THE SCOTTISH OPEN - BALGREEN CROQUET CLUB, EDINBURGH By Annabel J McDiarmid
Anyone who knows me will know that I like playing at different clubs and meeting new people. One new club a year is my simple aim - not necessarily overseas. For the last few years I have travelled to Austria, Switzerland and Czechia for tournaments. So, what does 2026 hold for me - Scotland. I have been present at a couple of tournaments at Meadows, but never played. I booked myself in for the Scottish Open at Balgreen, Edinburgh. Sadly, something is now going on with the nerve in my right arm, and I have had to withdraw - blinkin’! So still not played in Scotland. However, newly set up as assistant manager to Jane Morrison, I shall be keeping CroquetScores up to date, being general runner to all and this. My travelling companion is Rick Harding, and we arrived in Edinburgh in full rain, as expected. The bus system is excellent here and we were able to get into the city very easily. The rain, unfortunately, had not stopped the tourists! We crossed over and up onto The Mound muttering automatic oohs and aahs and the occasional “look at that”. Weaving around tourists (yes, I do appreciate we too were in that category), I think we managed to go up and down every road and alley. The sun came out and …..what a beautiful place. Obligatory miniature hairy cow purchased and time to catch the bus back to our lovely hosts, Jane and Campbell Morrison. Saturday morning and over breakfast we were shown Jane’s rash that had developed overnight (arms only), Possible Ebola was our decision. The sun is out and we arrive at Balgreen Croquet Club, instantly searching for Stefan Colling, the on-site doctor and competitor (handy), but he was strangely not too worried about Ebola. The club has 4 bowling greens, now all for croquet. A council-owned facility but maintained by croquet members. There’s a huge clubhouse with rooms rented out to clubs such as Brownies and small parties, and the club has just been donated a snooker table. The lawns are playing well, as you’d expect of bowling greens. Frustratingly they are also loved by birds and leather jackets, and regularly visited by rabbits. Play starts: I’m wearing pink, why not, I can’t play!
First two games have triples - excellent, and CroquetScores updated YES! I turn around and Alastair Burn-Murdoch (ABM) is on a sextuple. He’s playing steadily, controlled, he knows how he wants to play this and sticks to that plan. A straight triple is played well, and, although hampered as he comes through rover, he remains seemingly calm, hits and finishes. Excellent. Congratulations Alastair on your first tournament sextuple. The day progresses well and the assistant manager is given the deference she deserves. John Owen had a very good 2-0 win against James Hopgood, and other top seeds are also well challenged by their opponents. Best of three’s are played from quarter finals, and by end of day one, the first games of the semi-finals have been taken by the underdogs, Jane vs Rick and John vs ABM. At this point I’d like to give a big shout out to Emma Jamie who, as a handicap 18, accidentally entered this Scottish Open, and has bravely carried on, improving with each game. By the end of this report, cross fingers, I will have a few words from her on what she has learnt - hopefully not just how to read tournament details before entering anything. Day two needs semis to finish, then the finals. Potentially five games. Luckily, it’s still light here till after 10, although my restaurant booking is for 7.30, so I’ll be off. Sunday arrives. Another gorgeous sunny day. I have a big rummage in my case - whoever packed my bag for me had planned on a Scottish summer, but it’s turned into a lovely
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