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From the PresidentDear All, Welcome to Nicola Lowe, who has joined as a new member. It looks like autumn is approaching but what a wonderful few weeks we have had! It is too soon to settle on a programme for our Closing Day and prizegiving on 23 April. Traditionally we celebrate with a shared lunch, but with Omicron swirling about, the committee will decide what to do nearer the date. Well done Alison Robinson, runner-up in the CNZ Women’s Invitation AC Tournament at Masterton, winning six out of seven games. Kelburn was approached many weeks ago by Clifton Terrace School about the possibility of some of their children learning to play croquet. The committee agreed this would be an excellent initiative, and Jane Norman has arranged several visits for students to play on our lawns. The children really enjoyed playing and since then Susie Poole and Philip May have signed up for introductory lessons. Dougal Ongley is making some children’s hoops and mallets and Denise Ongley, who has spent her career teaching, has enjoyed assisting Jane. We do value this connection that has been forged. It was delightful to see our member Valerie Rhodes on TV 1 News, being interviewed about her long-time association with the NZSO which is celebrating its 75th anniversary. Valerie and a group from her school were present at the rehearsal of the orchestra’s first performance in 1946 and she has been a supporter ever since. Caroline Townsend Green reports from the UK that the weather has been no good for Barry to play croquet but they have kept busy getting their narrow boat ready for sale. Small request - please put any metal wine and beer caps into the container on the kitchen windowsill at the club. I will take them to Sustainability Trust. Keep safe. Kind regards Mary Stevens  |
From the Club CaptainLawns closed for Silver Badges this coming SundayPlease note the lawns will be reserved for the GC Silver Badges Tournament on Sunday 20 March and are not available for casual play. Four clubs are taking part. Coming up: Ingram GC Singles Saturday 2 AprilDon't forget the Ingram GC Singles tournament coming up at Kelburn on Saturday 2 April. It's level play, with a random draw. Enter on the day. CongratulationsCongratulations to Alison Robinson, who was the runner-up in the CNZ 2022 Women's AC Invitation, held at Masterton in early March, and to Dave Robinson who was the runner-up in the WCA Don Reyland event. Congratulations also to Jim Brough, Dave Egley and Joan Keate for coming first equal (all on 23 points) in the two-day twilight GC aggregate doubles competition held over two evenings in early March, organised seamlessly by Pádraig O'Connor. Congratulations to Jim Brough for moving to a 3 handicap following his play in the Forsyth Barr GC Teams Tournament at Paraparaumu (see story below). Finally, I'm sure you'll all join in congratulating Joan Keate, whose handicap has moved to 11, after a summer of strong performance in competitions and tournaments. Thanks for the helpWhile the Council mows our lawns, we have to ensure they are at the standard required to hold tournaments. Thank you for the help moving and resetting the hoops - Alison Robinson, John Corsham, Scott Wilson, David Robinson, Jim Strachan, Denise and Dougal Ongley, and John Stevens. Thanks also to Denise Ongley, Pádraig O’Connor, John Kane and Mary Stevens for their assistance with introducing the Clifton Terrace Model School students to croquet on Thursday afternoons. And to Dougal Ongley for making small hoops. CNZ update re leviesWe note that Croquet New Zealand has set new levies for 2022/23 (the amounts in the brackets are the increase from 2021-22): WCA levies: $5 New To Croquet, then $10. CNZ update re Advantage CroquetAt this stage, CNZ does not have any plans to run an official trial of Advantage Croquet. Clubs, and Associations, are welcome to run tournaments using the Advantage Croquet format and can provide feedback directly to the World Croquet Federation - advantagegc@worldcroquet.org. It should be noted that AHS cards should not be used if playing Advantage Croquet. Jane Norman |
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Club website has new nameWe have an easy new way to get to our KMCC club website. It's still the same secure Sporty website, used by New Zealand's major sports organisations and clubs, but it has this new name which is a shortcut for getting there … and it's easier to remember. The address below takes you straight to the website, on a PC, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone - without having to download an app. It's very convenient for checking the club's Calendar, wherever you are. |
Forsyth Barr GC Teams Tournament, ParaparaumuFrom our Sports Correspondent The two teams Kelburn entered for the Forsyth Barr GC Teams Tournament, Paraparaumu, 12-13 March had an enjoyable and successful weekend, if not the victory both had hoped for. "Joan's Drones" : Pádraig O'Connor, David Egley and Joan Keate were beaten finalists, having won their 3 divisional matches. "The Kakas" : Jim Brough, Jim Strachan and Denise Ongley were winners of the 3rd/4th place match, having narrowly missed out on a slot in the final with two match wins and a draw in divisional play only to miss out to better scoring from the team that eventually beat "Joan's Drones" in the final. But for a small slice of luck, as often the case is, "Joan's Drones" could have won the final, which was not decided until the final stroke of the match. The same could be said of "The Kakas" and their progress through the divisional stage, which could have heralded an all Kelburn final, but both came up just short. C'est la vie. It was a great tournament format, very well and smoothly run by Anne McKenzie and her helpers out at Paraparaumu, and enjoyable to compete in. Hopefully, it will become a fixture on the tournament calendar. Congratulations to Jim Brough, who moved to a handicap of 3 following this tournament. Pádraig O'Connor |
Checking your membership detailsIn the coming month we will ask all members to verify their contact and other details for our membership database. We will do this by sending each member a secure and private link to just their own details in our membership database. You will be able to check the information, and correct it if necessary. For any members who are unable (or simply don't want) to go online to check the information, we will give you a printout and talk with you in person. There will be a special email message in advance, reminding you to look out for your verification request. And there will be reminders at tea breaks on club days. If you have any questions about this, talk with Lesley Meadows, or email her via kelburnmcc@gmail.com, or call 021 351 565. |
Our recent newsYou can also read our latest news and our Facebook items on the News page of our website. |
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Some time after the summer season ends at the end of April, all the lawns will close for maintenance by Wellington City Council. The maintenance is much-needed. We will let members know the exact dates of the closure when we have confirmed these with WCC. Watch out for our advice about the closure dates by these means:
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Finally …It was a pleasure to meet Oliver Field, Croquet New Zealand's Inclusion Officer. We are looking forward to working with Oliver to help even more people enjoy the game. Making croquet accessible to a wider range of people is not a new thing. The photo below comes from an article on the topic, on the website oxfordcroquet.com, and shows WW1 Canadian servicemen recuperating from injuries suffered in battle. |
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