Sidmouth Herald published 4 June 2015
Sidmouth croquet team claimed another South West Golf Federation League win when they secured a 14-6 success on a visit to Exeter, writes David Butler.
The Exeter team were mostly inexperienced players with high handicaps (10-12) compared with the Sidmouth team that carried handicaps from four to nine.
This meant that the low handicap Sidmouth players would be facing the many extra turns (bisques) that the host team were entitled to. This can be very daunting when the bisques are used correctly!
After the first two rounds, consisting of four doubles and four singles, Sidmouth led 5-3.
It took the Sidmouth players some time to adjust their play to the smaller than normal size lawns as they tended to hit the balls off the lawn!
However, gradually, during the afternoon sessions, Sidmouth extended their lead, winning nine of the final 12 games to secure that overall 14-6 success.
A few of the Sidmouth players deserve a mention. Graeme Pryor won all his four games. Margaret Piper won three games and drew one, whilst Philip Harris won three of his four games.
A newcomer to playing for the Golf Croquet League team, Andrew Thomas, played five games. He lost one doubles, drew another doubles game and won his three singles games. Well done, Andrew!
Having had some good games in lovely sunshine, the hosts then provided an excellent tea, which rounded up a most enjoyable day.