THE SHOWDOWN CONTINUED
bad” may have been better in terms of converting almosts to wins. If I could play like this in the C final next week I had a sporting chance. More drugs and heat packs and I arrived at Eastbourne for the C final reasonably optimistic. Five hours and five defeats from six games later, that early feeling had well and truly gone. Sports psychology is a funny thing though, and once the title was well and truly out of sight I played some of my most resilient croquet of the season and eight wins from my final nine games gave me a more than respectable finish in my first season of competitive croquet. Not the outcome I was hoping for, but the goal for the season of reaching the C finals had been met. This is partly why I set goals right at the beginning of the year, it helps in the cold light of the day to evaluate things. So I returned home, packed up my mallet, and set about filling in my handicap card. 194 ranking games in a season... that’s pretty close to 200 isn’t it? It would just be wrong not to try, wouldn’t it? Sussex County Croquet Club to the rescue! A winter tournament, six more games and the double century is in sight. One slight problem – daylight. Five wins from five in October, and now it’s even worse: 199 ranking games. All of a sudden that November tournament looks appealing, entry accepted and looking at the world rankings I could end up with the most ranking games of anyone in the world.
Played: 199 Distance travelled: 4000 miles Won: not enough Lost: too many
Lost 7-6: far too many Friends: made heaps Mallets smashed: none
Dear Michael, We are sorry to inform you that tomorrow’s tournament has been cancelled due to the inclement weather. Sussex County Croquet Club In the words of Hugh Grant, “bugger, bugger, bugger”!
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 6
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