Author: editor

There’s nothing sadder than the sight of a forlorn, redundant, croquet mallet. So, it was joyous to witness them all come out of their enforced, prolonged hibernation at Broadwas Croquet Club recently. Hot-on-the-heels of the exuberant mallets were equally enthusiastic players, keen to take advantage of the glorious sunshine that followed the protracted spell of wet weather that kept them off Stoney Ley’s resplendent croquet lawns.

After such a long winter break, the new season has been eagerly embraced by club members and visitors alike, with an impressive number of players attending the relaxed Tuesday and Friday afternoon roll-up sessions held on the club’s five hilltop lawns.

Despite the late start to the season, several of the club teams have started their season with the Association team hosting both Kington Langley and Cheltenham in the past 2 weeks and the Level play Golf Croquet team travelling to Kenilworth. Also the High Handicap team hosted Moreton-in-Marsh for their opening match of the season. A couple of the High Handicap team only picked up mallets for the first time last June, but members can play at whatever level they are comfortable with – be it competitive in-house ‘block’ competitions or external tournaments. Many members are content with just attending the sociable and incredibly popular twice-weekly roll-up sessions’.

The Club embraces players from all skill levels and ALL ages. Club members are always keen to encourage players brand new to the game, whilst club captain John Guy and Jeff Faulkner offer coaching sessions to those who wish to improve their game, maybe to even a competitive standard.

Broadwas Croquet Club is keen to welcome new members of all ages fresh to the game and offers introductory Taster Sessions. Anyone interested should email club captain John Guy at johnkeithguy@aol.com, or give him a call on 07941 787742 or 01905 748192.

On Wednesday 28th June 2023, the Broadwas team of Billy Nicholson, Stuart Smith, Barry Kirby and John Guy set off to travel to Eardisley to play in the West Midlands Level Play Golf Croquet League, looking for a win to help them recover from their previous defeat at Kenilworth.

The format in this league is that all players play singles games against all four opponents, and this is followed by a round of doubles resulting in 18 games in total.

Broadwas roared out of the blocks, and after the first 2 rounds of singles had burst into a 7 – 1 lead. Eardisley fought back, winning 3 of the next round of 4 singles, but Broadwas were in the lead by 8 games to 4 at lunch. After lunch Broadwas kept up the pressure and won all 4 of the last round of singles. The doubles were shared with each team winning one of the games meaning that Broadwas won the day by 13 games to 5.

As always Eardisley were excellent hosts and we look forward to welcoming them to Broadwas on 9^th August in the Association Croquet league.

Congratulations to the Broadwas team, all of whom contributed to this good win, but special mention should go to Barry Kirby who acquitted himself very well on his debut in this league.

John Guy

Both teams getting some respite from the heat in the shade of a tree. From left to right Alan Ridley (Shrewsbury), Barbara Edwards (Shrewsbury), John Guy (Broadwas), Gill Brooks (Broadwas), Stuart Smith (Broadwas), Margaret Hudson (Shrewsbury).

On 14^th June the Broadwas team of Stuart Smith (handicap 4.5), John Guy (5), and Gill Brooks (20) started their defence of the West Midlands Association Croquet League title by travelling to play at Shrewsbury.

Shrewsbury started with a very strong team of Alan Ridley (2), Alan Smith (3) and Barbara Edwards (10). This did mean that Broadwas had bisques in all the morning games.

In the morning session the Broadwas players had difficulty both with the very fast lawns and with the heat, going well behind in both games. Stuart improved to record a tremendous 10 hoop break but could not quite catch Alan Smith eventually going down 17 – 26. In the doubles John and Gill were 14 – 8 down with 30 minutes left but then used their remaining 3 bisques to score 8 hoops and take the lead. Barbara then hit in but could only score one hoop so Broadwas edged the game 16 – 15 when time was called.

So lunch was taken with the scores at 1 – 1. Shrewsbury then replaced Alan Smith with Margaret Hudson (16).

The afternoon session involved 3 games of singles and was played in even hotter temperatures than the morning. John stormed ahead of Barbara but Barbara used her bisques to start to get back into the game. However, John kept inching further ahead and eventually pegged out to win 26 – 11.

