From the President

Hello Everyone,

I hope this letter will find you all fit and well and keeping warm and snug indoors. We are a little ahead of ourselves in getting this newsletter to you this month as Lesley, who sends them, is off to Australia for three weeks to visit their Aussie families.

In my last newsletter I mentioned our 110th birthday celebrations. We have agreed on Saturday 16 September, which is Opening Day for our Summer season. To celebrate the occasion the Committee will be doing the catering with Lisa and I arranging the menu and overseeing the preparations on the day.

I would have liked to invite several people who were members here in the past, but as our rooms only seat 50 people comfortably I realised this was not going to be possible so we shall be enjoying the company of our current and many new members this time round. We will, of course be inviting our Mayor to “Open the Season” for us in the traditional manner.

With mention of new members I would very much like to welcome Margaret Morrell, Jeanie Stewart and Simon Tendeter to our club. Please make yourselves known to them and help them where you can in our usual friendly Kelburn fashion. We may not see too much of them during these next three months but once September comes I hope they will join us most weeks.

We are still enjoying the company of the Khandallah members, and it is good to have them playing amongst us. Khandallah's Club Captain, Roger Hurnard, is our guide to the new Advantage GC rules and has also been putting us right with the “Heretaunga Rule”, as they have been playing this at their club for some time.

With all this glorious weather we have been experiencing, it has been perfect for croquet and we have had good numbers coming along to enjoy a relaxed game as well as good company and warmth.

At the end of September we will welcome some players from the Taranaki region who are doing a tour of various clubs in the North Island. This should be an interesting experience. From what I have heard, they have some very strong players so we shall have to look closely at our senior members to give them some stiff competition.

Another tour targeting Kelburn club to play some croquet is an Australian Cruise group who visited us about four years ago. They are planning on dropping by in February.

So with all the scheduled Interclub competitions and other organized tournaments for both AC and GC play, we will be having a very busy Summer season to look forward to.

Mary Stevens is a very happy lady, having had the north border garden denuded of a lot of unnecessary old trees and bushes. She is now able to clear the weeds before a team will replant more appealing and attractive shrubs for us to appreciate in the future. The aim is to make the gardening care an easier area to maintain with less stress and more pleasure. I think there is also plans to have a border along the front edge to eliminate our balls getting lost amongst the shrubs, especially the black ball!

This is all for this month, so take care and keep warm.

Kind wishes to you all.

Mary Egley
President

From the Club Captain

110th season

Our club was incorporated in July 1013 and we are considering ways to celebrate our 110th anniversary during the coming season. Please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Winter play

Great to see so many playing over the winter. Unfortunately, the lawns remain soft – please take care.

It may be necessary to close the lawns after heavy rain, but given our changeable weather we may not be able to give much notice of closures.

Northern hemisphere AC Tournaments - congratulations and best wishes

Baubre Murray won the Plate at the Dublin County Championships in early June, and was going on to compete in a Cheltenham Tournament and the AC World Qualifier after that.

GC Rules session at Wellington Club Wednesdays only

There has been a recent amendment to the information posted on our News pages about the GC Rules sessions offered at Wellington Club. They will be on Wednesdays only, starting at 1.30 pm.

Orders for WCA Year Books, Rules

We have hard copies of GC Rules, AC Laws and the CNZ Year Book at the club house, and information is also available on-line on the CNZ website. However, if you want your own hard copy of any of these please put your name down on the list at the clubhouse or email me by 15 July. $20 for CNZ Year book, and $7.50 for the GC Rules 6th Edition.

WCA Club Captains' meeting

Interclub rules finalised – updated rules will be circulated.
Wainuiomata will host an Advantage GC tournament in the summer season.
Course for new managers of 1 - 2-day GC tournaments, 23 July, at Feilding. Contact Anne McKenzie amckenzie53@gmail.com
Inclusion Project – an open day is planned at a club in the Wellington region. There is more information on the WCA website.
Wed 19 July 1.30 pm to 4.30 pm GC strategy and tactics session for less experienced players at Wellington Club, run by Janet Boutel, who is the contact for this.
For those interested in Advantage GC, see this Youtube video by Craike Valley Croquet Club.
CNZ-affiliated players can register for free CNZ coaching in new game variants. See the details in the flyer below. Register directly with: Paraparaumu: amckenzie53@gmail.com, Plimmerton: kelvinscroquet@gmail.com, Wellington: janet@boutel.co.nz

Jane Norman
kmcc.club.captain@gmail.com