2003 News

Additional pictures can be seen in our Photo Gallery and detailed match results/reports via our Competitive Play page

16th November – AGM

Clive Horton retires as Treasurer after 12 years, John Timmis elected new Treasurer. Jon Diamond and Roger Morris join Committee.

7th November – All lawns now top-dressed, so cannot be used for the Winter. Should re-open mid-March.

17th October – Internal Competition Winners:

Spa Salver – Aaron Westerby
Lustau Cup – Barney Lewis
Calverley Cup – John Timmis
Lewis Shield – Jon Diamond
Howell Cup – Miriam Reader
Golf Rose Bowl – Chris Berwick
Association Ladder – Nita Davis
Golf Ladder – Nita Davis
Doubles Goblet – John Hobbs + Doreen Hough

11th/12th October – Tunbridge Wells Autumn Handicap Tournament – Pegasus Plate

Delightful weather, especially on the Saturday and certainly compared to the deluge last year, saw 12 players from 8 clubs all over the country playing. This was organised as a Knock-Out, together with a Consolation Block event.

The tournament used Bryce adjustments to making 26, 22 or 18 point games depending on the strength of the players. This resulted in many interesting peg-out endings for the spectators to cheer and groan over. Mark Homan clearly regretted one of his – failing a peg-out against Jon in the Knock-Out when leading by 13 points. Sorry Mark!

In the final of the Knock-Out Jon Diamond (9 handicap from Tunbridge Wells) fairly well shut-out Owen Bryce (8 handicap from Northampton) winning by 18 points, although the 10-year old Port was some compensation for Owen.

Richard Clark, having been beaten by Jon in the Knock-Out, won the Consolation Block.

Thanks to Pegasus Retirement Homes for sponsoring the tournament, presenting the trophy and the prizes.

The Consolation Block full results are:

Player	Club	Handicap	Wins
Richard Clark	Tunbridge Wells	7	4
Chris Crowcroft	Winchester	3	3
Michael Hague	Woking and Surbiton	8	3
Mark Homan	Watford	7	3
David Clarke	Sidmouth	7	2
Nita Davies	Tunbridge Wells	18	2
Ted Robinson	Southwick	12	2
Barbara Clarke	Sidmouth	16	1
Miriam Reader	Tunbridge Wells	18	1
Avril Willshaw	Rottingdean	9	1

Mick Belcham was an exemplary manager, although one (anonymous) comment was that Care in the Community appeared to be working extremely well!

Dry roasted peanuts next year please.

7th October – Friendly vs Compton

17 players all-told turned up for this Golf Croquet event. Despite the showers it was clearly enjoyed by all.

29th September – U league vs Ramsgate – won 2:1

21st September – Advanced Tournament @ Southwick

Mick Belcham and Chris Sturdy both went down to Southwick to play aganist significantly stronger opposition. Mick managed to win 3/5, but Chris had a mega-tournament. He didn’t win overall since he lost one game and so had only 4 wins. These did include Bill Arliss (1-handicap), and so he comes down with a bump from 7 to 5 handicap. Congratulations Chris!

13th/14th September – All England Handicap Final @ Colchester

The weather was splendid, but the lawns (despite the watering) were too fast for Jon Diamond who only won 1 of his 5 games. Perhaps he’ll manage to emulate Barney sometime in the future.
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6th/7th September – Tunbridge Wells Advanced Tournament

The weather continued to be kind, but unfortunately a few late cancellations meant that only eight players took part in our five-round Swiss event and John Hobbs being a playing manager. In the end the result was as close as one could wish, with Steve just pipping Jolyon on the second tie-breaker for the Honeygrove trophy: the total of their wins in hoops!

Thanks to Honeygrove Properties for sponsoring the tournament, presenting the trophy and the prizes.

The full results are:

Player	Club	Wins
Steve Woolnough	Reading	4
Jolyon Creasey	Tunbridge Wells	4
Russell Bretherton	Surbiton	3
Mick Belcham	Tunbridge Wells	2
Richard Clark	Tunbridge Wells	2
Jon Diamond	Tunbridge Wells	2
John Hobbs	Tunbridge Wells	2
Paul Miles	Medway	1

30th August – High Bisquers One Day

The high bisquers was won by Brian Hough with four wins and his handicap now comes down to 16 (with which he is pleased). Runner up was Michael Brown (24) our country member from Sheffield! His handicap will also come down, since it was evidently too high (his garden croquet experience enabled him to hit straight!). Two players notched up 5 games in all and everyone said they enjoyed the day.

30th August – All England Regional Final at Southwick

Our representative, Jon Diamond, finished second with 4 wins out of ten participants and goes through to the Finals in Colchester in two weeks time.

20th August – Southwick August Mixed Doubles

Miriam Reader was back to defend the title she won last year with John Hobbs, but as John was unable to play she had press-ganged Richard Clark to join her. Due to the glorious weather the lawns were rather tricky and they weren’t quite able to reproduce the previous result, having to settle for being on the losing side in the knock-out final. The other TW team of Chris Berwick and Jon Diamond ended up in fourth place, out of 16 pairs.