The other two games were very close and both went to time. With very little time on the clock Stuart and Alan Ridley were tied at 18 – 18 with Stuart in a good position in front of the hoop. Alan then had a huge piece of good fortune when his ‘hit-in’ (which was missing) hit the hoop and cannoned into Stuart’s ball. This allowed Alan to score 2 hoops and win 20 – 18. Gill managed to get 4 hoops in front of Margaret with about 10 minutes to go and, despite Margaret’s best efforts she could only score 2 hoops so Gill ran out the winner by 14 – 12.

An excellent win for Broadwas by 3 games to 2 against some good opponents giving Broadwas the 4 league points.

John Guy

Broadwas-on-Teme is blessed with a lovely Sports Ground, tucked away up Stoney Ley just off the A44. The Village has developed an enviable reputation for lawn sports – particularly croquet, where it has attracted players from other local villages and now punches well above its weight in many of the Midland and Southwest regional croquet competitions.

Now the Village is looking to excel at another lawn sport, Federation Bowls. The game itself can be played on the same lawns as croquet, but woods, jacks and mats replace the mallets, hoops and coloured balls of croquet.

Bowls is an easy game to pick up, though much, much harder to master and Broadwas’s gently sloping lawns add to the fun, though, a steady arm and good hand/eye coordination will always outsmart brute force.

Bowls at Broadwas is very sociable and relaxed. What could be nicer after a Monday or Friday Evening Bowls Roll-up than to enjoy a few light refreshments in the pavilion with friends whilst watching the sun set over Ankerdine Hill.

If you’d like to get involved at the beginning of the season, you could be playing Bowls at Broadwas as soon as the lawns are open in a couple of weeks or so.

If you want to know more, then please get in touch with Chris Croft on 07919 400401 or 01886 821664 for a chat and a trial run. Don’t leave it too long though: coaching is limited and starts as soon as the lawns dry out. What’s more, interest could be widespread so we may need to introduce a policy of First-Come-First-Served.

Give Croquet A Try At Broadwas. You Don’t Know What You’ve Been Missing!

It was only last year that I picked up a croquet stick for the first time ever.
Now, if you have never been within a hundred miles of a croquet hoop but were astute enough to immediately spot my use of an incorrect term to describe a croquet racquet, then you are
EXACTLY the sort of person we are seeking to welcome to Broadwas Croquet Club in the forthcoming season.
Even if you weren’t aware that croquet players generally call their most treasured possessions ‘mallets,’ but are keen to find out why they do, then you are warmly invited to join us for a fun learning experience this summer, at the club’s gorgeous Stoney Lea headquarters.

Until last summer, I had never laid my eyes on a proper mallet, let alone swung one around my head like the God of Thunder. (Don’t worry, you’ll be instructed in the ‘Thor Technique’ before you take part in tournament matches). But one day in June 2022, my wife and I attended an open afternoon at the club. From that very first introductory afternoon hosted by Fun Day Friday Organiser Chris Croft, we were both totally hooked on golf croquet.
From the moment we arrived at the club, we felt completely at home and our slight trepidation at the thoughts of completely embarrassing ourselves due to our ineptitude was totally dispelled by the warmth of our welcome and helpful tips from Chris and other club members and senior players.
What perhaps struck us most about the club most was how friendly and sociable the club’s members and organisers are, always willing and happy to help out if we were unsure of what shot to play next.
The club also has a number of social events during the year and in the winter close season a breakfast club helps members keep in touch and seeks to slightly shorten the agonising wait for the start of the season.
Though there is a lot we still need to learn with regard to tactics and perfecting our ‘jump’ and ‘stop’ shots, within an hour of arriving on that first afternoon, we had assimilated the basic rules of golf croquet and were up and running and able to participate in a game. As we were both newly retired and suffering the minor aches and pains that people of our age are occasionally prone to, we were slightly anxious that our physical fitness might not be up to the job, but we needn’t have worried. Both of us feel positively invigorated after our afternoons on the club’s five lawns. The Friday afternoon tea and cake also helps! As the club chairman Stuart Smith told BBC’s Midlands Today a few years ago, croquet “Doesn’t need strength, it doesn’t need superhuman muscles or speed, it’s all about finesse.”
But if you’re at all anxious about not being ‘good enough’ to play, forget all that. Croquet at Broadwas is as competitive or relaxing as you want it to be. Many members are content to just turn up on the Roll-up afternoons held on Tuesdays and Fridays from 1.00 pm until 4.00 pm, whilst others involve themselves in the club’s internal ladder competition and external tournaments.
The atmosphere at Broadwas Croquet Club is extremely relaxed. If playing croquet in a tranquil setting amongst lovely people appeals to you, then why not give us a ring.

