Friday 30th September - End of Season Round-Up
Your editor has been on holiday and .....well it certainly has all happend in the last week or so! So, were to start...?
Chronologically, Michael Wiles beat Dilys Earnshaw to win a place in the first 7+ Singles Final but then lost the next day to Ian Norris.
Ian is to be roundly congratulated for winning a Cup in his first full season - Really well done Ian!
Staying with Golf Croquet, the old Vivian Thomson - Raymond Wood axis returned to form to take the 5+ Doubles title but were pushed to three very tight games by John Chalfont and another new boy Hugh Crook.
The previously dubbed 'Senior Guard' of Anne Attfield & Cynthia Hutton couldn't live with the Rosie Richardson - Pat Eades pairing and the latter took the new 7+ Doubles at a canter.
The last two Accociation Cups were decided in the last week as well, with Peter Honey taking the senior competition crown (the Advanced Play) and it was good to see Keith Noble returning to the form of old to take the Handicap title.
Away from the Club, in Golf, Michael Wiles and Anne Attfield took their bow as our representatives at the National Center Stage Final at Northampton. Michael won 2 out of 4 games and Anne just the one, as the sloping and bumpy lawns frustrated but failed to hamper their enjoyment of this, their first 'outside' event.
There were flahses of individual success for our our county team, with Charlie von Schmeider apparently taking UK no. 7 Howard Cheyne to the cleaners 7 - 0 in the Inter Counties Tournament, but seemingly match victories were in short supply for Oxfordshire as TJ Johansen, Helena Fensome and other club's representatives toiled away.
Further afield, much further actually, Frances Colman & Chris Roberts flew the Phyllis Court flag at the Greek Association Croquet Open on Corfu.
The pair were beaten by one hoop to the Doubles Title and then Chris beat Frances in the semis of the Singles, before going on to win the Final convincingly.
A huge olive wood trophey raised eyebrows from security staff at the airport but luckily didn't constitue excess bagage!
Frances won a special award for her paitent coaching and general enthusiasm towards the local 'Corfiot' players with whom a sociable Golf Croquet Tournament was played at the end of a lovely week in the sun.