On Sunday, 21 September, Chester played Southport at home in the final match of the NW Federation association croquet 26 point handicap league. After continuous heavy rain the previous day and another downpour a few days earlier, the lawns had made a remarkable recovery from their parched state earlier in the summer. It was bright and sunny all day though with a distinct autumn chill in the air. Altogether, good conditions for a croquet match.
The Chester team were David Guyton (captain), Sally Slater, Brian Walton and Andy Wilson-Chalon. Sally Slater and Brian Walton managed to win their singles games in the morning with narrow margins of just two hoops and one hoop leads respectively but David Guyton and Andy Wilson-Chalon lost their doubles game giving Chester a 2 – 1 lead by lunchtime. In the four singles games in the afternoon, Chester won two with good leads of fifteen hoops and seven hoops but lost the other two, in the last game being pipped at the post in the final minutes. The overall result was a 4 – 3 win for Chester with all the games being played in good spirit with a good humoured visiting team.
Chester’s win was just enough to lift it from last position in this year’s league. On the basis of games won and lost, Fylde emerged as this year’s winner ahead of Bowdon Griffins in second place and Bury Caesars in third place with Chester finishing fifth out of eight.