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Enfield Wins EACF B Level

Congratulations to the Enfield West B Level squad who won the EACF B Level Tournament against Chelmsford on Sunday, 11th September 2020.

The team of four - pictured on the left (Ian Moore, Nicola Hyde, Peter Brock and Dave Hill) - had a successful start winning the doubles round. The beginning of the singles was perhaps less inspiring but with a team talk from Peter , the spirit came back and the momentum grew with the final score being 12-6.

Other players were involved in enabling Enfield to reach the final so the credit must be shared with Alan Bateman, Frances Broadway, Graham Curtiss, Mary Grove, David Barnicoat, Kim Taylor, Alan Dawes and Michael Broadway ... and hopefully the editor hasn't missed anyone! Well done all!

Federation Shield Outcome

Following the postponement of the Final between Enfield and Dowlish Wake eventually took place on Friday 30th September at Swindon Croquet Club. Although the afternoon saw a heavy band of rain over Swindon, the morning session was completed in the dry but cold and windy conditions. Dowlish Wake won all three morning matches (one doubles and two singles). In the afternoon, Dowlish Wake won another match to take an unassailable lead although Enfield pulled one game back. With the weather conditions closing in and worsening, the players in both the remaining matches agreed to ended with the scores at 1 - 1.

We're proud to have reached the Finals and thank the team of David Frost, Kim Taylor, Frances Broadway and Nigel Owen for taking on the challenge .... and as we always saying, 'it's not about the winning, it's about the participation'. Here's to 2023!

Cara Cup With For Thomas Halliday

As the result of two days of hard play in Guildford (2nd/3rd September) Thomas came home with The Cara Cup and qualification for the A Level Final in Wrest Park later in the month.

He won 10 of his 11 matches and as an added bonus, his handicap has now gone down to 1! Congratulations Thomas and a fuller report can be found here.

Frances Broadway Wins Chairman's Cup

The Chairman's Cup on Thursday, 1st September attracted a full entry of 16 players, twice that of last year, and included all three of the previous winners and two players - Suzanne and Chris Twomey - playing in their first tournament. It was a full day of activity which culminated in the final with Frances Broadway mullering Nicola Hyde with a 7-2 win. Many congratulations Frances!

A full report can be found in the news section.

SECF Hurlingham Doubles

29th August 2022 - Kim Taylor and Nicola Hyde played at their inaugural South East Croquet Federation GC Doubles Tournament at the Hurlingham Club. The six immaculate lawns saw 24 pairs playing their very best to win through to the afternoons finals.

Rain Stops Play In Open League

After being rescheduled for excessive heat, the Open League match against Watford ended in excessive rain today (17th August), abandoned at 9-9, with lawns unplayable. Full report in News.

Federation Cup Semi Final

We are in final! A long day last Monday (15th August) as David Frost, Kim Taylor, Frances Broadway and Nicola Hyde travelled down to Guildford and Godalming Croquet Club to meet the Ryde team. The lawns were like ice and games slow as we waited for balls to stop – a light tap and they were in danger of going off. However we rose to the occasion and won 6-3.

The Sheila Rudling Cup

Marian Cuckson won the inaugural Sheila Rudling Cup on Thursday, 4th August 2022. The Cup, donated by the family, is a tribute to our Life President, Sheila Rudling who gave so many years contributing to the growth of croquet when the Club was in its early days and nurturing the love of the game amongst its members.

This is the second time Marian has succeeded in winning inaugural events - the last being the Chairman's Cup when it was introduced in 2017. Congratulations Marian and a fuller report with pictures can be found here.

GC - The Young Are Jumping Through Hoops To Play

It's great to see new players on the scene! The Times has written an interesting article about the growth of some young GC players who are making their mark on the international croquet stage - click here to read.

Croquet Fun Day

The weather held fine on Saturday, 30th July for the Club's annual celebration of croquet! With a series of croquet inspired games such as Crazy Croquet, Croquet Archery, Speedy Hoops and Hit The Peg, members, families and friends united to spend a few hours on the lawns having fun! Refreshments, home bakes, a tombola and Hit The Rat completed the picture and just over £200 was raised.

Kim Taylor has now won a tankard to go with his two whisky tumblers through his play in the Compton Eastbourne GC B Level Tournament on 10th July!

Kim Wins 2nd Whisky Tumbler!

Kim Taylor won the 8th B-Level tournament at Leighton Linslade on Monday, 13th June beating 12 players in some highly competitive mataches. Many congratulations!

For a more detailed report click here.

A Right Royal Time Was Had

Regal bunting decorated the lawns for our Platinum Jubilee GC Advantage tournament on Thursday, 2nd June - an occasion to celebrate the Queen's 70th year on the throne and a chance to trial the new scoring system for GC.

With glorious sunshine, some selective royal attire and freshly home-made cakes and brownies it was a lovely opportunity to play some great games, enjoy some light banter and generally have fun! The winner went home with a bottle of fizz!

The EACF GC Enfield Derby

Monday, 9th May saw the first match of the season for Enfield West and Enfield East as battle commenced in the EACF GC League. It was a glorious sunny start for Enfield East in terms of weather and the doubles games with wins in all four matches. However, Enfield West came back with a vengeance in the singles matches and the final score was 13-4 to the West. Unfortunately one match had to be abandoned due to injury (nothing serious we're pleased to report). Pictures from the day can be found here.

National Finals Charity One Ball

The weekend of 7th and 8th May saw the Association Croquet Charity One Ball Final at Surbiton. Members may recall that we held an internal competition in April to identify those who would be taking part. Ultimately this was Michael and Frances Broadway along with David Frost – all of whom played valiantly with David beating three players with handicaps of -5! The winner was Nailsea Club’s James Galpin and as importantly, around £8,000 was raised for MIND.

Charity One Ball

Today - 28th April - was the Club competition to find who would be playing in the annual Croquet Association's Charity One-Ball Competition. In the 15 years that this national event has been running, it has raised over £50,000 for charity. This year, the competition is in aid of MIND, the mental health charity.

A good number of members entered the competition and a great day was had by all with £175 raised for MIND. The two finalists who will be taking part at the national finals on Sunday, 8th May at Surbiton are Frances Broadway and Brian Dawes.

Cheers and Congrats to Kim Taylor

On Wednesday, 27th April club members Kim Taylor and Thomas Halliday travelled to the Roehampton Club for the first of the year's B-Level tournaments.

It was a day of mixed results with and some tough competition. Thomas and Kim finishedin 8th and 9th place respectively however as Kim wom the Plate Competition which saw him being rewarded - no, not with a plate - but an engraved whisky tumbler. Well done Kim.

Full report of the day can be found here.

The Federation Cup

Enfield East (left) who won the EACF GC Tournament last year will be representing the Club in The Federation Cup this year