Category: News

News from the club

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Christmas Lunch and Prizegiving 7th December

On Saturday we held our Xmas lunch and annual prizegiving in the clubhouse.  Many thanks to the catering and organising team – Patricia, Marian, Marion, Michael – who did an amazing job serving delicious food from our tiny kitchen.  Well done team!

After lunch, Jonathan awarded the prizes for the 2024 GC and AC competitions.  For the record, the winners were:

Golf Croquet

GC Open Club ChampionAlbie Willett
Jane Collier Handicap SinglesMarilyn Wood
GC B Level SinglesTony White
GC C Level SinglesGraham Caughey
GC Open DoublesMarilyn and Alex Wood
GC Handicap DoublesMarilyn and Alex Wood
GC High-Low Handicap DoublesChris Clarke and Alex Wood
Clark & Cork B Level Mixed DoublesMarian and Michael Manning
GC Winter LeagueGeorgeen Hemming
Gerald Hallett Trophy for most improved GC playerMarion de Landmeter

Association Croquet

AC Open Club ChampionJonathan Hills
Len Connor CupNick Steiner
Cant CupJill Waters
Booth CupMartin Tunmore
Harboard Memorial Cup High-Low DoublesNick Steiner and Kevin Croot
Ted Davey CupNick Steiner
Butlin BowlAlbie Willett
Haslam Trophy Handicap DoublesGeorgeen and Colin Hemming
Locke BowlKevin Croot
Associates CupJonathan Hills
AC Handicap LeagueNick Steiner
Ratcliffe TrophyKevin Croot
Duffield Tankard for most improved AC playerTony White
2024 One Ball ChampionKevin Croot

It’s great to see new members as they improve their game.  This year, as well as being part of the Colchester squad which won the East Anglian Croquet Federation Handicap League, two of our new GC players won trophies.

Chris Clarke won the High-Low Handicap Doubles with Alex Wood.

Marion de Landmeter was awarded the most improved GC player.

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Grounds Maintenance Team

Thanks to everyone who attended the Grounds Maintenance Group meeting on Friday. We had a fantastic turnout of around 15 members!

After discussing the history of grounds maintenance at the club, we had the opportunity to see Nick in action as he demonstrated his weeding techniques. He showed us how he uses a weeding tool and “Vitax Lawn Clear spray” for tackling the more invasive weeds, like clover, which are difficult to remove by hand.

One particularly challenging weed is the invasive pearlwort, which Nick has kindly agreed to continue tackling.

Volunteers were organised into four groups, with each group assigned to weed one lawn and the adjacent rough grass along it’s boundaries. Once the weeds are brought under control, ongoing maintenance should only require one to two hours per month.

Additionally, several members volunteered to mow the rough grass around the perimeter of the lawns. This effort will help keep the area neat, reducing the need for relief, and make it easier to maintain lawn sizes through the application of the white lining.

It was also agreed to organise a working party in March to take on several general tasks around the club. These include trimming hedges, clearing the car park, removing ivy from the fences, painting the benches, and cutting back vegetation along the road to maintain clear visibility when exiting the car park.

It was also suggested that everyone be reminded to swish the lawns before weeding or playing, and check the bird-scarer kites to ensure they’re “flying” properly. If they’re tangled, kindly take a moment to untangle them.

If you have any feedback about grounds maintenance or would like to get involved, please contact Martin.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the meeting!

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AC Winter League

Al Brown is organising an AC Winter League. To enter, send an email to Al at fabiansfarm9@gmail.com

All matches will be a singles half game.

Halve the difference of the handicaps. Half bisques are allowed but cannot be used to run a hoop.

A time limit is to be agreed by both parties prior to the start of the game.

The first player to start will be determined by a coin toss.

The winner of each league match will receive one point, while the loser will receive none.

Players are expected to arrange their own matches at mutually convenient times, booking courts in advance.

Results must be emailed to cccresults@gmail.com who will then update the table here on the website.

Please note that, in line with club winter rules, NO JUMP SHOTS ARE ALLOWED to avoid damaging the greens.

League ends March 31st 2025.

To enter or for further clarification, feel free to contact Al at fabiansfarm9@gmail.com

Membership of Colchester Croquet Club for the winter is £40.

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Draft Fixtures Calendar for 2025

We now have a draft fixtures calendar for next year listing all the proposed tournaments taking place here and at Newport – our nearest accessible neighbour.

