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GOLF CROQUET KNOCKOUT TOURNAMENT (Level play singles)

Manager: Mike O'Brian

Each match consists of one 13-point game (except the final which is the best of three games). Level-play to CA rules, no time limit, full-size lawns. A draw has taken place to determine the first round order. Games other than the final can be played at any mutually agreed time on or before the closing date for the round. Please enter results on the sheet on the notice-board. Games not played by the closing date will be awarded to the entrant able to play. Date and time of the final to be decided by the manager in consultation with the players.

Previous winners:
2003 Nick Mounfield
2004 Nick Mounfield
2005 Tim King
2006 Ray Mounfield
2007 Tim King

2008 Arthur Rowe

2009 Mike O'Brian

 

2009 RESULTS

 

1st round

2nd round

Semi-finals

Final

 

Martin Wroughton 2

  Ray Mounfield 7

Ray Mounfield

 

 

Ray Mounfield 7

 

 

Arthur Rowe 7

  Arthur Rowe 2

 

 

Tim King 6

 

 

Mike O'Brian 7

  Mike O'Brian 7

Mike O'Brian

WINNER

 

Mick Haytack 7

Mick Haytack 3

Eileen Buxton 4

Barrie March 7

Barrie March 3

  Chris Mounfield 6

Richard Sanville 5

Rupert Knapton 5

Chris Mounfield 7

Chris Mounfield 7

 

FINAL (Wednesday 14th October): Mike O'Brian beat Ray Mounfield (7-3, 7-3).  Mike reports that the only spectators were the noisy birds.  The manager won 7-3, 7-3, dispelling the myth about playing and administrating not being wise. Modesty forbids any further details.

 

 

2008 RESULTS

 

1st round

2nd round

Semi-finals

Final

 

Mike O’Brian

  Mike O’Brian 3

Tim King

 

 

Eileen Buxton

 

 

Mick Haytack 5

  Tim King 7

 

 

Tim King 7

 

Derek Buxton 7

Derek Buxton

  Arthur Rowe

Arthur Rowe

WINNER

Richard Sanville 6

Ray Mounfield

Arthur Rowe

Arthur Rowe

Chris Mounfield

Chris Mounfield 7

  Chris Mounfield

Martin Wroughton

Barrie March

Rupert Knapton 4

Rupert Knapton

 

FINAL (Sunday 12th October): Arthur Rowe (h’cap 3) beat Tim King (h’cap 1) 7-6, 6-7, 7-4

 

 

2007 RESULTS

 

Qualifying round

1st round

2nd round

Semi-finals

Final

 

Tim King 7

Tim King 7

Tim King 7

Tim King 7

Tim King
WINNER

Richard Sanville 2

Rupert Knapton

Derek Buxton 5

Derek Buxton

 

Arthur Rowe 7

Arthur Rowe 4

 

Lindsey Thomas 3

 

Cynthia Steele 3

Mike O’Brian 7

Mike O’Brian 5

 

Mike O’Brian 7

 

Rachel Rowe

Rachel Rowe 5

 

Martin Wroughton

 

 

Chris Mounfield

Chris Mounfield 7

Chris Mounfield 5

Mick Haytack

 

Anthony Finch

 

Judith Rowe 4

Barrie March 5

 

Barrie March 7

 

Mick Haytack

Mick Haytack 7

Mick Haytack 7

 

Eileen Buxton

 

Ray Mounfield 7

Ray Mounfield 5

 

Dave Davis 3

FINAL: Tim King beat Mick Haytack (7-5, 7-4)

Unconventionally but under diary pressure at the end of the season and with the blessing of the Tournament Manager, who was present, Mick and Tim exported the knockout final to the hallowed grounds of the Ripon Spa hotel on Friday 5th October.  With the O'Brians and the Buxtons in attendance, the crowd was possibly as big as was ever going to be the case but apologies to everyone else who was holding open their diaries to fit in this pinnacle of the club season.  Tim had a marginal advantage having played three tournaments before at Ripon but whatever the result Mick could look at the benefits of having played a serious game before embarking on the real purpose of the weekend: competing in the Yorkshire Open Doubles.

