaign on track.

The spirit of the competition shone through, with both teams playing in good spirits and showing mutual respect.

The last Saturday in May saw another national tournament hosted by Chester Croquet Club.

Sixteen players came from North Yorkshire, the Lakes, West Wales, Oxford, Gainsborough, Ashby and Chester, with handicaps ranging from 3 to 9, to take part in this level play competition forming part of Croquet England’s series of tournaments.

There was much excitement when a number of “giant killers” showed what can be done on the day, and the battle between the top eight for the cup in the afternoon was played out between Gill Brent (Bishops Monkton), Frank Sharps (Crake Valley), Chris Thomas (Chester) and Alan Dix (Bowdon). Gill proved victorious in the nail biting final, beating Frank into second place with Chris beating Alan to take third place, thus upholding Chester Croquet Club’s reputation. Frank will be celebrating his 90th birthday on July 9th, clearly demonstrating that croquet is a game for all ages !

On Saturday, 24 May, the action was at Southport, where the Chester Level Play Golf Croquet team of Sarah Clements, Tom Grievson, Martyn Seal and Jude Wise met Southport in the second round of the Murphy Shield, another national competition. The weather brought rain, sun, wind, and cloud in various levels of intensity along with flooded lawns, in spite of the recent prolonged period of heat and drought. Both teams fought hard and played some very good croquet yet managing to have some fun, demonstrating the camaraderie that exists in croquet whilst still maintaining a focus on the game in hand. All square at lunchtime at 2 – 2, the match continued to be tight, and ended on a “golden hoop” win for Southport, with an overall victory of 4 games to 3. Good luck to Southport in the next round of the competition.

Chester Croquet Club is introducing a new iron-on, stick-on or sew-on club logo for members to attach to clothing and other items.

Just £3 each or 5 for £10

Advantages

No sewing (hopefully)
Instructions for iron-on see below

Cheaper than embroidered logos on new purchases

Can be attached to existing pre-worn clothes and other items:
Mallet bags – Holdalls – Hats – Trousers
Shirts and gilets, etc – Car windows
For car windows do not iron on – use plastic folder and double-sided tape available from Jayne Taylor

Not just for match or tournament whites,
for everyday roll-up sessions

ORDER via Jayne Taylor
Telephone: 01244 675067
Mobile: 07810892311
Email: jaytay20ch@aol.com

Prizes for the 3 most original and amusing applications!
Closing date 15th July 2025
Send photos to andy@lletty.com

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How do I apply my iron-on badges?

Frequently asked questions are answered below

Q.  What materials or garments can I iron my badge on to?

A.  It is best to use cotton, cotton blend and polyester fabrics to fix your badge to.

Q.  Do I need to prepare the material or garment first?

A.  It is a good idea to use a lint roller on the area and iron the section of the garment first to ensure there aren’t any creases in the area where the badge will be applied.

Q.  Is the adhesion permanent?

A.  Yes, the adhesion is permanent. To ensure the badge stays on for a long time, we recommend washing the garments at a low temperature, no hotter than 40 degrees using a short cycle.

Q.  What type of adhesive is the iron-on backing?

A.  The technical term for the iron on backing is an “Ethylene Acrylic Acid Copolymer” material (a common resin adhesive). It is heat activated, meaning there is no stickiness or adhesion until heat is applied via a domestic iron or a commercial heat press.

Q.  Do you have general instructions or guidance for using an iron to iron-on a badge?

A.  Yes:

1. To apply the iron-on badges use a hot iron but only for a short time. We recommend no more than about 30 seconds, take a look and see if you need to apply the iron for a further 5-10 seconds.
2. Apply heat to the back of the badge to activate the adhesive. Usually, you are applying the heat through the garment to access the reverse of the badge.
3. If applying heat to the face of the badge, we recommend using parchment paper to be placed on the badge face to avoid any damage to the badge.
4. Really it is a matter of ironing briefly with a reasonable press down and checking if the adhesion is okay, since the heat of the iron and the garment will affect the exact amount of time it takes.

Q.  Do you have instructions for using a heat press to attach badges to garments?

A. Yes. If you are using an industrial heat press the ideal temperature, time and pressure are 0.1-0.4Mpa, 110-140°C, 10-15s > 1.5kgf/cm adhesion.

