Tag: Colchester croquet

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Important Notice: Frosty Conditions and Lawn Care

During frosty weather, we kindly ask that you avoid booking the following times:

  • Lawn 1: Before 12:00, as the sun does not reach the southwest boundary until then.
  • Lawn 2: Before 11:00.

This is to ensure safety and preserve the quality of the grass for the following reasons:

  1. Injury Risk: The path and verandah were icy this morning, and frost makes the grass slippery, increasing the likelihood of slipping and falling. This can result in sprains, fractures, or other injuries, especially if the ground is icy or if you’re walking on a slope.
  2. Damage to Grass: Frost causes ice crystals to form on grass blades, which can puncture and damage their cell walls. Walking on frosty grass can rupture these cells, leading to brown, dead patches. The pressure from your steps can also cause permanent damage, particularly when the frost is thick.

Thank you for your understanding and consideration.

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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 Club Calendar for 2025

We now have a Club calendar for next year listing all the proposed club lunches and 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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EACF GC Handicap League 2025

Every year, the Club enters a team in the EACF GC Handicap League. In 2023, our team topped the Eastern League, won the semifinal, but narrowly missed out in the final. This year, we again finished top of the league, won the semifinal, and this time claimed victory in the final on 28th September at Wrest Park against Newport Oaks. This marks the first time Colchester has won the competition in its 20-year history!

Playing in the league is an excellent opportunity for newer players to gain valuable experience in a competitive yet friendly environment. To build on the club’s success and give more members the chance to participate, We are exploring the possibility of entering two teams next year. Several clubs, including Chelmsford and Maldon, already do this.

Half the matches are played at home, and half are away, so some travel will be necessary. In 2024, league opponents were two teams from Maldon (playing in Hatfield Peverel), one from Chelmsford, and one from Southchurch (Rettendon) and one from Sudbury. The semi finals have been held at Newport (near Saffron Walden) for the past two years  

Each team consists of four players, with no individual handicap boundaries, although the team’s combined handicap must be greater than 20. This allows for a good mix of high and low handicappers. In each match a player competes in five games – one doubles and four singles. Matches typically run from 10 a.m. to around 4 p.m, with a break for lunch, so a reasonable level of physical fitness is required.

To field two teams, we need a MINIMUM pool of eight players per team – 16 in total – to account for holidays and other commitments. Players may only represent one handicap team, and team members cannot be shared between teams. 

Participating in a team requires a commitment to spend a full day playing croquet up to half a dozen times throughout the summer. That said, the other teams are great company and provide an excellent Tea. It’s always a lot of fun and a rewarding and truly worthwhile experience.  

Importantly, we also need a dedicated captain for the second team. The role involves:

  • Coordinating with other clubs to schedule League matches
  • Selecting the team according to the handicap guidelines
  • Organising transport for away matches
  • Hosting home matches, including scorekeeping and timekeeping

If you’re interested in playing or taking on a captaincy role, please contact Marilyn Wood.

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EACF Handicap League Final

Last year the Colchester team, captained by Steven Scrase, reached the final of the EACF Handicap League at Wrest Park, only to come a close second to Meldreth.  This year, we scoured the globe for a truly multinational team to avenge that defeat – Marilyn Wood from Wales, Alex Wood from Scotland, Marion de Landmeter from Holland and Kev Croot from England.   

Thankfully the apocalyptic floods of recent days abated, on a lovely sunny autumn day, the team faced Newport Oaks.  Team handicaps of both teams were similar, leading to many long, hard-fought games – the record went to Marion, who, in a real test of physical and mental endurance, finally overcame her opponent after an hour and fifty minutes! 

Oaks got off to a fast start but were pulled back to all square by lunchtime.  Colchester grabbed a two-game lead in the first block of the afternoon and held on to the lead to seal a 10-8 win with the last game of the day. The six o’clock finish had us wondering if our phone torches could be used to floodlight the last few games!   

The final hoop score of 105-100 to Colchester, showed how narrow the margin was between the teams. 

This is Colchester’s first title win in the 20th anniversary year of the competition.  Well done to the winning team and shout out to everyone who played in earlier rounds – Stephen Scrase, Patrick de Burca, Hugh Brown, Patricia Drinkwater and Chris Clarke.  Without their contributions in the league stage, we would not have reached the final. 

As always, the match was played in a very friendly (but competitive) spirit and we look forward to renewing the rivalry next year.

The team now goes forward to the National GC Handicap team event in 2025.