From the President

Dear Members,

It is pleasing to see so many members enjoying winter play. Competition for the AC and the GC ladders is hotting up and Jane has a big list of potential Interclub participants up on the board.

The committee management portfolios are working well. Jane is regularly communicating with the match committee. Pat and Pam, the catering committee members, have done a clean out of the kitchen and toilet area cupboards and there is a new collection bag for soft plastic (biscuit packaging) behind the kitchen door. The gardening group have had a big clean up in the car park. Brian Black, a new member of the committee, has been a Mr Fixit for several jobs and is teaming up with Dougal Ongley to upgrade the fence on the southern side of the lawns.

Our thanks to Judith Doyle for donating her mallet to the club and to Kathy Ingram for the long-term loan of hers. We do encourage all members to buy their own mallets after a year or so. See me if you want the club to purchase one for you.

The Player’s meeting is on this Saturday, 23 July at 11.15 am, after two half-hour games and morning tea. It has been decided to cancel the shared lunch as at least two winter members have been diagnosed with Covid in the last couple of days. Masks should be worn when attending the meeting.

It is with sadness that we have learned of Ann Trotter’s passing. She was a very charming member of the club. Her funeral is at St. Andrew’s this Thursday at 2 pm. Our thoughts are with her sister and our member Judith, at this time.

Kind regards

Mary Stevens

From the Club Captain

At the club 

Good to see so many people playing over the winter and some intrepid winter warriors battling the elements on some days. There has been treatment for worm casts recently, and fertiliser applied. The moss will be treated shortly.  Updates on other items at the Players’ Meeting.

Skill development

Sometimes when results are not as one would wish there can be a temptation to try and do clever shots. However, going back to basics may be a better option.  See link below for some tips on technique: pre-shot routine, stance and swing. 

• https://croquetdev.com/technique.html

For tips on thinking through the sequence of shots in GC see five shot thinking link below – your next shot, the following three shots, then your shot.

• http://www.tauntoncroquet.org/PDF/Pod_3_Five-Shot_Thinking_Handout.pdf

International events 

The 2022 Golf Croquet World Championships will  be held at Sussex County Croquet Club, from 30 July to 7 August 2022. New Zealand will be represented by two players, Jenny Clarke (Canterbury) and Nelson Morrow (Auckland). 

The MacRobertson Shield will be held in Australia in November. This is an international team’s event contested by NZ, Australia (the current holders), England and the USA.  It began in the 1920’s as a contest between Australia and England. The NZ team, captained by Greg Bryant, includes Paddy Chapman, a former AC World Champion who won his title on our Lawn 1 in 2018, and two former U21 GC World Champions. Four of the NZ squad were part of the victorious 2014 team when the event was held in NZ.

You will have a rare chance to see the NZ team in action as they will be using some of our lawns in early October for a practice weekend. 

The 2023 Women’s AC World Championship will be held in Canterbury in January 2023. Four Kelburn players are intending to play in it. 

Jane Norman
kmcc.club.captain@gmail.com

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