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With the tournament session barely started, High Wycombe has a National winner!
Paul Gunn was taking part in the National GC A-league (0+) Series on Sat/Sun 6th/7th April held jointly each year at High Wycombe and Phyllis Court. 16 players from many parts of the UK took part with the top 4 from High Wycombe and the top 4 from Phyllis going through to the final at Phyllis, the bottom 4 from each venue playing for the plate at High Wycombe. Paul won 5 of his 7 all-play-all on the first day, securing his place in the finals along with Duncan Catterall, another High Wycombe member. The finals were played as a knockout best of 3 games with Paul winning all his matches in two without needing to go to a third game. The final was played between Paul and Helena Jannson from Phyllis Court, with Paul winning 7-5, 7-3. Well done Paul! Richard Peperell One of the great assets at High Wycombe is the dedicated contribution of our coaches. Here is another example of this, the forthcoming Monday sessions to help GC players sharpen their skills in the summer season. Take a look and make a note in your calendar of the topics that are of greatest interest to you.
And if you forget, the next few weeks' topics will also appear on the home page. Thank you to Ian, Michael and Richard. Chris Webbley This summer, the Club will be trialling a change to the number of players allowed on each lawn at any one time. Up to now, this limit has been six (for GC), using primary, secondary and tertiary colours. In response to some comments that access to lawn time could be improved, the maximum number of players this summer will be increased to eight. Two pairs will need to use the same set of colours and so the later-arriving pair will decide which they use and will need to notify the other pair of players at a suitable point in that game, avoiding distraction under GC Rule 16.2.4 ("disturbs other players during the game" etc).
Because this will inevitably put more footfall on the lawns, it has been agreed that there will need to be a maximum weight on the lawns at any one time. This only needs to be an average of the four pairs of players, and for a trial period from the start of the season from Monday this has been set at 24 stone per pair (152.41 Kg). A weighing scales has been installed in the clubhouse for people to check that they comply and a Weight Assessment Officer role has been created to monitor the system. (The sharp-eyed members will have seen that for the various EV Doubles competitions, choosing a lighter partner will make it easier to book lawn times, as they will be more likely to help come in under the 24 stone level.) The Committee hope that members will take this change in the spirit in which it is intended. A 30-day trial will conclude at the end of April. If it is decided that the new system has not worked, then members will need to revert to the old method of looking at the lawn bookings and selecting times when the lawns are free. Chris Webbley for HWCC Committee The area of lawn near the centre-lawn sprinkler controls has been levelled (see picture). It will take a week or so for the grass seeds to germinate after which we should be able to remove the barriers. Well worth the inconvenience in the meantime.
Richard Peperell The last of the current series of GC High Handicap tournaments was held on Tuesday 5 March. Due to the unpredictability of the wonderful British weather the start time was delayed to avoid any risk of frost!! From then on the weather improved until the sun shone on 8 wonderful players having a great time competing for the coveted bottle of Cava!
There were some skilful tactics and super shots throughout the day. Particularly commendable was Joy Biggs playing her ball from the side line (by the starting square) diagonally across the lawn so that her ball sat within inches of Hoop 2. The Final was another exciting battle between Kenny Weir and Barry Stanton with Barry securing No.1 position at the 12th hoop. Penny Austin took third place after some wonderful play and Chris Stanton very bravely took part in her first match (and I hope first of many!!) Thanks to Jane Gloster for all her support during the day. Sharon Clark The club has invested in two sets of Ultra Championship hoops. They are silver in appearance and should hold a bit firmer in the ground. They are now on the trolleys. Enjoy!
Seen here setting the holes for the new hoops are outgoing Equipment Manager Keith Toovey and his successor Kenny Weir. Thank you, Keith, for all your work keeping the club's gear in good order, and welcome, Kenny, to this important role. Raouf Allim One of the pleasures of running our autumn and winter GC tournaments is to welcome people from other clubs who are new to High Wycombe. Yesterday it was the turn of Liza from Eynsham and John from Ealing who joined two other guests and four home members to compete in the latest Handicap Zero trial competition.
Many of the games ended with a close result (7-5 or 7-6). This extended to the game that determined the overall winner. Barry Stanton held his nerve well at the 13th hoop to win with his second ball and took home a well-earned bottle of bubbly. Our visitors were full of praise for the friendly welcome that High Wycombe extends at these events. Chris Webbley Sunday 18th was another of those AC Tournament days that didn’t dawn bright and sunny! Indeed six intrepid players from four clubs braved rains, partially flooded roads and diversions even to get to High Wycombe – only to be greeted by the entrance gate sitting in a lake of about an inch of water.
Having arrived for set-up around 08.15, we were greeted by a miserable scene – Lawn 1 with several deep puddles, and probably nearly a quarter of Lawn 2 with free-standing water. By dint of hard labour with that great new brush, good luck with the rain stopping, and mostly the super lawns and drainage at HW, three matches were underway on time at 09.15 with no water showing except on the paths and surrounds! As the day went on, things improved further – lawns firmed up, ran true if a bit slower than usual, and all was set for a good day. We were all delighted that the manager (Mike Porter) hadn’t taken the easy option and cancelled – we would have missed out on 8 hours of fun, and even a bit of sun in the afternoon. Much of the croquet was more than worthy of the effort – as you would expect with four of the players being under-3 handicappers (with 2 sub-zero). We were able to play an all-play-all tournament, with Roger Tribe (Blewbury) emerging as ‘king of the day’ with 5 wins, followed by Mike flying HW’s flag with 4. As the sun came out it was a fine scene – of craftsmen at work (in most cases!) – smooth rhythmic control of the balls, interspersed occasionally with raw power. All standards were on display – from very strong and experienced players to one who had never played a ‘level’ or ‘advanced’ tournament. While the latter frequently showed how confusing the game could be, he thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to gain new experience in a very friendly and supportive environment – one of the clear benefits of these friendly winter tournaments! A good day was had by all – despite the unpromising beginning – and thanks to the quality of our lawns and their upkeep. Richard Coward |
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