Chairman Stuart Smith can be contacted on 01886 853311, Club Captain John Guy can be contacted on 01905 748192, or you can speak to Fun Croquet Organiser Chris Croft on 01886 821664.

Paul Felton

The final Golf Croquet match of the season took place on Sunday 28^th August when Broadwas entertained Eardisley in the West Midlands Level Play Golf Croquet League. Both teams were mid table so the Broadwas team of Stuart Smith, Billy Nicholson, Eileen Holt and John Guy were under no pressure, and neither were their opponents from Eardisley. This led to a very pleasant days croquet with only pride at stake.

The first round of 4 singles matches were shared 2 – 2, but Broadwas won the second round 3 – 1 and repeated the same score in the third round.

Lunch was taken with Broadwas 8 – 4 ahead.

The break seemed to suit Broadwas who won the next round of singles by 4 – 0 and then won both doubles games to take the match by 14 games to 4.

Special mention to Stuart and John who both won all their games during the day. A very pleasant end of season match – we will now all clean, press and hang up our whites ready for 2023.

John Guy 29/8/22

On Monday 22^nd August 2022 the Broadwas team of John Guy, Stuart Smith, Ian Dampney and Roger Wood started a busy week in their defence of the West Midlands Association Croquet League title knowing that a couple of good results would help them retain the title.

The Monday match was away at Church Stretton where the home team, knowing they had a chance of winning the league, put up a very strong team of Brian Christmas (h/c 4), John Knowles (4), Robin Trew (8) and Simon Nicol (11).

In the morning session the Broadwas players had trouble with the lawns which were quite bare in parts but had patches of clover in other areas making it difficult to judge the pace. The doubles pairing of Stuart and John G were beaten 17 – 12 by Brian and Robin; Roger went down 7 – 17 to Simon but Ian beat John K by 26 – 20 including a superb 10 hoop break early on in the game.

So lunch was taken with Broadwas 2 – 1 down, and the clouds were forming leading to some showers in the afternoon.

These showers kept changing the pace of the lawns during the afternoon session which involved 4 games of singles. Results were very mixed with Stuart losing to John K 11 – 26; Roger losing to Robin 8 – 26; but Ian beat Simon22 – 8 and John G beat Brian 22 – 19 in a very tight game. This meant that Broadwas lost the match by 3 games to 4 but gained a ‘losing bonus point’ as they only lost by 1 game. This was vitally important as it meant that, should Broadwas win their last game they would win the league.

And so, three days later, John, Stuart and Ian (handicaps 5, 4.5 and 8 respectively) set off for Eardisley with everything to play for. Only a victory would do. Eardisley could only raise a team of 3 – Tony Johnston (h/c 7); Brian Shorney (11) and Jen Johnston (14) so this meant that in every match the Eardisley players had lots of bisques.

This proved important in that, half way through the morning session, the Eardisley players were ahead in all the matches. Tony stayed ahead to beat John 17 -14 but, in the other games, as the bisques ran out, the Broadwas players hit back. Stuart beat Jen 21 – 14 and Ian overcame Brian 18 – 14. So, 2 – 1 to Broadwas at lunch.

In the afternoon sessions the clouds had dispersed and the sun was out meaning the temperature on the lawns was increasing in more ways than one. Again the Eardisley players used their bisques to get ahead in all the matches. Tony again managed to keep his lead to beat Stuart 19 – 10 but John and Ian were fighting back once the bisques had run out. John overcame Brian 22 – 17 and Ian fought back from 2 – 16 down to score the next 18 points and win 20 – 16. So 4 – 2 to Broadwas who were also awarded an extra point for running most hoops so the final score was recorded as 5 – 2 to Broadwas.

