THE ROAD TO CARRICKMINES CONTINUED format 28 players play across four lawns and it was a tough formula to manage but Chris, Alan (Looney Club Croquet Captain) and Frances did the best they could which meant they had to put in long hours from morning until night. It meant there were long gaps between games which frustrated me at first but then I realised this was a The last day of play came and the tv company arrived so there were lots of interviews and commentary. We got to watch the all Spanish final which was fantastic and Diana and Louise picked up some trophies for England. One of the best things was the Maria. I made a number of excuses about time delays and waiting etc but Simon was right - I wasn’t good enough on the day. There’s always room for improvement in croquet and
watching the Spanish technique of straight legs, hardly any gap between your feet and rear end pushed upwards made me wonder if I should try that technique next season. The overall experience was priceless as I made so many new friends and enjoyed a last party night with Simone, Matilda, Lucia, Caroline and Margot - all of us from different countries but all with a common love of croquet. I couldn’t resist the personal invitations to play elsewhere and as a result I’m now playing in Latvia and Portugal in the autumn. Thank you Croquet Ireland, Croquet England and The European Regional Committee (ERC) as part of the World Croquet Federation.
camarderie between all the players - we played, we chatted, we laughed, we sang, we danced. The people who came to watch and help were so interesting too so there was lots of chatting over tea and Irish brack cake. Another highlight for me was spending time with Simon Williams who has made significant contributions to Irish croquet and has won multiple awards - he’s just incredible and I even got to go into his man cave which is a treasure trove of items and fascinating. I came 20th out of 28 and was one game away from qualifying for the top group and even had a golden hoop game which I lost against the Spaniard
great opportunity to converse with players from all over Europe. It also made me realise we are very lucky in the UK to have the number of clubs we have and the number of players we can compete against. The tournament progressed and there was total domination by the Spanish contingency but also amazing play by some of the upcoming players from Germany, Portugal and Latvia. I got to spend a lovely seaside trip with Bridgette Goodman and Caroline Denny plus a pint of Guinness in a real Irish pub the Charles Fitzgerald where the staff bans anyone from ‘splitting the G’ as only the tourists do that. Before I knew it the party night arrived. We were all very lucky in that Sport Ireland, Croquet Ireland and the club provided all players with free tickets. It was a bit crazy in one way though as I finished playing just at the start of the meal so I had to do a real quick shower and change and others were still playing during the meal. We had glasses of Aperol and fizz on arrival, a delicious meal and toffee roulade for dessert. Then the dancing started! Wow it was fantastic - people of all ages were dancing constantly from start to finish. Simone from Switzerland showed her Brazilian roots sashaying and swaying in time, Ann from the club ditched her stick to dance, Alan bopped along and Margot from Portugal (who said she was one of the oldest players there) could crouch down so low that her bum touched the floor AND she managed to get up each time with no help. Woweeee, it was a very memorable evening and great fun.
Aluminium head mallets made from high grade aluminium & fitted with long lasting Tufnol end caps which can be easily replaced if damaged. available in natural and black. They have been thoroughly tested and provided an accurate, reliable, peripherally weighted mallet. The heads are anodised (hardened) and will be
These heads can be fitted with any of the
carbon fibre shafts and are available in 10" and 11" head lengths and a base weight of 2lbs 15ozs (1332g) adjustable from (1280g to 1370g)
CONTACT US
07935 588879 croquetmallets.co.uk
MICHAEL@CROQUETMALLETS.CO.UK
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 23
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