Tournaments at Fylde

Chester's Maureen Corrigan thinks about a bisque.

The emphasis on a friendly competition with players wearing their Federation Colours.

In addition to Fylde's entries, clubs sent players from Bowdon, Bury, Chester, Penrith and Westmorland.

The general tenor of the event is suitable for newcomers to tournaments but also the experienced players may feel at home here. The weather cool and Sunny, the food warm and homely.

Following on from a three round block eliminator, in the semi finals last years runner up Mike Miller from Chester beat Bowdon's John Lucas and David Lloyd from Westmorland beat the experienced Chris Evans from Bowdon.

With the spectators in place enjoying their afternoon teas the final started and Mike soon took a chance to get his first ball to the peg. The game took an exciting turn when David responded with a great break and pegged Mike's first ball out of the game. And so, much to the interest of those watching, the cat and mouse started, David established a three point lead. Then with sharp tactical awareness took a chance to enter a two ball end game. Now with his back to the wall and time running out Mike made the shot of the day with a fourteen yard roll to hoop two which he then ran to the boundary leaving a rush to hoop three which he also made. He managed to get to ten feet in front of hoop four, if he could run this he would be level and, with being in play, have the advantage, but it was a big ask and in missing the shot retained the runners up trophy for a second year.

A good result for David in his first year. His play is improving rapidly, he looks the part and we look forward to seeing him back next year to defend the trophy.

Jubilee Trophy Handicap Weekend 2014

Now in its third year, promoting friendly competition, the tournament filled up early again: Alison Heywood Hill (18) Tyneside, Colin Green (11) Tyneside, Joe Lennon (9) Glasgow, Philip Bass (22) Fylde, Catherine Bass (22) Fylde, Eileen Rossiter (18) Southport, Eileen Galagher (10) Southport, Harry Midgley (4.5) Phyllis Court, Rena Souten (18) Huddersfield, Nathan Baker (18) Fylde, Denise Hoyle (22) Huddersfield & Marjorie Eldon (11) Huddersfield.

The tournament provided a spectacular sight for the members of Fylde who have worked over the years at improving the facilities and the lawns. All these being well received by the visitors who bronzed themselves in blazing Sunshine on day one. Real Bronze Awards went to Catherine Bass and Rena Souten in round two.

After the first three games of the five round Swiss, Nathan was unbeaten and six players were on two wins. A happy situation for me, as the tournament would therefore be unresolved until the final game. Overnight the lawns soaked up the rains unlike the visitors, who were too exhausted to soak up the Blackpool night-life.

Sunday morning found them both fresh as a Daisy and ready to go as LS739 to Alicante roared down the runway. We get the usual wave from the co-pilot as they climb over the lawn. Sorry for them, missing all this Sunshine. As I write, Nathan has run out of bisques trying a double peel finish. There is plenty of time for Harry who has yet to use his half bisque, but at the end of an exciting game Nathan moved forward. Valiant effort from H. The ROT has done his usual pre lunch inspection and is calling for more Coriander on the Aubergine and Feta Mezze. This now being attended to, there being no appeal. The debate regarding balls moving due to fracking rumbles on.

Other critical games conclude. Colin Beat Denise, Rossy beat Rena and Catherine beat Alison. Setting up a situation where a three way tie was possible if Colin could beat the local man in form. This did not happen. After Colin got to peg, Nathan, playing in his first (free) CA Tournament, finished with the trademark peel and peg out. Runner up: Catherine Bass

26th & 27th July 2014

Millennium Short 2014

Manager Peter Wilson Presents the trophy to Fylde's Nathan Baker.

The tournament was a one day Individual singles short lawn event held on Saturday 31st May 2014 the games limited to 75 Minutes base 4. The emphasis on a friendly competition with players wearing their Federation Colours.