SO BROADWAS RETAIN THE WEST MIDLANDS ASSOCIATION CROQUET LEAGUE TITLE. Congratulations to John, Stuart, Ian and Roger and also to Gill Brookes who played in some of the earlier games but had to stand down later in the season due to surgery. John Guy 27/8/22

On 24th August eight of Broadwas Croquet Club’s more mature members competed for the Veterans Cup.  The quality of play overall was to a very high standard and whilst every game was closely contested, the atmosphere was always positive and friendly with courtesy and encouragement being the order of the day.

The winners of the two blocks of four were the husband and wife team of David Holt and Eileen Holt who then competed in a single game final with Eileen running out the Winner 7 – 4.  In the play-off for third place, Janet Barber beat Barry Kirby 7 – 6.

The competition was organised and carried through impeccably by Club Members, Janet Bedford and Josie Watson who were warmly thanked by all those who had taken part.  BCC’s President, John Steel spoke for everyone who had participated when he expressed the view that The Vets is one of the nicest and most agreeable tournaments of the season.

On 18^th August 2022, 20 members gathered to contest the annual doubles competition at Broadwas, competing for the John Barber Trophy. The trophy is named in honour of John Barber who was a founder member of the croquet club and did huge amounts of work over the following 20 years helping to lift the club from a small village gathering to a club that won national trophies.

The entrants had been drawn into pairs a month before the event, but now were divided into 2 blocks of 5 by random draw. Each team would play all 5 teams in the ‘other block’ with the winners of each block competing in the final.

In the ‘Black block’ John Guy and Gill Richardson proved too strong for all their opponents and managed to win all their 5 games, despite giving away 4 or 5 extra turns in each game. Jon Carrington and Chris Croft won 3 games and drew another giving them second position.

The ‘Red block’ was very keenly contested. 3 teams (Jim Dryden/Chloe Ballard; Peter Hill/Philip Apperley and Jeff Faulkner/Nick Reed) managed to win 2 games out of 5. After much calculation the Dryden/Ballard combination were awarded top spot on net hoop difference with the Faulkner/Reed combination in second spot just 2 hoops behind.

So the final was John and Gill v Jim and Chloe. John and Gill had won a close game between the teams by 7 -6 in the group, but, as is often the case, the roles were reversed in the final when Chloe ran the 13^th hoop to clinch the title by 7 – 6.

The third place play off was a similar story in that Jeff and Nick won the ‘bronze medal’ by beating Jon and Chris 7 – 3 despite having lost to them in the blocks matches.

Janet Barber presented the trophy to the winning pair.

Huge congratulations to Jim and Chloe but also well done to John and Gill in silver medal position and to Jeff and Nick in third.

A good day was had by all present. Chloe earned an extra reward as her handicap was cut from 12 to 10!!!!

John Guy 19/8/22

On Thursday 16^th June 2022, the Broadwas team of Roger Wood, Stuart Smith, Eileen Holt and John Guy set off to travel to Church Stretton to play in the West Midlands Level Play Golf Croquet League. Eileen was making her debut in this competition, having captained the Golf Croquet handicap team for several years. Having lost their first game earlier in the season, the team needed a big win – at least 12 games out of the 18 available needed to be won to earn bonus points to keep their slim hopes of the league title alive.

The lawns at Church Stretton were almost bare in places but had a lot of clover in other parts, meaning that every shot was at a different pace depending on the amount of each surface that had to be crossed. The Church Stretton players were, on paper, less experienced than those of Broadwas but their ‘local knowledge’ and good play meant that the majority of games were very close affairs.

The first round of 4 singles ended with the scores at 2 – 2 but the Broadwas players gradually got to grips with the lawns and won the both the second and third rounds of singles by 3 games to 1. So, a decent lead of 8 – 4 to Broadwas at lunch.

The fourth round of singles was also won 3 – 1 giving Broadwas an unassailable 11 – 5 lead with just the doubles to come. However, Broadwas needed to win at least one of the doubles to earn a bonus point for a ‘big win’ as well as another bonus point for winning away from home.

Broadwas managed to win both doubles to achieve this, giving them a 13 – 5 victory and 5 league points. Special mention should go to Roger and John who both won all their games during the day.

We concluded with drinks and excellent cakes provided by our very hospitable hosts. In fact the cake was so good that Roger took several slices home!!!

John Guy 18/6/22