Report: Easter Croquet Carnival 2000
Twenty-six visitors from 13 clubs in NSW, South Australia and Victoria joined a dozen local players in a veritable feast of croquet at the annual Easter Carnival hosted by the Canberra Croquet Club held 21-25 April 2000.
Following the traditional welcome with Hot Cross buns, one hundred and fifty-two 2-hour matches were played on five lawns at three venues over the 5-day holiday period in glorious autumn conditions.
Keen competition was offered in the 3x9 and 1x11 block draw, with all competitors playing eight games. A, B and C blocks played advanced, while D block was scheduled for ordinary play.
Despite Easter being late in the year, Regulation 13 (c ) caused few problems for the players. Roger Buddle of Victor Harbor even managed to score 13 points against Mal Gorton of Mangrove Mountain after time was called in their last time-slot game and still have some day-light available to pull in the lawn.
The Easter Sunday cavalcade of Porsches, covering many vintages and all finely detailed, provided a great spectacle (and some wishful thinking!) for the outplayers. Although there was the intention by some to stop the clocks for the Anzac Day flyover, most players were too absorbed with the game in progress to notice. The evening performances of the local cockatoos were somewhat harder to ignore!
Some indication of the handicappers' skills is given by the 24 games having a 1- or 2-point margin, totalling 16 per cent of all matches played. Tony Hall of Canberra was the only player to score a triple peel. Many of the participants' results, such as Canberra rookies Craig Johnson's (undefeated) and Megan Head's, will bring them to notice in the next round of handicap deliberations.
Two early teenaged members of the NSW Junior Development squad, Claire Gorton of Mangrove Mountain and Clare Wade who was accompanied from Bathurst by her parents and siblings, enlivened the proceedings.
The cheerful and hard-working catering corps involving many members of the Canberra Club once again kept the players well fed and watered, as well as contributing to the daily set-up and take-down of the equipment. Their sterling efforts, along with a team of playing and non-playing referees directed by Kevin Brereton, provided a totally hassle-free environment for the Carnival. The heritage-listed Clubhouse demanded its share of attention to service the event - along the way, the guttering was cleared out and the plumbing doctored!
Carmel Statham, Publicity Officer
Canberra Croquet Club
26 April 2000