Block A
Steve Reynolds (3) Bowdon
Michael Miller (8) Chester
Catherine Bass (10) Fylde
Jennifer Mawdsley (10) Southport
Block B
Garry Wilson (3.5) Pendle
Phillip Bass (9) Fylde
Mike Falla (9) Chester
Vi Richards (10) Bury
Block C
John Mawdsley (5) Southport
Chris Evans (5) Bowdon
Nathan Baker (9) Fylde
Jean Hargreaves (10) Bury

Nathan and Steve qualified from their block with 3/3 but a shoot at the peg three way tie break between Garry, Philip and Mike was required to generate the winner of block B. Garry won that. Michael Miller got the wild card int the semi finals. where Nathan beat Garry and Michael beat Steve.

The remaing players chose to settle down with a drink and cake to watch the final. Michael went to peg on the third turn with two bisques. Nathan replied by going to peg also using 2 bisques. Leaving all balls on his leave was to join on the west boundary with Michael in corners 3 and 4. With two bisques standing Michael shot and hit. He needed a bisque to get hoop 3 but then had the misfortune to miss a roquet, sending his ball, isolated in corner 1. With not much choice he took his last bisque from there but missed. Nathan then set off on his all round break and peg out to win.

Manager Peter Wilson Presents the Runner up trophy to Chester's Michael Miller.

Jubilee Trophy Handicap Weekend 2013

Live comentary from PW: The first holder of the Jubilee Trophy, Andy Brandwood is back to defend it together with eleven others trying to stop him; Eileen Rossiter (18), Catherine Bass (22), Phillip Bass (22), Terry Vernazza (5), Eileen Gallagher (10), Joe Lennon (10), Janet Davies (14), Ian Smith (20) Fane Conant (18), Graham Good (16) Gareth Edwards (14).

A beautiful morning, 8 Plummers, Andy got his Silver Merit Award. Blisteringly scorchio well before lunchtime. Philip misses Bronze as he looses by two. Afternoon tea cup cakes melting as it gets hotter. We are missing the storms in the South. Graham runs between long take offs like Usain Bolt, sometime arriving before the ball. What was in that fruit cake? Rossy delivers the tournament's first twenty six nil to Andy , she had the short straw so they both finish the day on two wins. Some cool air comes in from the East. Graham, playing one ball, beats Terry to take the overnight outright lead. Three games still in play at 20:00, it is a nice evening, four players not in bare feet.

Live comentary from PW: Rain throughout the night clears for the start of play with an Easterly. The washing up bowl blows away rolling on its edge down lawn 1, judging by that it looks like 8 plummers again even with the rain. One or two injuries on show this morning, some arising from doing a Usain and others from the Blackpool nightlife. It is Barret 6 Pidcock 4 Wood Mallets NZ 1 and John Beech 1 by the way. Jet 2 takes off from Blackpool banking over the lawns, the Alecante passengers should be able to see the misplaced clip on lawn 3 from there. Opening a bottle of Willamette IPA does the trick, the first result comes in and it a win for Graham putting him in a strong position. at lunch.

Graham has beaten Andy in short order with bisques to spare and attracted the eye of the tournament handicapper with his high scoring 5/5. Clinical hoop running and rushing are Grahams strong points at the moment but gets away with a suspended sentence as his tactics are, well, lazy? He comes down naturally to 14, that is ok, well played and congratulations to a rising star. Elsewhere they are settling in for the long haul match. Mini Mouse has just turned up at the Tennis Club for a photo shoot. It must be hot in that outfit. Philip is on for a Bronze again, just needs to win the game. That means the result of Joe versus Janet, which started 24 minuets late, will decide the runner up and the sky is darkening with thunder clouds in the distance. Phlip gets his Merit Award as the rain starts, sending the wedding breakfast revelers inside the Tennis Club Bar. Mini appears to have been decapitated and this seems to please most of the children as they play football with her head. Janet is two ahead time goes, Joe misses. FCC Chairman Martin Bradshaw presents the trophy. So that is it until next year, thanks for tuning in.

Millennium Short 2013

NW Federation Clubs were each invited to send players to participate in the tournament. As the general tenor of the event was to be friendly and pleasant this was a suitable place for new members to experience the joys of tournament play, as indeed some did.

The tournament was a one day Individual singles event held on Saturday 1st June 2013.

The first three rounds produced two semi finals; Chris Evans v The holder Jennifer Maudsley and Michael Falla against the best second Garry Wilson. Chris went on to beat Garry in a close game watched by a knowledgeable crowd.

