This trophy is named after Elspeth Johnson, who was formerly a much-loved club member, and whose family kindly donated the trophy in her name.
1-Ball is a variant of Association Croquet but has a feel of Golf Croquet. As the title suggests, in 1-Ball each player has just one ball instead of two but all the laws of Association Croquet apply: roquet, croquet and continuation shots, wiring, penalties for playing out of turn and so on. The simple change from two balls to one means each player is on the court for short bursts of time and lengthy breaks are quite rare. It’s a fun way to play croquet.
1-Ball is also a bit of a curtain raiser as it is normally played at the start of season and is played by both Golf Croquet enthusiasts and Croquet Association enthusiasts alike. This year it was played on 28th August, and instead of April showers we got a lovely warm sunny day, even the breeze was warm.
Seven players entered the Tournament; the handicaps were based on one-third of the difference between two players in a match. Each game was timed at 45 minutes and the player with the most points won the game. It’s a point for each hoop achieved, so if you go round twice that’s 12-points, and a point for pegging out which makes it a 13- point match. It’s a great game to watch.
Alan Locket, mathematician extraordinaire, tabled the matches, kept a tally on the point score, and kept an eye on the rules. His creativity and mathematical structures are just legendary.
Graham King was the outright winner with 50-points, Helen Griffith came second with 39- points, and Angela Stones was a close third with 35-points – doing it for the girls!
It was an excellent day and put a smile on everyone’s face. If you did not attend, you missed out. Graham took home the shield but there were no losers on the day. The good news is: we are going to do it again next year.
Some clubs raise money for charity with 1-Ball competitions by charging a small entry fee and Croquet England invite the winners to attend a national 1-Ball tournament. The money raised from these events goes to charity; this year it went to the British Heart Foundation.