 

The final was nothing too memorable.  In the best-of-three thirteen-point games, Tim played with enough consistency and rhythm to give little away and Mick never really found his very best play to put any pressure on the lower handicap player.  Tim won the first 7-5 without much drama.  He then proceeded to find an extra gear and was soon 6-1 up in the second.  To Mick's credit, he did not roll over and capitulate at this point, winning the next three hoops and getting himself into pole position in the jaws of hoop 11.  However, he failed to clear Tim's ball that was about four to five yards away on a difficult angle.  Tim was able to pull off a fittingly superb way to win any match.  The double-banked, non-Ashby players were able to join in the applause and then realize that they had been sharing the court with such an important event!

 

With the club matter out of the way, Mick and Tim went on to further battles over the weekend together with their respective playing partners but that is another story.  Perhaps the only other way to give the knockout tournament a higher profile would be to make the semi-finals also best-of-three games and put these on the same day as the final.  However, this would also require greater diary co-ordination so perhaps this format is an unrealistic dream.  Thanks to all who competed this year; good luck for next season!   Report by Tim

 

2006 RESULTS

 

1st round

2nd round

Semi-finals

Final

 

Arthur Rowe 5

Ray Mounfield 7

Ray Mounfield 7

Ray Mounfield
WINNER

Ray Mounfield 7

Rachel Rowe 2

Derek Buxton 6

Derek Buxton 7

Tim King 7

Tim King 7

Tim King 6

Susan Taylor 3

Chris Mounfield 5

Mick Haytack 4

Mick Haytack 7

 

Mike O'Brian 7

Mike O'Brian 7

Mike O'Brian 7

Mike O'Brian

Barrie March 4

 

Dave Davis 1

 

 

Eileen Buxton 5

Richard Sanville 2

 

 

Richard Sanville 7

 


FINAL (played Tues 26th Sept): Ray Mounfield beat Mike O'Brian (7-4, 7-5) in front of a large audience (Eileen throughout the match, Chris for the second game and Arthur for the last two hoops!)

 

2005 RESULTS

1st round

2nd round

Semi-finals

Final

 

Eileen Buxton

Chris Mounfield

Ray Mounfield

Tim King
WINNER

Chris Mounfield

Margaret O'Brian

Ray Mounfield

Ray Mounfield

Mike O'Brian

Mike O'Brian

Tim King

Nick Mounfield

Tim King

Tim King

Noel Penn-Davis

 

Marilyn Murray

Marilyn Murray

Geoff Ellott

Geoff Ellott

Susan Taylor

Dave Davis

Geoff Ellott

Geoff Ellott

Barrie March

Barrie March

Mick Haytack

Derek Buxton

Mick Haytack

Mick Haytack

Richard Sanville

FINAL: Tim King beat Geoff Ellott (7-3, 7-2)

IT'S A KNOCKOUT! 2005 FINAL (Report by Tim)

With all the jokers having been played in earlier rounds and Luxembourg being disqualified as an appropriate venue, Stuart Hall was noticeable by his absence on Sunday 18th Sept. The event manager even fled the country at the thought of this final.  Investigations are still ongoing as to whether the rumours are true that the event prize had been pawned to fund this particular travel bonanza.  However, the good news is that said manager has no access to club funds and, thus, is expected to eventually return to the country.

With respect to the game itself, the only surprise of the afternoon was that a large crowd of excitable young ladies was missing to watch two such fine specimens of the male of the species.  Surely someone had made a mistake with the date and time on the publicity for the event. Otherwise, Geoff Ellott showed dogged resistance and made few glaring mistakes while Tim King had the greater range of experience to call upon to counteract Geoff's best efforts.  As a consequence, the scoring was neither swift nor comprehensively one-sided but Tim eased, on the whole, to a comfortable 7-3, 7-2 victory, as would be expected by the respective handicaps.  The debate could still rage as to the possible benefit of seeding for this event but, on the other hand, although other members present requested the use of pegs for the second game, even the dog did not bother to turn up as a spectator on this occasion.

Congratulations to Geoff for giving himself the chance to win the event, to Mike O'Brian for being the driving force behind this important club event and to Tim for living up to his billing.  Now everyone is back in the melting pot for next year's event.  Good luck to all!

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Page last updated 27/10/09