Croquet Victoria
Advancing Croquet in Victoria

News

Earlier news

2019-03-27

Wimmera GC singles championships enjoyed by all

The Wimmera Croquet Association Golf Croquet Singles Championships were played at Horsham Kalimna Park CC on Wednesday 27 March.

Thirteen members played off in three sections.

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2019-03-15

Congratulations Simon Watkins!

Croquet Victoria is proud of Simon Watkins, who represented Victoria and won the AC Gold Medal in the Croquet Australia competition in Perth this month.

Daphne Alcorn, vice president of Simon's club Brighton, writes:

Brighton Croquet Club members are very excited by the recent success of their member Simon Watkins, who won the prestigious Australian Croquet Association’s Gold Medal in Perth in March.

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Current news

News Date: 2019-03-31
Posted by: Philip Brown
Posted on: 2019-04-03
News Type: Gateball

Back-to-back titles for Kew at Victorian Gateball Championships

A windswept but undaunted Victorian Gateball Championships were held over 29-31 March at the Victorian Croquet Centre at Cairnlea.

For the second consecutive year Kew prevailed as the Teams Champion, though the final standings were very close this year. Kew won four games of six, as did Canberra. However Kew prevailed with a much higher net hoops score of +32 compared to the second-placed Canberra who had +10.

The matches were of high quality and with a diverse range of tactics on display. Your correspondent was both heartened and slightly miffed to see successful tactics I had used at previous tournaments being used back against my team with clear success.

The Championships continue to attract players of a large age range and with vastly different levels of experience. There were two teenagers playing, as well as octogenarians and most decades in between. There were players with decades of experience and newcomers with only a few months’ worth. The active role of Gateball captains makes the team game a wonderful way for players to learn the sport without needing to worry about the tactics of the game. The Kew team included two of those newcomers and still secured the Championship.

The winning Kew team.
From left:
Philip Brown (capt), Maxine Maclachlan, Kerry Siepolt, David Pryor,  Anthony Dask and Gilon Smith.  Not pictured: Clare Morgan.

In the pairs, the rise of John and Penny Park continues. The pair had previously won the NSW Pairs Championship last November and prevailed again in Victoria by going undefeated in the block. They were presented with the John Bradley trophy for winning the Victorian Pairs Championship. The runners up were Elaine Coverdale and Maxine Maclachlan.

A special mention should be given to Chas Quinn and Heather Fraser, whose high-risk, high-return approach to the Pairs competition created some very memorable games. Their game against Geoff Crook and Trish Fazackerly looked as if it might finish at 21 all, until some missed shots at the goal pole left the final score at the still-memorable 21-17.

The rise of the South Australian Gateball players cannot be ignored. The game there is growing and they are starting to complement their already excellent hitting with a more nuanced understanding of the tactics of the game. The South Australian Gateball Pairs competition over the weekend of 13-14 April should be an excellent example of the game.

Victoria was pleased to welcome visitors from NSW, ACT and South Australia competing in this tournament. There will be even more visitors, and from further afield, when the National Gateball Championships are held at Cairnlea in late November.

Philip Brown
Victorian Gateball Coordinator

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Later news

2019-04-04

Talented players at Goulburn Valley Championships

The Goulburn Valley Croquet Association Championships were held at Rich River on 4 April and the member clubs’ Champions competed across three divisions for the Champion of Champions title and the opportunity to represent the GVCA at the Regional Championships at Cairnlea.

The 17 entrants kept the crowd of spectators entertained with some talented croquet.

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2019-04-07

GC Selectors’ Invitation, 6-7 April

This event is a highlight of the VCA Calendar each year. Held concurrently with the Bronze Medal, it is an event used by state selectors to evaluate the performances of State Team Squad members and monitor the improvement of players from around the state who show commitment and development in their game.

The event was divided into three sections and pitted players against each other according to their current ranking. It was unfortunate that the Section 3 events had only 6 players competing. However the results indicate the closeness of each event. All sections were played as a round robin, best of 19 hoop format.

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