Club

Croquet

Wrest Park

Inter Club Championship 2025

v Nottingham (home)     21 June     lost 1-6

David Marsh (-1) & Bryan Harral (-1) lost to Keith Aiton (-1) & Rick Harding (-1½) -5

Peter Rothwell (2) lost to Richard Huxley (-1) -9

George Collin (1) lost to Lorna Dewar (-½) -18

David Marsh beat Keith Aiton +26TP

Bryan Harral lost to Rick Harding -14

George Collin lost to Richard Huxley -2

Peter Rothwell lost to Lorna Dewar -4

A scoreline of 6-1 looks bad, but we can claim some credit. The doubles and three of the singles were lost by small margins, and in conditions that were distinctly unfavourable (bright sunshine, great heat, fast lawns, dodgy knee) David completed a triple peel in the seventh turn to deny a clean sweep for the visitors.

The doubles contained a memorable moment when Nottingham set up a horizontal spread lift leave with our balls cross wired at the peg and theirs some way in from the east boundary:

D: “It’s no better from this side.”

B: “OK, so what do we do now?”

Bryan shot from A baulk with black at blue and missed, but black continued towards 4-back (its hoop) and crept through, the lift shot thereby conceding a lift. Unable to see another ball (even if it had been possible a miss would likely have ended up in or near A baulk) he had to play away. Bryan later made his last two hoops and was duly pegged out leaving Nottingham on 2-back and peg with David on 3-back. After some tactical play Nottingham had a chance to finish from 4-back with a two ball break, but broke down at rover. David hit, but a very angled hoop shot at 3-back failed to run the hoop by a coat of paint and we lost -5.

George and Peter both had good chances in the afternoon singles but couldn’t manage the win. To give an indication of the difficult conditions, even though the match started at 10.30 (with six minus players) the last game didn’t finish until after 8pm!

Keith Aiton runs hoop 5 in the doubles.

Lorna Dewar runs 2-back in the morning singles.

© Wrest Park Croquet Club