AC ‘S’ League home match vs Reigate Priory CC
With Reigate’s confirmation of the early August fixture only the previous week, we had a scramble to prepare the lawn and gather a team (it’s challenging in holiday season…), needing to double mow the day before, paint the lines, and seek volunteers to help with lunch. So, thank you to Roger Stearn for captaining us, to Peter Coleman and Simon Charrington for making up the team with him, and to Denise Freestone and Pauline Bramworth for beautifully arranging the team lunch in the club committee room, and for clearing away afterwards – all essential help for the tea Thank you!
The match was Peter Coleman’s first competitive croquet match against another club, and with Reigate Priory CC fielding low handicappers Phil (7), Lucy (8) and Simon L (9), Ember were going to have their work cut out. The morning round saw Ember’s Simon Charrington play Reigate’s Phil in the singles, and Roger Stearn and Peter Coleman play Lucy and Simon L in the doubles. Simon Charrington (9) burned his two bisques in rapid fashion for no gain while Reigate’s Phil stormed into a commanding lead. Simon at last found some form with several long hit-ins and made good progress to challenge the lower handicap Reigate player. After slip-ups on both sides, Phil regained the initiative and from an unpromising position was able cleverly to engineer the final peg out of both balls to win 26-18. In the doubles, meanwhile, Ember’s Roger Stearn (10) and Peter Coleman (22), were making better progress with good use of bisques and tactical play, eventually catching up with the Reigate pair on the last turn of the match, making it 21-21, and then winning on the ‘golden hoop’. In the afternoon singles, Reigate’s Lucy got into her stride in a way that Roger Stearn was uncharacteristically unable to match and secured the second singles win for Reigate 26-12. In the doubles, Simon Charrington and Peter Coleman were keeping the initiative over Reigate’s Simon L and Phil throughout the game, and when the bisques had run out for the Ember pair, newcomer Peter Coleman executed some excellent mid-distance to long hit-ins to enable Ember to secure the second win.
Match result: 2-2.
AC ‘S’ League away match vs Cheam CC
Later in August, Ember still looking for their first match win of the season fielded an unchanged team to meet Cheam’s Andrew (7), Brian (7), and Debbie(20).
With only a bisque or two in it, these were well matched teams resulting in four very closely fought games. Roger Stearn had the clearest singles win (in the afternoon vs Brian) 23-17 and provided the strategy for the doubles victory with Peter Coleman in the morning 21-7. Simon Charrington’ match against Cheam’s Andrew in the morning singles ebbed and flowed with Simon always ahead except at one point when Andrew drew level, but the Cheam player failed to capitalise, giving Simon the opportunity to move ahead again and peg out both balls to win 26-22. In the afternoon doubles, Cheam’s Andrew and Debbie held the initiative for most of the game with Simon Charrington and Peter Coleman struggling to make any kind of impact. However, eventually, the Ember team’s moment came, and they didn’t look back, forging ahead to secure the fourth win for the day for the away team 17-11.
Match result – 4-0
Ember Croquet Club’s season so far: W1, L1 and drawn 1 with one match to play.
