Blewbury’s GC All-England preliminary heats were held on Wednesday 1st June and Saturday 11th June 2022. There were six players each day, with three to qualify for the area finals. The qualifiers would be decided on number of wins, then on hoop difference.
Thank you, Bo, for stepping in at short notice when Sue Jenkins withdrew shortly before the first heat. With four wins out of five on day one, Minty made a promising start but the second heat would decide which three players would go through.,
On the second day, David Vincent and David Long played just before the lunch break. David V won, but came off the court with blood streaming down his leg! He told me David L was so upset at losing he hit him with his mallet! I was astonished, I was sure that David L was not like that.
Well, he isn’t. .While collecting his pegs, David V stumbled into a hoop, peeling back a skin flap against the steel. We used a Savages medical kit to bind him up: ours didn’t have a plaster large enough. He ate lunch with his leg elevated and carried on in the afternoon.
After this crisis, the day proceeded smoothly. Susan was undefeated with five wins out of five. She and Minty go forward, along with Carol Wadsworth who was second on day one with three wins and the best hoop average. Susan and Carol will play in the finals at Phyllis Court on 10th August, while Minty goes to the Bath competition on 14th August.