The annual Charity “One Ball” competition was played on Thursday April 19th, a dry day unusually for this year, and our first internal competition of the year.
Every Croquet club in England runs its own “One Ball “competition, with the winner going to the national final.
This competition is an annual England-wide competition in aid of a Charity. This year the national organisers chose the Down’s Syndrome Association. Entry fees for all the tournaments and other fundraising goes to the Charity; this year Sidmouth CC raised £130.
“One Ball” Croquet is as its title says, a version of the game in which each player is matched against another, each having one ball to hit through 13 consecutive hoops. Whilst it is possible to go around without making use of the opponent’s ball, managing to hit it enables an extra turn which can aid progress through the hoops. .Players with differing skills are given handicaps consisting of of extra turns to try to even them up.
Twenty-six players entered the competition this year, each starting off with 100 nominal points, and played five other opponents. A win gained 10 points; a loss meant 10 points lost. Players played five games, so that the maximum points were 150. Both Penny Ball and Richard Thurlow scored 140 points in their first four games, and so were matched together in the final, which Richard just managed to win, giving him 150 points.
The runners-up were Andrew Thomas, Penny Ball, Dave Mundy and Steve Pearson each on 130 points. The final is to be held in Surbiton later in the year.
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