Britt frustrated on difficult lawns

On days like these, croquet players wander parched lawns knowing it can only lead to frustration, for croquet is an intimate contact sport between the grass and ball.

Camerton & Peasdown Croquet Club’s GC Level Play team took on Weston-super-mare in the searing heat and the speed of the grass left balls racing for shade.

Up two games by lunch, CPCC, taking advantage of their knowledge of its lawns, completed a 12-8 win, Colin Britt winning all three of his games.

The SWF AC Federation Central match at Bath was lost; two games to the closest scoreline 25-24. Both were against Folke Pope. In the first, Britt lead throughout only to lose control at the end. In the second it was Tony Brooks who trailed but just failed to equalise. Two more fortunate shots and CPCC would have won. At Bristol the lawns were, as always, true, but lacking water, brown and perversely like ice. Both teams complained that balls just rolled on and on, limiting the length of breaks and no game ended within the allotted time. The home team won this frustrating AC Federation match 3-2. Nailsea’s recently re-laid lawns also inhibited the making of long breaks as last autumn’s bad growing season and recent dry weather left the surface unpredictable. Two hoops ahead when time was called, Britt (pictured) missed a roquet, giving his opponent an easy start to score her required three hoops. Ros Key-pugh won both her games in the 3-2 defeat, where once again no game was completed.

CPCC also hosted two Croquet Association Tournaments. The first, a C-level Tournament initiated this year to encourage high handicap players to venture from their local club, was won by Michelle Leanard of Kington Maurward. The second, an All England preliminary round AC Tournament, was won by Colin Britt of CPCC and he now goes onto the National Final where hopefully lawns will be more predictable.