National Competitions 2018
News of the latest exploits of our Longman Cup team . . .
The Longman Cup is a National AC Inter-Club competition, and our team is doing rather well this year.
They beat Watford (away) in the first round; Colchester at home in the second round; and have now followed up by winning away at Nottingham. The match went all the way to a nail-biting conclusion, with Andy Allen winning at the Golden Hoop in the final game.
The team for the last two games has been David Mathews, Colin Davies, David Clancey and Andy Allen - in the first round Colin was joined by Martin King, John Hall and Jeremy Scott. Congratulations to all of them for getting Letchworth through to the Finals Weekend, to be played at Surbiton on 6-7 October. Semi-Finals on the Saturday, followed by the Final on Sunday.
The only time Letchworth has previously won this competition was in 1989, when Duncan Hector and David Tutt were in the line-up. An open-top bus parade through Letchworth has been promised if the current team do the same!
Report by Keith Rhodes
The Longman Cup is a National AC Inter-Club competition, and our team is doing rather well this year.
They beat Watford (away) in the first round; Colchester at home in the second round; and have now followed up by winning away at Nottingham. The match went all the way to a nail-biting conclusion, with Andy Allen winning at the Golden Hoop in the final game.
The team for the last two games has been David Mathews, Colin Davies, David Clancey and Andy Allen - in the first round Colin was joined by Martin King, John Hall and Jeremy Scott. Congratulations to all of them for getting Letchworth through to the Finals Weekend, to be played at Surbiton on 6-7 October. Semi-Finals on the Saturday, followed by the Final on Sunday.
The only time Letchworth has previously won this competition was in 1989, when Duncan Hector and David Tutt were in the line-up. An open-top bus parade through Letchworth has been promised if the current team do the same!
Report by Keith Rhodes
Longman Cup Second Round
Letchworth vs Colchester
12th July 2018 at Letchworth
Result: Letchworth beat Colchester 5-2
Teams & handicaps:
Letchworth:
David Mathews (4.5)
Colin Davies (9)
David Clancey (14)
Andy Allen (14)
Colchester:
Al Brown (6)
Georgeen Hemming (6)
John Andrews (8)
Lydia Vaux (18)
Scores (Letchworth names first):
David Mathews & Colin Davies lost to Georgeen Hemming & Lydia Vaux -12
David Clancey beat Al Brown +7T
Andy Allen beat John Andrews +11T
David Mathews beat Al Brown +21
Colin Davies beat Georgeen Hemming +6
David Clancey lost to John Andrews -4T
Andy Allen beat Lydia Vaux +5T
Letchworth vs Colchester
12th July 2018 at Letchworth
Result: Letchworth beat Colchester 5-2
Teams & handicaps:
Letchworth:
David Mathews (4.5)
Colin Davies (9)
David Clancey (14)
Andy Allen (14)
Colchester:
Al Brown (6)
Georgeen Hemming (6)
John Andrews (8)
Lydia Vaux (18)
Scores (Letchworth names first):
David Mathews & Colin Davies lost to Georgeen Hemming & Lydia Vaux -12
David Clancey beat Al Brown +7T
Andy Allen beat John Andrews +11T
David Mathews beat Al Brown +21
Colin Davies beat Georgeen Hemming +6
David Clancey lost to John Andrews -4T
Andy Allen beat Lydia Vaux +5T
Golf Croquet Inter-Club
Letchworth beat Hunstanton 4-3
By Nick Mounfield at Hunstanton
5th June 2018
Last year's runners-up, Letchworth, narrowly defeated Hunstanton 4-3 in the first round of this year's event.
The morning started off brightly (if a little cold and windy) for the hosts with two good wins, including an upset in the doubles, where Duncan Hector (-1) (playing against his former club) and David Thirtle-Watts (0) beat Nick Mounfield (-3) and John Noble (-1) in two straight games. Hunstanton's other victory came courtesy of Noel Gill (4) who beat Jeremy Scott (2) in three games. John Skingsley (1) spared Letchworth the ignominy of a morning whitewash, beating David Boxell (6) in two games.
