Sidmouth Herald published 14 July 2016
Photo [LtoR]: Andrew Thomas, Sue Rodgers, Graeme Pryor, Brian Pollock
Over the weekend Sidmouth Croquet Club held their annual Association Handicap Doubles competition, writes David Butler.
In this competition a high handicap player is paired with a low handicap player to give them experience of doubles play.
Eight doubles partnerships played in two groups of four pairs in each group.
The new Croquet Association handicap system penalised the pairings with a lower handicap player and therefore it was no surprise that two partnerships of medium handicap players reached the final.
Brian Pollock and Graeme Pryor won all three of their group games.
Andrew Thomas and Sue Rogers and Mike Taylor and Paul Griew each won two of their group games. Andrew and Sue progressed to the final because they had beaten Mike and Paul in their group game.
The final, with Brian Pollock and Graeme Pryor against Andrew Thomas and Sue Rogers, was a tense game with neither pair able to make progress and there was only a maximum of two hoops difference in the score for most of the game. With 20 minutes to go Brian and Graeme were one hoop ahead. Sue Rogers then hit in and ran a five hoop break for her partnership to lead by four hoops.
This proved decisive because neither Brian or Graeme were able to run another hoop in the time remaining so Andrew and Sue won the game plus four.
This is Sue’s second doubles victory this year having won the national veterans’ championships doubles two weeks ago.
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