It is draft so subject to change. If anyone has any suggestions to make this more useful please get in touch with me at secretary.colchestercroquet@gmail.com

It will have links to enter the tournaments directly from the page, when they become available, to avoid having to negotiate the Croquet Org (CO) website. For tournaments outside of Colchester and Newport you’ll still need to visit the ‘Compete’ section of the CO website to view and enter.

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Winter Courts are open

Thanks to Martin, Alex & Kevin who spent the morning setting out the two winter courts.

The courts are rotated 90 degrees and are 80% of a summer court. The starting location for GC is the yellow flag shooting to the blue topped hoop. For AC it’s the A or B baulk.

Please remember to swish away the worm casts before play and that jump shots are banned.

Croquet should not be played on frosty or icy lawns. However, even if the lawns appear clear, there may still be icy patches around the grounds. In these conditions, extra care is needed, especially on the slope from the car park to the veranda.

When sharing a court please be cognisant of the other players location and that of their balls. Both sets of players are to be courteous, considerate and respectful of each other, avoiding interference and distractions and deferring to primary court players in matters of priority.

Winter membership is £40 which enables you to book a court and play seven days a week through to the end of March.

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Indoor AC Speed Short Lawn Croquet in Aldham

The Winter Indoor Short Lawn Croquet has commenced in Aldham village hall every Thursday throughout the winter. The cost is £5/half day, £10/day. Winter Membership of Colchester Croquet Club is required at £40 for the season.

The game is played in a doubles format, with each team allowed a maximum of three hoops per turn. Each team has up to ten minutes to play, making the game a total of 20 minutes.

A good grasp of Golf Croquet (GC) and a basic understanding of Association Croquet (AC) are preferred, as there won’t be time for training. However, if you’re interested, feel free to come along and watch – someone will be happy to explain the game as it unfolds.

For more information contact secretary.colchestercroquet@gmail.com

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Indoor AC Speed Short Lawn Croquet in Brentwood

Due to the loss of the promised sponsor and rising costs at Soham it is no longer possible to run events there. Thankfully there is now a solution based in Brentwood. The All Seasons club has merged with the Old Brentwood’s Club to provide year round croquet with the indoor programme hosted in a well equipped barn complete with toilets and electrics.

Cost

Membership of the Old Brentwood’s Croquet Club costs £100 per annum, members will play for free, non-members will pay £25 per session.
Please pay memberships to:
All Seasons Croquet Club
Sort code: 30-99-50
Account number: 59475862

Events

November
Saturday November 9th 2024 Soham Trophy, speed doubles. To book please click here.
Sunday November 10th 2024 Rose Bowl, speed doubles. To book please click here.
December
Saturday 14th December 2024 Albert Lawrence Trophy, speed doubles. To book please click here.
Sunday 15th December 2024The Soham Trophy, speed doubles. To book please click here.
January
Saturday 11th January 2025 Belgian Cup, speed doubles. To book please click here.
Sunday 12th January 2025 The Martins Trophy, high/low speed doubles. To book please click here.
February
Saturday 8th February 2025 The Cornelius Cup, speed doubles. To book please click here.
Sunday 9th February 2025 The Millennium Cup,  speed doubles. To book please click here.
March
Saturday 8th March 2025 Inter Counties, level advanced speed doubles with peels. To book please click here.
Sunday 9th March 2025 MLP Mallets speed doubles. To book please click here.
 

Directions

Hoyle’s Farm Barn
Prince’s Gate,
Prince’s Road,
Brentwood
CM14 5SH
There is ample parking on site

Booking System

It is critical for the continuation of indoor croquet that we are able to fill all sessions so please pass this email on to any contacts you know who might be interested. Each event has 16 places. Having trouble with bookings just email me and I will sort it out, similalrly if you have a preferred partner please let me know and remember that you need to book a space in each of your names


Contact

All response to paulhether65@outlook.com 07732 158128

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15th GC World Championships * On now * 18th to 26th October 2024

The 2024 WCF GC World Championship will be live streamed on the USCA YouTube Channel: “rdilley USCA Croquet”.  The livestream will begin on Tuesday 10/22 through Saturday 10/26 (Finals), and times are available on the channel.

The USCA invites all persons interested in croquet to subscribe and enjoy the content that is possible by the support of our USCA Members and channel sponsor Oakley Woods Croquet.

First session:  USCA YouTube – First session link

Latest Scores

Croquet Scores: GC World Championship