GC WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP 2025
SURBITON CROQUET CLUB
Max(ine) Holland Surbiton Tournament Manager
Sixteen of GC’s finest women players ba7led it out over two days of best of three croquet at Surbiton. One player stood victorious – Alison Maugham (Old Brentwoods, Surbiton and Gaze7e Editor) who beat Diana Wilson (Roehampton) in a hard‐fought final in front of friends, family and spectators, including Chris Roberts and Francis Colman, who kindly stood in for CqE President Patricia Duke‐Cox to present the trophies. Rose Gebhardt (a Surbiton favourite) won the Plate on net hoops against Sue Pendry (also a Surbiton favourite) and Helen Essa from Phylis Court.
The two days saw some great croquet with many golden hoops and lengthy tussles. This format could mean 18 games over 2 days if each match went to 3 games. Fortunately, most were 2 games, although many went the distance and nearly tripped a 6me warning (for those of you not familiar with these sorts of tournaments, these weren’t 6med games, but a&er an hour the players would have been given 15mins and then, if necessary, 8 more shots to reach a result). We were also lucky with the weather, as although heavy rain was forecast, the mornings were sunny and only the first a&ernoon had a long spell of light rain. Naturally, the women were made of stern stuff and play con6nued a&er a quick dash for suitable a8re.
2025 GC Women's Open Championship winner Alison Maugham with Frances Colman (for CqE). Photo by Chris Roberts
Surbiton is known not only for its lawns (suffering like many others with the weather this year), but also its food. And this championship tournament was no excep6on with excellent home‐made Chinese chicken, Seafood and Vegetable pies followed by some outrageously calorific, but delicious, puddings. Not to men6on a&ernoon tea with classic cheese and cucumber sandwiches, drizzle cakes and hot sausage rolls. Food, specifically chocolate, also featured, when on arrival the players saw a pile of chocolate bars on the Managers table. “What are they for” they asked, “Well, if you don’t know then you can’t have one” was the reply. (The Pre‐ Tournament email sent out by the Manager had contained a short list of useful tournament rule reminders, at the end of which, had been a note saying “if you have read this far, please see me to collect your bar of chocolate”.) Under the Manager’s code I can’t reveal the names of the few players taking home a bar of chocolate.
2025 GC Women's Open Championship Plate winner Rose Gebhardt, with Frances Colman (for CqE). Photo by Chris Roberts
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