7/10/2024

High Handicap team Match report (by Keith Southern)

Congratulations to Swanage Croquet Club for winning the 2024 South West Croquet Federation High Handicap League final on 28 September. The match was, in fact, a repeat of the 2023 final against Llandaff who won that encounter 12-8. This year's final was played at the picturesque Camerton & Peasedown Croquet Club on a chilly but dry day and, as with the previous year, Swanage fielded a team with handicaps significantly lower than those of the Llandaff team (average 8.8 versus 11.2) The games in the first round were very close (7-6, 7-6 and 5-7) and despite the difference in handicaps the match score remained close all day, generally level or with Swanage one game behind. Entering the final round of 5 singles games Swanage trailed 7-8 and as these games finished the progress of the match score was 7-9, 8-9, 8-10. However, in a nail-biting finish Vicki and Helen won the last two single ties to level the match score at 10-10!

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Competition rules required that a tied final be resolved by one further doubles game. Virginia and Mike proceeded to play this match with the opposition pair again enjoying a two shot advantage. Unsurprising this game also proved to be nip and tuck with Virginia scoring a neat in off from a tight angle in the early exchanges as the score edged to 4-4. However an exceptional moment then saw Swanage pull away. After Virginia had won hoop 9 Mike's shot to hoop 10 from 20+ yards away passed a well placed opponent ball to score the hoop in one and to secure a 6-4 lead. This effectively broke Llandaff’s resolve and shortly after an exchange of hitting away at hoop 11 Virginia scored the winning hoop from just inside 4 feet to win the match and bring relief and joy to watching teammates.  

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Overall this was an incredibly tense affair in which Llandaff received 48 extra shots to the 5 that Swanage received and it took a marathon 7 hours to complete - ignoring the total 4 hours travelling time!   Each Swanage player contributed to the victory, winning at least one game but also losing at least one so no one was undefeated. However, over the course of the season everyone, including captain Keith Southern, played their part in the run to winning the final and so congratulation go to all involved.  

2024 Team - Helen Diconimos, Ian Swanson, Vicki Church, Nancy King, Virginia Claridge, Robert Brownridge and Mike Wells

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21/8/2024

Nick O'Connor makes guest appearance as the mystery guest on the Solent Radio breakfast show. Listen here and fast forward to 1:26:30 to hear him. See also his Press release sent to Croquet England.

21/8/2024

Congratulations to Greg Vaughn and Nancy King on winning the Bob Oliver Pairs competition.

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25/6/2024

Long standing members will be sad to learn of the death of John Vinson last Wednesday evening after a short illness. John and his late wife Judy were active members from the early days of the club but his membership ceased several years ago due to his limited mobility. He was a retired farmer and he used his experience to lay out the original lawns at the cricket club. It was a privilege to know him and play croquet with him.

Stan Gee

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22/6/2024

High handicap team vs. East Dorset 12-8

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20/6/2024

Handicap team vs. Taunton Dene 16-4

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6/6/2024

High handicap team vs. Winterbourne Valley 13-7

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4/6/2024

Handicap team vs. Exeter 11-9

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16/1/2024   Pauline Windle

                   See Sally Fazekas's citation here

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22/11/2023 Interclub quiz night

                     Interclub quiz night at the Con Club. £5.00 per person with up to six in a team. See poster for more info here

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1/5/2023   New home

                  Today we began play at our new home at the Mount Scar School playing field on Bon Accord Road. We look forward to                       a bright new future.

 

27/6/2021 Swanage News

                  Swanage News publishes an article about Swanage Croquet Club. You can see the article here.

 

5/8/2000  William Ormerod by Stephen Mulliner in the Croquet Gazette

See this article here 

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5/8/2000  William Ormerod by Keith Southern 

In 2005 the late Roy Smith started an initiative to establish Swanage Croquet Club. On discovering that a former England international lived nearby, in Corfe Castle, he quickly enrolled William's assistance which was willingly given. William helped find initial equipment and provided coaching to the early membership. Without the efforts of Roy and William, both of whom worked tirelessly to get croquet off the ground in Swanage, the Club would probably not exist today and members would not be experiencing hours of friendship and pleasure each summer.