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In the first of two matches in national Croquet England competitions during the week, Chester played away against Bowdon on Monday, 19 May, in the Mary Rose association croquet advanced level play competition.

The Chester team of Robin Tasker (captain), David Boyd, Elmyr Hughes and Mark Lloyd were narrowly defeated in a difficult tie against Bowdon who fielded a very strong team. Because of the recent dry and sunny weather, the match was played on difficult lawns but at lunchtime after the doubles and two singles games in the morning Chester held a 2-1 advantage. However in the afternoon the quality of the Bowdon players made the difference and the match slipped away from Chester resulting in a 4 – 3 win for Bowdon.

A couple of days later a Chester team of Robin Tasker (captain), David Boyd, Helen Brophy and Sally Slater travelled up to Penrith, to play the first round of the national association croquet handicap competition, the Longman Cup, on Thursday, 22 May.

It was a closely fought match, played in a beautiful setting next to the River Eden with the Pennines in the background. However, the lawns were incredibly difficult for both sides being extremely dry, fast, and deviously undulating!

By way of a golden hoop – a tie breaker if the score is even when time is called – in one of the morning games, Chester was 2-1 up at lunch, but Penrith pulled back to all square in the afternoon, and the outcome was resting on the final game. This went to the second golden hoop of the match, unfortunately lost after an excellent hit in by Penrith giving them a 4 – 3 win by the narowest of margins to proceed to the next round.

 

 

 

 

 

Next Social Funday on Sunday, 15 June

The next Social Funday will be on Sunday, 15 June, as usual instead of Saturday as advertised, as the match has been moved. Bring family, friends and something to share. Scones and Prosecco will be provided. Fun starts at 2.00. See you there!

Next Social Funday on Sunday, 25 May

Hello everyone, particularly our new members. It is our regular social funday this coming Sunday, 25 May. Prosecco and scones will be provided, so please bring along family and friends and something to share. Croquet will be played. The fun starts at 2.00 pm onwards.

Social Funday on Easter Sunday, 20 April

The good news is that there will be a social funday tomorrow afternoon, Easter Sunday. Prosecco and scones will be provided. Please bring any relatives along and have a scone and a game of croquet. 2.00 pm onwards, bring something to share. Have fun!

Mini golf meet-up, Friday, 7 March

Well that was a lovely gathering today at the Green Day Cafe to chat, relax over a coffee , play some mini golf and get a bite to eat for lunch.. …. doing some or all of those things ! Thanks to all who came along. We must do it more often ! Congrats to Mary Mc who got the hole in one !

Jayne Taylor

Anyone for mini golf and a meet-up
before the new croquet season?

The weather is showing signs of Spring ! Anybody fancy meeting up for a game of mini golf and a coffee/lunch/chat at the GreenDay Cafe. Probably a Friday or a Monday outside the half term holiday, or maybe a Wednesday.

Email me direct on jaytay20ch@aol.com and let me know if you are interested and which day you would prefer.

Jayne Taylor

Update on film night at Chez Jules

Hello members

Twelve members have signed up for the film night at Chez Jules but we need a minimum of 20, and a maximum of 25 for the event to proceed. So it is now open for family and friends but please reply by Wednesday, 15 January.

Please note that if you sign up you are committing to pay the £27.50 meal cost.

Please reply to sandygrievson@btinternet.com

Many thanks
Sandy Grievson

Film night at Chez Jules on Monday, 10 February

Hello members

We are holding a film night at Chez Jules on Monday, 10 February 2025, starting at 6 pm.

The film is the romantic comedy “Midnight in Paris”, which is a delight even if you have seen it before.

The two course meal costs £27.50 and a maximum of 25 people can be accommodated so at this stage is open to members only.

If you would like to come please e-mail sandygrievson@btinternet.com .

This will be first come first served basis so please respond promptly.

Many thanks
Sandy Grievson

On Saturday, 17 May, Chester hosted a National C-Level Golf Croquet tournament at its Westminster Park Croquet Club. Early sunshine was promising but that chilly NE wind kept jumpers and gloves as necessary accessories. Twelve players came from Crake Valley in the Lakes, Bury, Llanfairfechan in North Wales, Budleigh Salterton in Devon and Chester, to compete to win the tankard and a place in the National All-England final at Eastbourne in September.

