Corfu Tournament players
Avril Rangoni Machiavelli writes:
Corfu Tournament players |
Sixteen Brits, along with four 'WAGs' travelled to Corfu this year for a tournament which is really more of a holiday with croquet . As it is the only one held in Greece, it was, grandly, titled The Greek Open Croquet Tournament, 2011 and we wore badges to prove it!
The first event was handicap doubles, run as a Swiss over two days. In all of their five games Avril Rangoni Machiavelli and Kevin Carter played poorly, found themselves well behind , then woke up, with minutes left on the clock, and remembered how to play. Four times they managed to overtake their opponents in the closing moments and, so much to their and indeed everyone else's surprise, finished the winners.
Following a day off to explore Corfu, do a bit of swimming or to top up their tans, the sixteen Brits then started the knock-out for the Handicap Singles. Chris Roberts, a very accurate and hard-hitting convert from Golf Croquet, ran out the easy winner of all four rounds, with Doug Sinclair proving a worthy runner-up. Chris's handicap was reduced from 11 to 8 and we expect to see him improve a lot on this next season.
A 14-point consolation event, run over three days in between other games, was popular. By the last day we still had four unbeaten players, Ivor Nunn, Avril Rangoni Machiavelli, Alan Linton and Roy Edwards. These four then played semi-finals and a final, with the sprightly 84-year-old Roy running out the winner, ahead of his Parkstone neighbour, Alan.
Friday was another day away from the lawns and fourteen Brits booked an all-day boat trip, with swimming in the bay and a beach BBQ ; a day which all agreed was a great success.
Over the final weekend we were joined by sixteen Corfiots (though many were English, American or Dutch ex-pats) for two days of Golf Croquet Doubles. The popular winner was Tony Blok, founder of the Corfu club and a consummate GC tactician, showing that he was back on form after his two year fight with cancer. Rita Nunn was the Brit runner-up and Jan Harbers the best Corfiot.
Jan Harbers had organised the local accommodation at a superb hotel, the trips away and the Gala Dinner/Prizegiving. The tournament was managed, with an appropriately light touch, by Kevin Carter. All in all, a very successful and enjoyable 'Croquet Holiday' which, I am sure, many would like to repeat in the not too distant future.
| Updated 2.vii.22 |
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