THE CROQUET SECTION - 2023 NEW SEASON INFORMATION

THE SUMMER SEASON

   

Our summer season starts on April 1st with a Spring Lunch in the pavilion and lawns 1 and 2 open for play from 10am.  Lawns 3 and 4 have been reseeded and will be brought into use as soon as the groundsman considers they are suitable, but this may not be until June.

 

LAWN CARE

Please remember that flat shoes must be worn at all times. The Groundsman has to close the lawns at various times – please check the on-line booking.  Andrew Thomas is the first point of contact for any lawn problems.

 

LAWN BOOKING

Because heavy footfall can damage spring grass growth the Club sessions do not start until April 24th.  Lawns can be booked for friendlies and internal tournaments but not normally for practice.  Lawns are bookable electronically through the club website. Click on the lawn icon to start.  New members will be issued with a temporary password and instructions on how to personalise this by Philip Harris who can help if you have problems with the system. You can ask another club member to book a lawn in your name. The bookings are in one and a half hour sessions.

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You should be aware that:

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1 you can have two sessions booked in your name at any one time. Later in the season, when tournament games are played, additional sessions can be booked for matches.

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2) a lawn can be booked for practice after 4pm (except Fridays). Only one practice session to be on the booking system at any one time.

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3) where SW Fed league matches are booked until 4pm, you may book to play from 4pm on the understanding that you may be delayed if the match over-runs.

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4) lawn 1 will be booked for GC team practice on a Tuesday afternoon at 1pm when possible, leaving lawn 2 available for individual booking while only two lawns are available.

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5) lawns cannot be used for the duration of CA tournaments.

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6) lawns can be used for practice when not booked.

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7) lawns are available for play/practice from 10am until sunset unless required by the groundsman.

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8) AC cannot be double banked with GC

 

CLUB SESSIONS

The Golf Croquet (GC) club sessions on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 10am are unchanged but initially only 2 lawns are available.  The numbers at any one time may need to be managed. After June all 4 lawns will be booked for these club sessions.  The Friday afternoon session will start promptly at 4pm for a roll-up when full 13 point games will be played.

The Association (AC) club afternoon continues to be on Wednesdays at 1pm and 2.30 pm promptly and, when lawns are available, on a Friday afternoon at 1pm and 2.30 pm.

 

HANDICAP CARDS

The handicap committees will have issued members who play competitively with updated handicap cards. Players must then maintain their cards for all internal tournament matches and SW Fed league matches etc played, during the season.  When a trigger point is reached, the new handicap needs be authorised on the card by a member of the handicap committee. They will then arrange for any membership list or displayed tournament block to be amended.

(for Association – Handicap committee members are Jane Babbage (lead) / Philip Harris / Julie Sorrell.)

(for Golf – Handicap committee members are Christine Bowler (lead) / Tony Anthony /John Coombes / Roy Hubbard.)

 

THE CHARITY ONE BALL COMPETITION – WED 19TH APRIL

A donation is requested to be paid on the day; this year all proceeds go to UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). If you wish to play you can add your name to the list in the hut 3.  Please bring a packed lunch.  Coffee, tea and biscuits will be available all day.  Wear whites with something sky blue - the colour of the charity. 

 

SHORT CROQUET / HALF LAWNS

Short Croquet has become popular, especially at the start of the season.  This is a 14-point Association game on a half-size lawn with both players having bisques. We hope that some GC players will give this shorter Association game a try.  Lawn 2 will be split into half lawns as required during April and early May culminating in a two-day tournament on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th May.  The half lawns not only encourage short croquet but are helpful for beginners and those transitioning to AC.

 

TAX REQUIREMENT

Sidmouth Cricket, Tennis and Croquet Club is registered as a Community Amateur Sports Club, and this gives us valuable tax benefits.  However, to retain these benefits, HMRC requires us to keep records to show that at least 50% of members actually ‘participate’ in their sport on a minimum number of days each year. For croquet members this is 12 days in the year. We will be issuing members with Participation Cards to record their activity. When 12 activity sessions are recorded please place cards in a holder in hut 3.

 

SOUTH WEST FEDERATION

Sidmouth teams are entered for AC and GC tournaments played against club teams in the South West.  This year we have entered the new Level play 5+ league.  Team lists will be displayed in hut 3.  The match fee is £5 for every member who plays in a home or away match. The fees are used to assist with travel costs. 

 

COACHING

Experienced players will often be prepared to offer coaching if requested. More intensive coaching courses may be offered by Budleigh Croquet Club or elsewhere.  Details will be displayed in hut 3. Various Croquet books are available to borrow. Please sign the loans sheet in hut 3 and return the book within 2 weeks. A comprehensive set of coaching manuals on strokes and strategy can be found on www.oxfordcroquet.com.

 

PLAYERS WANTING TO TRY THE AC GAME

Half lawns will be set aside on 20th and 21st May for two half days of tuition for those GC players who may like to have an introduction to the AC game.  Details will be posted nearer the time

 

MALLETS / INSURANCE

By your second year it is expected that you have your own mallet. The club have a number of refurbished second-hand mallets for sale. Alternatively, you can buy one privately from an existing member or buy a new mallet. A pamphlet describing various makes of mallet is in hut 3.

If members own mallets they wish to sell, please post details in the mallet room and hut 3. Sometimes former members donate their mallets to the club; these are passed to Andrew Thomas so a decision can be made as to whether to sell them for club funds or tagged and used as club mallets.

Mallets and personal items left in the mallet room or any of the huts are not covered by the club’s insurance; they are left there at the owner’s risk. Personal mallets should be kept in the mallet room or taken home after a game leaving hut 3 for club mallets only.

 

JUMP SHOTS/DIVOT REPAIR

Our lawns are precious.  If Jump shots cannot be guaranteed to be played without damage to the lawn, they must not be attempted.  Any damage from this or mallet faults must be repaired immediately using the tool hanging outside hut.3. A hoop for practice purposes is alongside hut 3.

 

ETIQUETTE

Please refresh your memory on etiquette details displayed in hut 3.  Double banking needs special care. White clothing should be worn for all competitive games. For club sessions and friendlies, the dress code is more casual.

 

GUESTS

Members can bring a guest. The fee is £5 / person for a 3 hour session (£2.50 for juniors). Envelopes for payment are pinned to the noticeboard.  Guests are restricted to playing on 4 occasions in the season.  Members of other clubs joining in a club session are asked to pay £3 / person.

 

THE MALLET ROOM / HUT 3

Considerable refurbishment of the pavilion (and some additional work to hut 3) has taken place over the winter by Andrew Thomas and other helpers. Members are asked to leave the hut clean and tidy. Croquet balls can be washed and then cleaned with the towels available.  Refreshments are available supported by an honesty box system with a minimum of 50p recommended for a cup of coffee or tea and a biscuit.  Please do your own washing up and leave things clean and tidy.

 

SECURITY

We are all responsible for keeping the facilities secure.  If you are the last player using the roadside lawns please ensure the hut kettle switches are off, lock the door, return the keys to the key safe and scramble the code. If using lawn 1 and there is no one following on please lock the mallet room door and (if there are no tennis players playing) lock the other doors of the pavilion.

 

DATA PROTECTION

A list of members and telephone numbers will be circulated and displayed in hut 3.  If you do not wish your number to be included, please notify the membership secretary, Jon Ball.

 

FIRST AID KIT / DEFIBRILLATOR

There is a small first aid kit in hut 3.  A more comprehensive kit can be found in the main pavilion near the telephone.  Please replace any items used. A defibrillator has been mounted outside the pavilion in a yellow box.  This is available for club members and the public to use. Several individuals are trained in its use.  To access the defib, phone 999, identify your location, and you will be told the code to open the box.

 

ASSISTANCE NEEDED

There are many jobs undertaken throughout the playing season – hoops to be re-set / the hut to be cleaned and tidied / benches to be kept clean / help with provision of refreshments for tournaments / assistance with record keeping for the Open GC tournaments / the Chairman’s Garden to be maintained.  If you can assist with any of these please make yourself known to any of the committee and/or look out for notices placed in hut 3.

 

CROQUET WEBSITE

The croquet website is regularly updated with photos and information on recent events.  It can be found at www.sidmouthcroquet.co.uk  Please send any items for the website to chris@navonod.plus.com