EACF AC Leagues play-off 2 October

The Beds & Herts, Essex & Suffolk and Northern League winners have a play-off for the Chairman’s Cup and the chance to represent the EACF in the following year’s Secretary’s Shield competition. This year’s winners were Wrest Park, Newport and Peterborough, the match to be played at Newport. However Newport were unable to raise a team, so it was to be a two-horse race.

Everyone arrived in good time, but not before three of the Wrest Park team had been led astray by the Apple satnav and were rescued by the more accurate Google equivalent. Peterborough then revealed that as Ian and Debbie Lines were otherwise engaged on a walking tour they had had to recruit Justin Beaumont, a complete beginner normally playing off 24 but would have to play off 20. There then remained the problem of what format to use as the normal League format allows for a draw, which was obviously inappropriate. It was decided to use the one doubles, six singles format similar to the Mary Rose but with the doubles pairs being 1 and 4 rather than 1 and 2 in handicap order.

David Marsh (-1) and Tim Brewer (3) lost to Adrian Kirby (-½) and Justin Beaumont (20) -13

John Bevington (1) lost to Stephen Cornelius (8) -26

George Collin (-½) beat Keith Huggins (12) +1t

David Marsh lost to Adrian Kirby -17

George Collin lost to Stephen Cornelius -26

John Bevington beat Keith Huggins +7

Tim Brewer beat Justin Beaumont +13

In the doubles Justin, who had been thrown into the deep end, responded well to Adrian’s advice. Tim got round to penult, but Adrian then went round, peeling him through penult and rover and pegging him out, and they kept control to win +13. John’s game was over quickly - Stephen established a four-ball break with one bisque, played immaculately with all pioneers within a few feet of their hoops and then did the same with the second ball to win without John having taken croquet. George’s game was more protracted and went to a golden hoop after the three and a quarter hour time limit expired. The ending was rather an anti-climax. Keith was unable to shoot at George’s balls (having a rush to hoop 6 from a position six yards away south of hoop 2) with yellow as it was against the wire of 4-back, so shot with red which was north of hoop 1. The ball missed but lodged in the jaws of hoop 2, so George was able to rush to the hoop and take position, safe in the knowledge that Keith had no shot. 2-1 to Peterborough at lunch.

Stephen then completed a second whitewash with George not taking croquet, finishing with a rover peel and a half-bisque standing. It should be noted that Stephen is Debbie Lines’s brother; croquet runs in the family and their father Don was Newport’s first Chairman. Stephen used to play when much younger and has recently taken it up again to good effect. David lost to Adrian, who finished with a rover peel - the peelee landed in the jaws and was promoted through with a half-jump.This gave Peterborough the win, but Tim and John both won to make the scoreline more respectable.

Glorious autumn sunshine, lawns flat and lush but with some bare patches around the edges as a result of the summer heat, with fallen nuts an occasional hazard. Hoops firm and generous. Many thanks to Newport for hosting and Terrey Sparks for management, and good luck to Peterborough in next year’s Secretary’s Shield.

The Newport lawns and clubhouse, with David, Tim, Justin and Adrian filling in time with some golf croquet before lunch.

Terrey Sparks presents the trophy to Adrian Kirby. Newport’s Fran Lambert stands in the doorway.

The teams: l-r Keith Huggins, David Marsh, Adrian Kirby, Tim Brewer, Stephen Cornelius, John Bevington and Geoge Collin. Justin Beaumont had already left.

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