TUNNEL OF TIME
Past Gaze7es can be found on the Croquet England website at h7ps://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=ca/gaze7e&Ac6on=Issues. Currently there are searchable scans of the Gaze7e back to 1953.
CHRIS WILLIAMS Croquet England Archivist
Whites, like enterprising play, help to make croquet more a7rac6ve to the spectator. Rover feels that there may well be a connec6on between these two quali6es. Indeed, if some sta6s6cian will make a survey of them, he undertakes to eat his very elegant hat if no appreciable correla6on is discovered. 100 YEARS AGO In the August 1st, 1925 Gaze7e (No. 507 Vol XXII. (No. 18)) Editorial Notes ENGLAND won the second Test Match and with it the rubber. This, perhaps, was not unexpected, the old country having no difficulty in finding four players of almost equal experience, while our visitors at a considerable disadvantage have not been able to bring with them their strongest representa6ve team. In Mr. J. C. Windsor, who for his recent successes has now added a fine win in the Cheltenham Championship Cup, Australia has one player at least in this country who ranks among the very best, and both he and Mr. W. T. McCleery did well to win games respec6vely from Miss D. D. Steel and Mr. P. D. Mathews. Those of us who were at Cheltenham must have been impressed by the keen interest. Taken by large numbers of spectators who provided a gallery considerably larger than that at Roehampton; but the weather on this second occasion was much more favourable, ideal summer condi6ons prevailing throughout. It would be difficult to imagine a more deligh5ul se8ng than the famous Cheltenham Club, in the beauty of its surroundings perhaps second to none in the Kingdom. The lawns were in superb condi6on and reflected the greatest credit on those locally responsible. From every point of view the second Test was a great success. Note – the report of the Test said that there were some two hundred and fi&y spectators.
selec6on green more nearly resembles blue and brown black. Pink suggests red and remaining colour to match yellow is white. Further, some clips are painted green with a blue line across the top and in a similar manner for the other colours. In New Zealand some Clubs have a white ring round each ball for double banking, In Australasia most Clubs have double banking on Club days. In Brisbane one Club some6mes has three sets of fours with the same colours on each lawn. It means no6ng all the 6me the posi6on of the balls m your game. It is be7er than having to sit out awai6ng a vacant lawn! Yours faithfully, W. B. C. Paynter (Auckland, New Zealand) 60 YEARS AGO In the September 1965 Gaze7e (#83) Notes by Rover No Blacklegs The Hurlingham delegate at the 1963 Club Conference bemoaned the virtual non‐existence of the white trouser except on state occasions, but his words do not seem to have had any considerable effect. Far too many players s6ll appear at tournaments looking as though they are on their way to paint a boat. Why this should be so is a li7le mysterious—croquet a&er all is a game, not an extended a&ernoon tea‐party, and it is normal to dress up for games, even those that are not energe6c. Part of the trouble may be the weather: in the rain even the sleekest of players is apt to look like a coastguard on a motor‐cycling holiday. But whites can of course be worn underneath, and the water‐ proofing discarded as soon as possible, despite the comment of a player at a tournament early this season that “he did not want to get his whites wet or dirty”. When asked if he wanted to get the smart suit that he was wearing wet or dirty, he replied that he had never looked at the ma7er in that light before....
AKA 'Sta/o' Keeper of Croquet Sta.s.cs, visit croquetrecords.com
In this sec6on, we once again take a look through the 'Tunnel of Time' to see what was taking place in the Croquet World in the past, as seen in the Croquet Gaze7e. 70 YEARS AGO In the September 1955 Gaze7e (#14) Notes by Rover Rover offers his respec5ul congratula6ons to Miss Lydia Elphinstone‐Stone on the a7ainment of her nine6eth birthday on August 23rd, an occasion duly—and appropriately—celebrated during the tournament at Brighton, of which famous club this lady is now a member. For sixty of these ninety years Miss Elphinstone‐Stone has been a tournament player, joining the Associa6on on its founda6on and winning her Silver Medal in 1896. She must now be our senior associate, though run close for this dis6nc6on by the (very youthful) winner of the Women’s Championship in 1899, a certain Miss Lily Gower. What is even more to the point is that Miss Elphinstone‐Stone is s6ll an ac6ve and formidable compe6tor at our tournaments, enjoying her games and o&en winning them. Our honoured nonagenarian is not the sole example of her age to prove that Croquet is not only among the happiest of outdoor games, but that one at which such happiness lasts longest. Le.ers THE SUPPLEMENTARY COLOURS Dear Sir, With reference to “Notes by Rover’ on page 4 of June Croquet, apart from the fact that dark balls versus light balls appears to be the natural
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 6
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator