Blewbury’s prestigious June Advanced tournament attracted a diverse field from faraway places. Clive Goode (-0.5), Ian Vincent (-1) and Ian Draper (1.5) made up the Nottingham trio, with Charles Harding (0.5) from Bowden in Lancashire completing the powerful northern challenge. Hurlingham’s Mark Ormerod (-1.5) and David Marsh (-1.5) from Wrest Park represented southern clubs. On paper, Pete Trimmer (-2), Dave ‘magic mallet’ Trimmer’s flamboyant brother, was the man to beat. Could Blewbury’s chairman, Joe King (-1), or Peter Allen (0.5) send them home empty-handed?
Played in the best possible spirit, the matches unfolded over two days. The contenders relaxed under the gazebo for Dierdre Cochrane‘s delectable lunches; smooth service guaranteed by her daughter, Philippa, and Susan Tilbrook. While they ate, Mark and Pete reminisced over an incident at ‘the Worlds’ – the 2023 World Championships in which they’d both competed. As tournament manager, Joe anxiously fielded computer glitches off court, but kept his cool where it mattered. Pete retired on three wins after one day, Mark recorded four wins and a defeat but it was Joe unbeaten in four games, with victories over Mark and David on the second day, who topped the table. BCC salutes a famous victory.
