Blewbury Croquet Club (BCC) is competitor friendly, no matter what your level. Tournaments are divided between internal (open only to members) and external, which showcase BCC to the wider croquet community. Tournaments provide steely rivalry on court and fun and camaraderie off it so don’t miss out. Take note: there is a lot of silverware on offer, but choosing where to pitch your challenge can be bewildering…..
CLUB COMPETITIONS
The organiser of each event will send out emails inviting entries. There are normally no entry fees for club competitions.
Association Croquet (AC)
1. The Founders Cup: originally the Jolyon Kay Cup for advanced level play. Entry to this elite event is by invitation only, a sensible approach as the subtleties of advanced play can only be mastered by experienced contenders. The best player should win. The Founders Cup was not played in 2021 so there will be two editions in 2022, the first in April, the second in August. Holder: Robin Brown (2020) . Organiser Joe King.
2. The Prebendal Trophy: a handicap event suitable for all players. Preliminary stages (format to be determined once numbers are known) will lead to a finals day in September. Given a good day and the run of the turf, anyone can lift the trophy – as proved by the varied list of those who have. Holder: Andy Robertson (2021). Organiser David Long.
AC Variants
The simpler variants of AC, One Ball and Short Croquet (SC), are increasingly popular, not least because novices benefit from the less demanding formats. BCC is embracing both in the hope of encouraging new members to dip a toe into competitive croquet.
- The Roger Cambray Memorial Shield is our ever-popular One Ball handicap event. This year it will be held over the Easter holiday, culminating in a finals day on April 18th. We plan to reach out to the local community with a club social over lunch and an open session for non-member spectators. The Roger Cambray attracted 22 members when it was last held in 2020. Expect even more this time. Holder David Long (2020). Organiser Joe King.
2.,The Jolyon Kay Trophy (to be presented by the Kay family in memory of their father): a new SC club competition to be held over the season on Monday afternoons. Organiser Minty Clinch
Golf Croquet (GC)
1. The GC Championship: a level play competition that starts with pool stages and progresses to semi finals and a final. Again this is not for novices and the best player often wins. The pool stages finish on August 31st, with the final in September. Holder: Peter Allan (2021) Organiser: Carol Jamieson
2. The Icknield Cup: this is the one for aspiring players, a handicap event with successful contenders progressing from the pool stages. Again these finish on August 31st, with the final in September,. Holder: David Long (2021) . Organiser Minty Clinch
3.GC Ladder 2022: find instructions for joining and challenging players in Competitions GC Ladder 2022 (below) Games count for handicap adjustments. Contact: Steve Fisher.
National competitions (competitors selected by captains)
1. The Longman Cup: AC teams. Early round against local clubs. Winners progress to the national stage, but BCC are usually eliminated in the first round.
2. All England Handicaps: individual competitions in AC and GC. Initial rounds are played within the club, with regional and national finals to follow.
3.AC and GC leagues: handicap and level play. BCC has various teams in both disciplines (by invitation only)
4. National One Ball finals: this year, the Roger Cambray competition will determine who represents BCC at the National (Charity) One Ball finals. Our space allocation depends on how much we raise at our own competition (one place per £50 we think) .
5. Champion of Champion Handicap Finals: the winners of the Prebendal and Icknield trophies are automatically invited to take part in the next season’s SCF finals at Hamptworth
Croquet Association Registered Tournaments
Open to all CA members, provided they haven’t opted out of a listing in the directory. Anyone who has is welcome to reconsider. The BCC subscription includes CA membership and with it, access to AC and GC tournaments nationwide. A point worth noting is that premium CA members pay significantly lower entry fees. Check dates, restrictions and online entry facilities on the CA website: croquet.org.uk. The fixtures list link is the Compete section.
BCC hosts a full range of such external competitions, starting with a new open GC tournament on May 7th. The May short croquet tournament follows a week later, with the High Bisquers 14 point AC weekend at the end of the month. The pace hots up along with the weather: there are three AC advanced two-day fixtures (June 8-9, July 27-28 and August 27-28), plus events in conjunction with Phyllis Court: AC June 21-22; GC July 23-24. August brings a second SC tournament on the 6th and a Bank Holiday one ball event on the 29th.
For details of 2022 BCC tournaments, check the Competitions section.