From the start the two strongest players showed their form and quickly established a commanding lead. Both Sandy Grievson from Chester and John Bowes from Crake Valley won all their games in the initial Block competition. The chasers were Brenda Duplock from Budleigh Salterton and Simon Attwell from Bury. Brenda Knight and Karen Bowes, both from Crake Valley were also in contention.

But the leaders were not to be thwarted and Sandy Grievson and John Bowes played out their destinies in a thrilling final with Sandy racing to a 7 to 3 victory and the winner’s tankard. Bury’s Simon Attwell overcame Devonian Brenda Duplock to take third place.

On the following day, Sunday, 18 May, eight players assembled to compete in the new National D-Level Golf Croquet tournament. The sun shone again but the chilly wind blew.

After Saturday’s tournament it was expected that the better players would again make an early showing and this was the case in the first games with Christine Fryer and Gail Thomas, both from Chester, leading the field. But after lunch the knock-out phase changed the outlook with David Mann of Chester and Ursula Walker from Fylde near Blackpool (both on the lowest 12 handicap rung) beating the favourites in the semi-finals. David and Ursula’s final match was played as a a first-to-ten, longer game and proved to be a high tension battle with David just beating Ursula by one hoop to win the tankard. Ursula took the engraved runner-up plate back to Fylde and everyone took a bottle of wine home to toast their success or drown their sorrows.

 

 

Thursday, 15 May, was the occasion for a local Derby match between Chester Chariots and Chester Centurions in the NW Federation level play golf croquet league.

An early start was requested by captains Edward Baskerville of Chester Chariots and Rick Davies of Chester Centurions  which was fortunate as the last game did not finish until 4.30 pm: a hard fought match.

Under blue skies, hot sun and on exceptionally fast lawns Rick’s Centurions with Martyn Seal and Jude Wise ran 100 hoops against Edward’s Charioteers with Sally Slater (winning 5 games) and Chris Thomas 92 hoops. However, that was not quite enough for the Centurions and the match ended with a score of 10-8 to the Charioteers. Indeed, at the lunch break Centurions led 5-4. So well done Charioteers winning 6 games in the afternoon session.
Centurions could perhaps feel robbed when hoop 10 was run in a game, only for the ball to roll back through the hoop within the 5 seconds permitted! That could have cost the match! Nevertheless, six team players departed, glowing after more than six hours of very competitive croquet.

 

On Sunday, 11 May, Chester played in two NW Federations league matches,  at home against Llanfairfechan in the GC handicap league and away against Bowdon Griffins in the 26 point AC handicap league. The day started as it meant to go on; hot and sunny with virtually no wind.

In the GC handicap league match against Llanfairfechan, the Chester team of Sandy Grievson, Lesley Newman, Rhia Taylor and Arnie Banford with handicaps of three 12’s and a 10 faced Llanfairfechan’s Liz Griffith, Sue Kendall, Trish Jones and Rod Bowdon with handicaps ranging from 6-12.

The match started with two sets of doubles which finished honours even with one game to each side. This seemed to set the pattern for the early singles games and by noon the score was three apiece. After lunch Chester found new form and pulled away strongly with Lesley and Arnie both winning their games convincingly.

In mid afternoon when the temperature had risen well into the twenties the last round of four games got under way with Chester leading the match by 9-5 and so a draw was still possible. In the event, each of the Chester players won their final games which took the match score to Chester 13 and Llanfairfechan 5.

Arnie Banford finished the day with a clean sheet of singles games whilst Lesley Newman swept the board by winning all of her singles and doubles game.

Thanks to our visitors for their usual sportsmanship and good humour which together with the glorious sunshine made for a thoroughly good day of croquet.

In the 26 point AC handicap league played away against Bowdon Griffins, the Chester team were David Boyd, Elmyr Hughes, Robin Tasker and Brian Walton. As expected, the lawns at Bowdon were dry and fast and Chester lost the doubles and both singles games in the morning. Fortunes improved in the afternoon when Chester won two of the four singles games but the overall result was a 5 – 2 win for Bowdon.