In the afternoon the visitors drew level, with Nick beating Duncan. Not long after John N edged Letchworth into the lead beating David T-W, before Jeremy put the tie out of the hosts reach with a win against David B. The only afternoon match to go the distance saw Noel ending the day as the only undefeated player, beating John after a hotly-contested 13th hoop in the third game.
Letchworth will now play the winners of Croquet Durham and Northampton in the second round. Full results on Croquetscores.com.
Letchworth beat Hunstanton 4-3
By Nick Mounfield at Hunstanton
5th June 2018
Last year's runners-up, Letchworth, narrowly defeated Hunstanton 4-3 in the first round of this year's event.
The morning started off brightly (if a little cold and windy) for the hosts with two good wins, including an upset in the doubles, where Duncan Hector (-1) (playing against his former club) and David Thirtle-Watts (0) beat Nick Mounfield (-3) and John Noble (-1) in two straight games. Hunstanton's other victory came courtesy of Noel Gill (4) who beat Jeremy Scott (2) in three games. John Skingsley (1) spared Letchworth the ignominy of a morning whitewash, beating David Boxell (6) in two games.
In the afternoon the visitors drew level, with Nick beating Duncan. Not long after John N edged Letchworth into the lead beating David T-W, before Jeremy put the tie out of the hosts reach with a win against David B. The only afternoon match to go the distance saw Noel ending the day as the only undefeated player, beating John after a hotly-contested 13th hoop in the third game.
Letchworth will now play the winners of Croquet Durham and Northampton in the second round. Full results on Croquetscores.com.
Longman Cup Match v Watford - 1st round
May 23rd
Letchworth won 4 - 3
am Jeremy and Colin lost -21 to John Smallbone and Robin Harold-Parry
Martin beat Adam Huby +4 (T)
I beat Mark Homan +8
pm Jeremy lost to John -15
Colin beat Mark +2
I lost to Adam -5 (T)
Martin beat Robin +2 (T)
Next round is a home match against Colchester on 12th July
May 23rd
Letchworth won 4 - 3
am Jeremy and Colin lost -21 to John Smallbone and Robin Harold-Parry
Martin beat Adam Huby +4 (T)
I beat Mark Homan +8
pm Jeremy lost to John -15
Colin beat Mark +2
I lost to Adam -5 (T)
Martin beat Robin +2 (T)
Next round is a home match against Colchester on 12th July
Mary Rose 2018
Report by John Bevington
Saturday 2 June at Wrest Park
Wrest Park beat Letchworth 5-2
Bryan Harral (0) & George Collin (1.5) beat David Tutt (0.5) & Keith Rhodes (2.5) +9
John Bevington (1.5) beat Heather Bennett (3.5) +9
David Morgans (3.5) beat Ian Mantle (3) +21
Bryan Harral beat David Tutt +18
George Collin beat Keith Rhodes +16
John Bevington lost to Ian Mantle -16
David Morgans lost to Heather Bennett -16
David Morgans, a new member having moved south from Shropshire, got things started with a win against Ian Mantle. Wrest Park won the doubles and went into lunch 3-0 up after John Bevington, on rover and peg, was able to take advantage of a rare but expensive miss from Heather after 2-back, conceding a lift with the balls usefully placed.
The top singles had moments to savour. David Tutt opened with pink to corner 4. Bryan played pink (!) and went off the south boundary just east of A baulk. David then took croquet from the replaced correct ball, turning down the rush on offer. George, who had been hitting everything, had black on peg and was using it to try an angled penult peel on blue. Red was near the peg. The peel attempt put blue into the jaws of penult (OK so far), but black carried on to roquet red. This would have been all very well but for the fact that the roquet had been made via the peg.
David had been warned about Heather’s accuracy but it didn’t help him, and John exhausted the repertoire of unforced errors when he played the wrong ball at very much the wrong time.
Weather: a glorious second of June. Lunch and tea: Sharman Harral did us proud.
PS More haste, less speed!
In the sentence “The top singles had moments to savour. David Tutt opened with pink to corner 4 . . .” please replace “pink” with “white”.
PPS Actually it was David with pink and Bryan with white, but no matter.