20th August – Website changes

Visitor counter added for front page plus other committee photos and some minor changes.

12th August – B league match vs Southwick – lost 3:0

Southwick	Tunbridge Wells	Result
John Gosney	Jon Diamond	+7
Martin Rogers	Miriam Reader	+14
Moira Gosney John Constable	Richard Clark Derek Heath	+1

2nd August – U league match vs Reigate Priory – won 2:1

Tunbridge Wells	Reigate Priory	Result
Jon Diamond	Mike Bottomly	+5
Richard Mann	John Taylor	-3
John Hobbs Miriam Reader	Rex Davies Ron Farr	+3

27th July – SECF Golf Croquet Team Tournament

Two teams of four (selected after some toing and froing and late changes) went to the SECF team handicap event held at Southwick, competing in a field of 18 from 15 clubs as far away as Sydenham and Ramsgate.

Our performance in the mornings doubles was creditably absolutely average, with both teams scoring 2 out of 4 games (including 4 drawn matches on time). The afternoon session was slightly better with Tunbridge Wells 1 scoring 6/12 and Tunbridge Wells 2 scoring 6.5/12 and finishing up 6th.

John Hobbs was at his usual best, succeeding with two jump shots and failing with one that cleared the hoop completely. He also casually ran Hoop 4 from Hoop 3! Jon Diamond managed an excellent two-ball cannon which finished up running the nearby hoop to much amusement from the spectators. Not quite what he intended, but welcome nevertheless.

Doubles results were:

Tunbridge Wells 1
John Hobbs Miriam Reader	2
Derek Heath Jean Heath	0
Tunbridge Wells 2
Jon Diamond Derek Crocombe	1.5
Chris Marshall Stan Oxenbury	0.5

Individual singles results were:

Tunbridge Wells 1
John Hobbs	2.5
Miriam Reader	2
Derek Heath	0.5
Jean Heath	1
Tunbridge Wells 2
Jon Diamond	3
Chris Marshall	0
Derek Crocombe	1.5
Stan Oxenbury	2

The weather co-operated, with sun most of the day (even for the prize-giving at 7pm) and no rain at all. The event was magnificently organised by Bill Arliss, with David Hopkins as Manager on the day. Winners of the Singles Event were Rottingdean and of the Doubles were Littlehampton and a good time was had by all!

26th July Friendly vs Sydenham/Bromley

8 of the Tunbridge Wells club took on a combined Sydenham/Bromley team who bravely faced the elements. At the half way stage honours were even at 4 doubles a piece. TW were just one hoop in front. As the rain increased, tea was taken early in the hope of some abatement. It was not to be. Gathering flood water across the lawns forced early abandonment. The visitors thanked us for our hospitality and vowed to return at a hopefully more favourable time.

24th July B league match vs Compton

Tunbridge Wells	Compton	Result
Mick Belcham Miriam Reader	Mavis Buist Joan Jarman	+11
Chris Sturdy	Brian Jarman	+19
Brian Hough	Libby Fleming	+9

15th July

Retrospective detailed match results added, plus a few bits and pieces

13th July – Website changes

Change detection added for front page plus club photos (including most of the committee) plus some re-organisation.

5th July – One Ball Tournament

There were 16 entrants from 5 clubs (Littlehampton, Roehampton, Hayes/Bromley, Brenzett and Tunbridge Wells)

Brian Hough won his block and lost in the final Knock-Out to Eli Frith from Brenzett.

1st July – B league match vs Purley Bury – lost 1:2

Purley Bury	Tunbridge Wells	Result
Ken Pascal	Miriam Reader	+1T
Dave Rogers	Richard Clark	+1T
Audrey Sherwin Janet Pascall	Mick Belcham Brian Hough	-16

26th June PPP takes up croquet

Recently three members of a department of PPP (the financial healthcare company based in Tunbridge Wells) joined the club so that, not only would they have full playing privileges, but they would be able to have colleagues from PPP as guests. Guests will be limited to weekday lunchtimes (12 – 2) and weekday evenings from 5.30, on payment of green fees. This arrangement will enable several PPP staff to have a taste of the game and to relax at lunchtime or in the evenings, playing golf croquet doubles, for the extra fun and interaction it provides. We hope that other departments will take up the idea – or other companies!

24th June – Jon Diamond wins All England – Club section

20th June – Website launched

14th June – U league match vs Medway – lost 1:2

Tunbridge Wells	Medway	Result
Clive Horton	R Parkins	-6
Barney Lewis	Liz Maltby	-22
John Hobbs Miriam Reader	R Alexander A Dickens	+8

10th June – B league match vs Chartham Hatch – won 2:1

Tunbridge Wells	Chartham Hatch	Result
Richard Mann	Paul Hill	+1T
Miriam Reader	Albert Sidebottom	-8
Mick Belcham Chris Berwick	Brenda Porrer Ken Dawes	+7T

7th June – U league match vs Compton – won 2:1

Compton	Tunbridge Wells	Result
Barry James	Mick Belcham	-3
Ann Jarman	John Timmis	+4
Arthur Nelson Mavis Burst	Jolyon Creasey Miriam Reader	+4