Bowdon (Orange): Chris Evans, Leo Fletcher.
Bury (Yellow): Bob Whittle, Tony Philips.
Chester (Mauve): Michael Miller, Mike Falla.
Fylde (Blue): Catherine Bass, Phillip Bass.
Pendle (Green): Garry Wilson.
Southport (Red): Ian Goulden, Jennifer Maudsley, Pauline Rooney.

Jubilee Trophy Handicap tournament

Winner Andy Brandwood, Bury.
Runner up Robbie Dodds, Shrewsbury.
Third place Joe Lennon, Edinburgh & Robert Fulford, Colchester.

The weather was mainly dry and Sunny but there were occasional brief light showers. With a capacity of twelve players, Peter Wilson ran this as a five round Swiss event. Soon entries were coming in from far and wide:
Andy Brandwood (11) and Graham Saunders (9) from Bury, Eileen Rossiter (18), and Eileen Gallagher (10) from Southport, Brian Christmas (3) and Robbie Dodds (0) from Shrewsbury, Joe Lennon (9) Glasgow, Janet Davies (14) Chester, Malcolm Daines (5) Huddersfield, Susan Fulford (22) and Robert Fulford (-2½) from Colchester, Ian Theakstone (12) Fylde.

FCC Chairman Martin Bradhaw presents Andy with the newly commissioned Jubilee Trophy.

Having advertised this as being the ideal venue to enter your first tournament we were delighted to see Susan doing just that. We were also delighted that Robbie entered and that he achieved a handicap reduction to minus half at the end of the tournament. But having Robert as a player made the tournament very special for all the players and everyone connected with Fylde, we looked forward knowing we would see some amazing play on our lawns.

In Round one we got it from Robbie who, playing Robert, hit on turn 4 and for 1.5 bisques, took his ball to peg, joined up in corner 3 with a cross wire at hoop 1. Robert missed and Robbie completed the game. Andy was also looking in form, completing his game with a straight rover peel. In Round two Andy beat Robbie +25 with a bisque or two standing. Robert faced his second crosswire against Gally just as one of the heavier showers arrived. He hit in with Red and at 13:44 took croquet for the first time. At 1 Back the waterproof was off and yellow peeled through hoop two. And now peeled though hoop three as Robert makes 4 back with the waterproof on. Finally yellow is peeled through hoop four as Robert takes his waterproofs and both balls off. This left Gally four behind with 7 Bisques remaining. A little cat and mouse ensues and Gally runs out of bisques at 1 back. Robert has a five point two ball break going from 1 back, we are being treated to a master class of hoop running. Good effort from Gally but Robert wins +6.

Round 3 and Graham is trying to do a straight rover peel to beat Robert who is on 1 & 2 but it is going wrong. Robert has hit in and is taking a ball around trying to peel partner as much as possible and succeeds in pegging Graham out. There is some impasse for a while, but with a delightful take off to behind opponents ball in corner three, Robert picks up a break and finishes. Susan chalked up her first victory and Joe beat Brian to lead overnight.

Sunday, weather even more changeable. Robert beat Brian +20TP, Susan achieved a Bronze award against Ian. Janet beat Malcolm and Gally beat Graham. Wins from Andy against Joe and Robbie against Rossy set up four players on 3 points for two deciding matches on lawn 1 in the final round. Robbie faced Joe, Andy faced Robert. The tie break situation was that if Andy won his match, he would win the tournament (having beaten both Robbie and Joe earlier). While if Robert were to win he would be runner up if Robbie were to beat Joe. The manager was ready with a 14 point decider if Joe and Robert won.

But the writing was on the wall. Andy had 11 bisques remaining and the first ball to peg against Robert and then completed the game using only four more bisques. Andy achieved a handicap reduction to 10.

As the remaining games concluded Robert demonstrated a sextuple peeling finish. This together with his play and tactics in general was both remarkable and inspirational. He, together with a handful of players have raised the bar in Croquet to a new level.

Posted by, Peter, 28th & 29th July 2012

The 2012 NW Federation Millennium Short Lawn

Sponsored by Aspire-ts.

