Newsletter September 2024
WINTERBORNE VALLEY
CROQUET CLUB
SEPTEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER
September is upon us and there is lots going on at the club. Hotly contested WI competition takes over the lawns on Sunday 8th September and we have our own CASTERBRIDGE CUP on Saturday 21st September. Our Association Croquet Team won their area competition and through to the Semi Finals on 10th September, this will be played at our home ground at Winterborne Valley CC. Come along and support them.
In our GC Level Play results, we finally did not lose a game but drew with Sidmouth in the last game of the season so we are getting better.
The High Handicap GC team won a game, against East Dorset which was satisfying.
The Friendly matches are still in progress with 2 more to be played in September. They have been a mixed bag with some success as we beat Bransgore both home and away, though other results were not so good. The home matches against Charlton Horethorne and Yetminster were prevented by rain. This is the second year running that the weather has beaten us with Charlton Horethorne, though they narrowly beat us at skittles last year! This year we called off the match and tea altogether, but the date against Yetminster has been rearranged. Perhaps it will be ‘third time lucky’ and we will find there is good weather and we can play croquet against Charlton Horethorne in 2025.
Our great GC success is Martin Strange who has amassed enough points in national B level +3 Series tournaments to qualify for the finals. The Golf Croquet B-Level (3+) Series National Final is being held at East Dorset CC on 30th August.
The WVCC Golf Croquet in-house competition is reaching its climax and we are hoping to have the final on the same day as the Casterbridge Cup, so those who have games still to play that’s your date to aim for. If the victor has been successful before 21st September we can announce this along with the Casterbridge Cup winner.
Essentially the Casterbridge Cup is a personal competition and each contestant will play for themselves. The aim is to win pegs by running hoops. The four in which you play is formed with names drawn from a hat, and ball order decided by choosing cards. Then it is a time-limited GC game. Everyone plays 3 games, each game against different opponents, and the peg scores from each game are combined, .but the overall winner is not revealed until all the games are concluded and scores put together. Please come and join in, we can all enjoy the play (and even if you are having a bad day, it doesn’t go on for long!) and afterwards we will have a bring-and-share buffet and tea. And because it’s a Saturday the bar will be open. So no excuse! If you have that afternoon free please come and bring something for the buffet. Sign in from 1pm and play will start at 2 o’clock.
Monday Club Days and Roll-Up Saturdays are well attended and the Twilight Sessions have been supported by some of our members who live near.
If you have not joined the WhatsApp Group for these please contact for Club Days Hilary Green on +44 7901807290. The Roll-Up Saturdays contact is Cybs +44 7980300220 and the Twilight Sessions is Sally +44 7879444805
We are hoping to have some Short Croquet sessions before the end of the season to give people a taster. Look out for more information.
The Tactics Coaching was well supported and Kath did a great job so everyone came away with some new ways of playing.
Our social event on 10th August was well attended and we may have some new members joining us for the end of season, but as always we are looking for more people to join us and the best thing about joining at this time of is that you get a considerable discount and a chance to play for a few weeks to get a feel for the game, so if you know of anyone who would like to have a taster session please get in touch (07720099050).
With only a couple of months left of play lets hope the weather is kind and we can get out on the lawns which are looking and playing great, many thanks to Sue and Iain. If anyone could lend us a brush cutter for about half a day to do a job around the lawns, or come and help do it themselves it would be great and a few volunteers to help Anne for odd jobs would also be extremely welcome as would someone who knows how to use a tinning machine (spiker).
Any ideas of how to spread the word would be most welcome.
Does anyone have any croquet equipment for sale, mallets are always being looked for by our new members. We can put up a notice in the clubhouse or put people in touch.
