Hear it hit, see it miss’. Cliff Jones, a wiry wily octogenarian, writes his mantra on the whiteboard in neat caps. His day course at High Wycombe’s Chiltern Academy is called Perfecting Stroke Play. Like any self respecting guru, he has a book on hand to sell to his pupils. Hold the mallet any way you like, but watch its head strike the ball. An eerie silence as it passes through a hoop without touching the sides? Or frustration as wood snags on metal? Cliff demonstrates the full range of strokes, emphasising his preference for using natural drive ratios rather than rolls to put balls where they need to be. Practice and be patient: winter is the time to make it all work.
A week or so later, Dr Raouf Allim, resident coach at Chiltern, attracts a similar gang for Working Towards a 4-ball Break. His course notes are disarmingly simple, illustrating how to manoeuvre the balls around the box – the central area within the hoops. No pioneers isolated on the perimeters. No pivots impeded by the peg. Shorter distances, less extreme angles, the essence of control. Errant balls mean breakdown: a bisque squandered, a turn lost. ‘If you lose them, you can’t use them’ might be the mantra here.
A month or so later, it’s time to put these skills to the test. High Wycombe (hwcroquetclub.com) and Hamptworth (07912 608733) run AC and CG tournaments throughout the winter, but they don’t appear on the CA website.. M.C.