Jennifer Maudsley Beats Neil Thompson to win the trophy.

Live Commentary:

Twelve players from six clubs are playing in three blocks. They are wearing Federation team colours. We are about to start the first round and the sun has come out. FCC is looking resplendent with all the equipment in use. A few games going to time and the bisques are running out. On lawn one, in the time turn Imam needs a peel at three, and he makes it! Now he needs to get Yellow to Peg to win ... But no, he has blobbed Four, hard luck there. There is a tie break bonus point for pegging out which will be important for deciding the best runner up out of the three blocks.

From my vantage point in the hut I can see everyone has gone to the toilet. There goes the bell, heralding round two. There is some activity and we are off. It is warming up now and we are seeing more team colours as the layers come off. Iman and Neil, who has first ball to peg now, are doing a great job a masquerading as Blackpool FC fans in their Orange tops. No West Ham lookalikes though. Paul's got one round to peg. The Chilean Merlot is good, especially the second glass. Big turnover on lawn four as Catherine blobs three with an easy pickup for Richard Harvey. Richard has used custard to colour his trouser Yellow for Bury. Beyond the call of duty that.

The lawns are superb, Terry was here before the start trimming them and they are playing like velvet, or is that Merlot? John Maudsley has made the perfect start to his defence of the cup. He is taking the second ball around, and that stylish Red cap is worth an extra bisque. Jennifer has a stunning red nodad and is fighting hard against John H. Penrith are the new team on the block and have Grey to wear. Surprisingly it looks great, let us hope they can send a team to the Festival in a couple of weeks. Clips now gravitating to Rover, but some time tactics are kicking in. The managers nerves are being tested: Will Liz return from the fish and chips run in time? Some players are moving very quickly now in an effort to gain a bonus peg out point.

OK, we are all fed and watered. Philip and Paul have a decider in block A. As do Neil and John M in block B. But in Block C everyone has one point so no one knows how it will end. Irene has a ball around. Did I say Penrith had Grey? It is actually Slate! Armarni Slate, very becoming. Now on lawn six Neil is in with his second ball but it will take some play to gather the balls for a break to peg out. Paul and Philip is now trech warfare. Lawn four can be like that. But you have to fancy The King of Spades (Philip) to dig something out.

Semi finals are sorted and Philip Bass from Fylde is playing Jennifer Maudsley from Southport. Could the trophy be returning to the (other end of) the same mantlepiece we wonder? In the other semi Neil Thompson from Bowdon is playing John Henderson from Penrith, two Sunderland FC fans, what are the chances of that? Handshaking.. it is Neil in the final and he is playing Jennifer!

The final is being played on the infamous lawn two with the hidden hills at one and four. Who will spot them? Philip and John M are playing for first place in the Swiss. Conditions are nearly perfect, just the sounds of the Geese next door, the occasional bisque being pulled and The Prodigy on my PC. Jennifer has the break and is going round with the first ball. It is tidy so far. Stops at rover. Now Neil is replying, he has set up pioneers and is ready to start his break, but it is costly and leaves only one bisque for the partner ball. Jennifer has two bisques and is for hoop two but the balls are on the yard line. She runs it smoothly, can she hold her nerve and finish it with a rover peel? Nope, stuck in three and walking off. Other games are finishing and a small crowd is gathering to watch. Neil shoots, misses. Surely he must take his last bisque here, but no he leave Jennifer to complete running three and if anything she is in a better position now than if she went through first time. She stops at peg leaving oppo on the peg. Neil gets three, but is hampered and it is turn over. Jennifer steps up to a four foot hoop ... She makes it! They think it is all over... It is now.

8th May 2011

The 29th McWeeny Trophy

Fylde hosted the 29th Mcweeny Trophy between the CA and the CAI.

From Left: Jane Shorten (I), Alan Pidcock (E), Brian Lewis (E), Robert Barklie (I), Ben Reves Smith (I), Bob Burnett (ECapt), Jack Clingan (I), Michael O'Shaughnessy (I), Lee Heartley (E), Peter Wilson (E), David Roe (E), Nathanial Healy (ICapt). Picture below: James Hawkins (E).

England's Captain Paul Rigge writes: The Vera McWeeney Trophy is travelling back down to Cheltenham, after being retained by this year's CA squad at Fylde CC. This was the 29th time that England has played Ireland with both having previously held the title fourteen times, England now having the bragging rights 15-14. With the overnight score of 13-10 in our favour, it should have been an easy morning's work to secure the final point required for victory in the last round of doubles outstanding before the visitors left for the airport for their lunchtime flight. However they seemed to dominate most of the play and it appeared at times that only Irish players had turned up since they were occupying all three courts, indeed there was much speculation that if the three doubles went the wrong way, to level the score, the 'dead' singles game from Saturday would have to be played after lunch (Burnett vs Morrison). This proved unnecessary with the final three scores all being secured in timed games, final result; 15-11 after some very nervy play with single yard roquets being missed and wrong balls being played.

The weather was cold, windy, wet and miserable, just the opposite in fact of Fylde CC's hospitality, that was nothing short of superb; They acted as taxi's from/to the airport. The club was bedecked with appropriate bunting and national flags. Local press came down for interviews and pictures that made both the front page and all of page 3 on Saturday (do not ask who modelled for the p3 shot! - no don't!). They billeted all the visitors with club members including feeding and watering them for the weekend. New solid friendships were made this weekend. The Irish were a delight and both teams played in excellent sprit.

CAI Report:
McWeeny2011

Press cuttings:
McWeeny2011#1 McWeeny2011#2 McWeeny2011#3

Singles
Nathaniel Healy beat James Hawkins +15
Bob Burnett beat Robert Barklie +9
Lee Hartley beat Jane Morrison +16
Michael O'Shaughnessy beat David Roe +16
Ben Reeves Smith beat Brian Lewis +8
Peter Wilson beat Jack Clingan +5
Lee Hartley beat Nathaniel Healy +8
James Hawkins beat Robert Barklie +14
Michael O'Shaughnessy beat Brian Lewis +22
Peter Wilson beat Ben Reeves Smith +10t
Jack Clingan beat David Roe +11
Bob Burnett beat Nathaniel Healy +5
Lee Hartley beat Robert Barklie +8
Jane Morrison beat James Hawkins +2
Peter Wilson beat Michael O'Shaughnessy +26
David Roe beat Ben Reeves Smith +8
Jack Clingan beat Brian Lewis +13

Doubles;
Healy & Clingan beat Hartley & Roe +26
Hawkins & Wilson beat Barklie & Reeves Smith +22
Burnett & Lewis beat Morrison & O'Shaughnessy +19
Healy & Clingan beat Burnett & Lewis +17
Barklie & Reeves Smith beat Hartley & Roe +14
Hawkins & Wilson beat Morrison & O'Shaughnessy +12
Healy & Clingan beat Alan Pidcock* & Wilson +2t
Burnett & Lewis beat Barklie & Reeves Smith +1t
Hartley & Roe beat Morrison & O'Shaughnessy +1t
*Alan Picock was substituted for James Hawkins on Sunday Morning.

Match Captain Paul Rigge and Deputy Bob Burnett

15th - 17th July 2011

FCC's first tournament

The NW Federation Millennium Short Lawn Trophy sponsored by Aspire-ts.

Twelve players from six clubs played in three blocks. In the Semi finals, Fylde's own Ken Harper was beaten up by Bury's Bob Whittle who was playing dazzling Croquet and John Mawdsley steady and accurate style from Southport was enough to get the better of Howard Bowron from Penrith. Ken went on to win the plate event and was presented with a wonderful 'plate' of Blackpool rock. There had been a a cloudburst (conveniently) after round one, and this gave the club the chance to show off (and the players to avail) the new canopy which has been generously funded by the CA. The sun then came out and for the final the spectators drew up their chairs and settled in to watch Bob and John play.

After an entertaing and close battle John pegged out. Fylde's Chairman, Martin Bradshaw presented the trophy to John. The general tennor of the event was relaxed and fun and several players made their tournament debuts, which was one of the aims of the event.

8th May 2011