After a fantastic season under the captaincy of Malcolm Armstrong, the Broadwas GC High Handicap team travelled to Taunton Deane at the weekend to compete in the final of the South West Croquet Federation’s High Handicap League competition. Broadwas last won the competition in 2018.
On their way to Sunday’s final against Bude, the team won the SWF High Handicap League North with five wins out of six and also defeated Bath in the semi-final at Stoney Ley in August.
Malcolm Armstrong (8) chose eight players to face a formidable Bude side. The players were Alison Disley (9), Gill Brooks (12), Hazel Felton (20), Paula Armstrong (14), Derry Bancroft (20), Howard Freeman (8) and Paul Felton (12).
The Bude team was comprised of generally lower handicap players than Broadwas. Non-playing captain Colette Ham’s team comprised Helen North (8), Francis Hornblower (8), Keith Blansford (7), Steve Thie (9), Pete Cash (10), Vic Frampton (11), Geoff Lawrence (11), and Eddie Piper-Mayo (12).
The Broadwas team grabbed the opportunity to have a brief practice on the Taunton Deane courts late on Saturday afternoon just before the courts received a pre-final cut. Unfortunately, practice was cut down to about 25 minutes in order to allow an early start to the mowing in order to avoid the forecast advancing rain.
Although there had been rain overnight, there was bright sunshine all day which contributed to a lively and convivial atmosphere.
For the first time this season, Broadwas players enjoyed the benefits of playing games officiated by TWO qualified referee’s – Bude club chairman Chris Ham and SWF committee member and golf croquet author, Stephen Custance-Baker.
As is customary, Broadwas began the day with a win by doubles pair Paula Armstrong and Paul Felton. They defeated the tricky pairing of Vic Frampton and Geoff Lawrence, 7-3. Paula and Paul have been undefeated in doubles games all season. It has also become traditional for Alison Disley to bring in the match points in the first singles games of the day and true to form, Alison beat Helen North, 7-5.
Alison brought in the points again in the second round when she beat Steve Thie, 7-5, while Howard Freeman beat Helen North 7-4. There were narrow defeats for Hazel and Paul. Hazel just missed out with a 6-7 to 11-handicap Geoff Lawrence, while Paul took 8-handicap Francis Hornblower to 13 hoops, losing out 6-7. In his first match since recovering from his recent illness, Derry Bancroft put in a solid performance against 11-handicap Geoff Lawrence, only losing out 5-7 at the end.
In the next round, Paula, Howard and Gill brought home three valuable points. Paula beat Eddie Piper Mayo, 7-4, while Howard beat fellow 8-handicap Francis Hornblower
7-5. Gill Brooks had a great win when she beat Steve Thie, 7-2.
In the final round, Broadwas didn’t fare well in the doubles and the only win was in the singles, when Paula beat Pete Cash, 7-6.
Bude were a strong team and they played exceptionally well, but the Broadwas players can hold their heads high having played determinedly, losing with a respectable 12-8 scoreline. Well done Bude.
Having been designated as the “home” side, Broadwas provided cakes, biscuits and refreshments. Once again, we were grateful for wonderful cake contributions from Alison Disley, Christine Freeman, Hazel Felton and Caroline Bancroft. Thanks also to Eileen and Dave Holt who travelled to Taunton to cheer the team on.
After Bude were presented with the tournament trophy by SWF committee member and match referee Stephen Custance Baker, Malcolm congratulated the winners on their victory and thanked his Broadwas players for their support during the season. He remarked on the convivial spirit in which the final had been played.
Later, Malcolm congratulated the Broadwas squad (which included Vivien Ellis and Peter Dobson) on the hard-fought final and season. He said ‘You played with valour, tenacity, skill and generosity of spirit. Still viewing himself as a “rookie” captain, Malcolm said of his player’s performances throughout the season ‘Well done and thanks. I am proud of you and feel privileged to have taken you this far from our humble beginnings.’ He added ‘A “silver medal” position in the whole of the South West Federation is no mean feat.’
Speaking personally, it has been a joy to play in this lovely squad of players this season, under Malcolm’s captaincy. His enthusiasm for the game has been infectious and his encouragement has been inspirational. Having had such a great season, Malcolm has almost played himself out of eligibility for inclusion in the High Handicap league and it seems almost certain that he will not be captaining the team again for the foreseeable future. Thank you, El Capitano and good luck next season.
And finally, many thanks to David Kaner for his time and expertise in giving the squad incredibly valuable coaching throughout the season and also to John Guy for his help at the start of the season.
Paul Felton