 

In the years since then he continued to give his time and knowledge unstintingly to all members, whatever their level of ability; his patience and regular encouragement were truly exemplary. He was also a source of seemingly endless anecdotes about the people he had met during his croquet career. In the years before Swanage decided to enter the SWF League competitions William used his broad spread of contacts in other clubs to organise a yearly tour to other parts of the south of England for club members; these were enjoyable social events as well as serious competition. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the Club's League team, both home and away; loud cries of 'Come on Swanage' could often be heard. Even when his health began to limit the number of games he could play, he continued to put in regular appearances at the ground to enjoy the company of his friends. He played his final game on Wednesday July 29th. The Club will miss him tremendously.

 

Away from the Swanage Club I had the pleasure for several years of being involved with William's participation in the Dorset team in the annual GC Inter-Counties competitions. The journeys to Southwick, although often problematic on the roads, were never dull due to William's consummate conversational ability, not just on the subject of croquet but also on a whole range of life experiences from his medical background. One incident I recall from these competitions was the unusual sight of William in a hurry. Although widely regarded as never being hasty, on that occasion I saw him move with unaccustomed rapidity almost to the point of running! The reason was that he was a hoop behind with the time limit approaching and, in those days in that competition, that involved a hard stop with no extra turns available. Just a pity no video evidence exists!

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2/8/2000  William Ormerod

                  See Croquet Association report on William Ormerod here

 

31/7/2020 William Ormerod

It is with the greatest sadness that I have to tell you that our beloved William died this morning.   Without William along      with Roy Smith, both of whom worked tirelessly to get croquet off the ground in Swanage, our Club would probably not    exist today and we would not be experiencing the hours of friendship and pleasure that they have gifted to us each        summer.  William who, in his youth represented Britain on the international croquet stage, gave his time and knowledge  unstintingly to all of us, and was a source of seemingly endless anecdotes about the people he had met during his          croquet career.   William played his final game this Wednesday, 29th July.   We are going to miss him so much. Pauline    Windle

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21/12/2019 Cygnet newsletter December 2019 - View here

 

17/12/2019 Letter received from Clare Gallie at Lewis Manning Hospice following our donation (see below)

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I am sorry for this direct email, however David and Paddy Rideal from our local Lewis-Manning Hospice Care fundraising group have recently advised me of the fabulous gift of over £240 that was presented to them at your Croquet Club AGM recently.

I wanted to write to you to offer my sincere thanks for your generosity and kindness in thinking of the work that we are doing to help local people with life limiting illness in the area. I also understand that you have chosen our Hospice again to be the charity for your club to support over the coming year – thank you so very much once again. The new Hospice services that we are launching at Swanage Hospital in the New Year are going to cost in the region of £60k per year to fund and your support in helping us to raise this money is very much appreciated.

I do hope that we have the opportunity to meet up in the coming year, but in the meantime have a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for 2020.

Clare

Clare Gallie

Chief Executive

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10/12/2019   AGM elects Greg Vaughn as new Chairman

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12/9/2019    Cygnet newsletter September 2019 - view here

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5/9/2019   Commiserations to the the team following their (very close) defeat by St Agnes in the semifinal of the hanicap competition. 

 

3/9/2019   Congratulations to Peter Madge and Jackie Temple for winning the Bob Oliver Pairs competition and to Laura McGuire for winning the nearest to the post competition.

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25/7/2019   Swanage wins handicap League match against East Dorset 16.5 - 3.5

With this result Swanage wins all 5 league matches and moves to the semifinal against St Agnes

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18/7/2019   Swanage wins handicap League match against Dowlish Wake 16 - 4

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3/7/2019    Tim Hughes wins High Handicap challenge  at East Dorset Croquet Club. Bruno Charron was second. Very well done to both. For a photo click here

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11/6/2019   Swanage wins handicap League match against Sidmouth 13.5 - 6.5

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6/6/2019    Swanage wins handicap League match against Budleigh Salterton 18 - 2

 

17/5/2019   Swanage wins handicap League match against Kingston Maurwood 13.5 - 4.5.

 

2/5/2019    Cygnet newsletter April 2019 - view here

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2/4/2019    First days play for the new season. Because of the damp conditions the next day's play will be 9 April

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1/3/2019    Cygnet newsletter February 2019 - view here