GC ENGLISH NATIONAL DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP 2026
By Louise Smith
There were some new and interesting pairings this year. Alex Aiton, playing his first season of tournament croquet, teamed up with his half-brother Euan Burridge, a member of the England GC Elite Squad. Visiting current Under-21 World Champion Levi Franks was paired with rising England star Sam Cuthbert, while the longstanding partnership of brothers Ivor and Richard Brand returned to the championship – former winners some 27 years ago, in 1999. There were two more brothers in the draw, Mark and Ian Buckley, and just one all-female pairing, Diana Wilson and Louise Smith. Block A produced the biggest upsets of the qualifying stage. Top seeds Franks and Cuthbert lost two matches, to James Field and David Thirtle Watts and to Douglas Shand and Bridget Goodman, leaving them in third place at the completion of the block stage. Field and Thirtle Watts topped Block A and looked almost certain to achieve a full house of seven wins, but were soundly beaten 3/7 in their final game by Wilson and Smith. The all-female pairing therefore took second place, while the fourth qualifying place went to Aiton and Burridge, who edged out Neil Fillery and Stephen Custance straightforward, with the top three seeds all qualifying: Dom Aarvold and Tim Russell, the 2025 champions; Stuart M. Smith and Steve Leonard, the 2022 winners; and Andy Loakes and Colin Britt. Luck was not with the fourth seeds, Jon Carrington and Stuart Smith, who lost three matches by 6/7 and could manage only one win. This opened the door for fifth seeds Chris Roberts and Frances Colman, who qualified with four wins, Baker on hoop difference. Block B was rather more
finishing ahead of the Brand brothers on hoop difference. The block finishing positions meant that Franks and Cuthbert faced tougher opposition than they might otherwise have expected in the first round of the main knockout, meeting Smith and Leonard. It was a fiercely contested match, although the final scores did not really reflect the closeness of the battle, with Franks and Cuthbert eventually prevailing 2– 0. Roberts and Colman produced a surprise result by defeating Field and Thirtle Watts. Wilson and Smith recovered well after losing the first game to overcome Loakes and Britt fairly comfortably, while Burridge and Aiton put up a spirited fight against Aarvold and Russell. The latter pair, however, took the final game fairly comfortably to secure their place in the semi-finals. Both semi-finals were decided in two games. Franks and Cuthbert were too strong for Roberts and Colman, winning 7/2, 7/1, while Aarvold and Russell had a more competitive encounter with Wilson and Smith, eventually winning 7/6, 7/4. The expected final between the two highest-seeded pairs was therefore set. The Plate knockout produced plenty of hard-fought and close games, but it was the strongest pair to miss out in the block stage, Fillery and Custance Baker, who eventually took the Plate title. They defeated the Brand brothers 10/8 in an exceptionally long final game! Aiton and Burridge also finished their championship on a high, going on to win the Shield. For newcomer Alex Aiton, it was an impressive first taste
of national-level tournament croquet, and on this performance, we can expect to see plenty more of him during next season. The Main Final did not disappoint. Franks and Cuthbert went hoop-for- hoop with Aarvold and Russell, with neither pair able to gain a clear advantage. The first game went all the way to the deciding 13th hoop, with Franks and Cuthbert eventually taking it 7/6. The second game saw a more commanding performance from the young pair, with Franks and Cuthbert securing the championship with a decisive 7/2 victory. Congratulations to Levi Franks and Sam Cuthbert on an impressive performance and well-deserved title. Thanks also to everyone at Cheltenham Croquet Club for their warm welcome and hospitality. All 32 participants enjoyed a great weekend of competitive croquet, played in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
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