These notes describe our Internal Club Competitions, which vary slightly from year to year. Entry is free of charge. Most of these competitions have some kind of final which we hope will take place on Finals Day, usually the second or third Sunday in September. The formats are determined by the number/strength of entries, except where noted.
Recommended competitions for beginners are marked with a *. Register your entries via , but please don’t enter if you think you may not be able to complete all the games, as withdrawal affects the format as well as your direct opponents.
Association Croquet
Spa Salver: not for the faint hearted! Games are played using Advanced rules, so without handicap and not recommended for players with a handicap of more than 10. Organised as Blocks with a play-off.
Lustau: Advanced Handicap rules, i.e. with bisques, to enable ‘up-and-comers’ to take on the established players. It used to be a variation of the official Advanced Handicap rules with players unable to take a bisque after missing with the first stroke of the turn. It’s now played to approved rules, so games can be entered on your Handicap card. Organised as Blocks with a play-off.
The name for the competition and the trophy were given by Fernando de Ansorena from Southern Spain (naturally) when he played in it in 1996. Sadly we don’t get a fresh bottle or two each year as prizes…
Calverley Cup: a knock-out event open to all. Standard 26 point Association handicap games.
Our very first competition, starting in 1988.
Lewis Shield (All England Handicap): Club Section for the Croquet Association National Handicap Tournament. The winner enters Regional Play-Off. The format is dependent on the number of entrants, but in the last few years this has been an all-play-all on a Saturday in July. The entry fee to the CA is paid by the club.
Known as the Lewis Shield because it was donated by Barney Lewis. There was no cup for winning this club competition. at the time He said anyone winning it three times could keep it. Barney went on to win this competition for the first three seasons but he said the club could retain the Shield.
**Miriam Reader Memorial Doubles: a knock-out handicap event open to all whatever their handicap. An excellent coaching tool as partners are allocated on the basis of their handicaps. The higher your handicap, the better your partner/coach! If your handicap is above 20 you will play off 20.
This is a 14-point event with a 90 minute time limit.
Miriam was a stalwart of the club for many years, and a supporter of us and other local clubs. She was a high handicap player, but loved playing the game. She lived just round the corner and also did the washing up for matches even when she wasn’t playing in them! She donated a sum to us in her will, part of which we used to buy a dish-washer in her honour.
* Howell Cup High Bisquers Handicap: open to anyone with an Association handicap of 18 or above at the start of the season. The handicap is not the normal AC handicap one, but is to a base of 6, i.e. each player has a number of bisques calculated as AC handicap – 6. Organised as Blocks with a play-off.
For 2022 this will be a 14-point event with a 90 minute time limit.
Peter Howell was Chairman of the club from 1985 for 16 years and his wife Audrey was a member of the club and Treasurer for some years.
* Ladder: a year-long handicap Ladder open to all (normally games are 14-point) – beginners welcome at any time, but it doesn’t run some years! Sign up now or add your name to the Ladder in the Club House any time during the season. Detailed rules are here.
* New Members Competition: a competition run in late August/early September for all those who’ve joined this year or last year (and who weren’t a member of another croquet club previously).
Golf Croquet
For 2023 because the SECF is introducing the Advantage Handicap system for their handicap competitions, we’re moving all our Handicap competitions from using Bisques/Extra Turns to use the new Advantage system. Not 13 point games, just use first to 7 points table.
Hunter Plate: open to all, level play, Single 13-point games. Organised as Blocks followed by a Knock-out.
Kitching Rose Bowl: a knock-out event open to all, handicap play, best of 3 x 13-point games. Players with a handicap of more than 10 will play off 10.
Brian Kitching was a member of the club for many years and donated the trophy.
* High Bisquers Handicap: open to anyone with a Golf handicap of 8 or above at the beginning of the season. For beginners and those trying to improve.
** Doubles: a knock-out event open to all. Handicap play, players with a handicap of more than 10 will play off 10. An excellent coaching tool as partners are allocated on the basis of their handicaps. The higher your handicap, the better your partner!
* Ladder: like the Association one, but for Golf Croquet, with the same rules.
** Teams League (Fraser Tankard): Tuesday evenings (probably no more than two evenings monthly for anyone). Please contact Michael Gentry if you want to play in this.
This has proved very popular and is particularly good for new members as you meet a lot of fellow members
The league is made up of teams of 5 or more and there are two rounds of two singles and one doubles starting at 6.15pm and finishes at approximately 8.15pm. The timing is so that you can take advantage of the cheap parking rates: £1.50 after 6pm, but if you park between 5pm and 6pm for one hour it costs even less!)
The competition runs from the beginning of the season till mid September and, depending on the number who take part you can expect to play about once every 3 weeks.
* New Members Competition: run in late August/early September for all those who’ve joined this year or last year (and who weren’t a member of another croquet club previously).
* Family Competition: a doubles competition – a member and one of their family members (who mustn’t be a member of any croquet club!). Usually run on a Saturdays in July with the final on Finals Day.