With a return to some clearer weather conditions, the Stanthorpe Mallet players found themselves back on the court last week.
The Association Croquet group were the first to hit the court on Tuesday (17/5). Grace Howard and Pauline Smith took on Jenny Tunbridge in what was a close game. Howard and Smith got off to a good start taking the lead after Howard scored four hoops in a row. Tunbridge showed all of her experience and with two runs of two and some excellent play went to score a 19-15 win. Joy Newman got off to a healthy lead in her game against Sharyn Roser. Newman managed to hold the lead until the last half hour of the game when her play stalled on hoop four back with one of her balls. Roser took advantage of the opportunity and after two peels and some accurate roquets Roser came home with a wet sail to win 22-18.
The Golf Croquet group tested the conditions on Wednesday (18/5). In game one Kathy Hopgood (3), Shirley Evans (0) and Bev Sullivan (2) lost to Di Wren (8) and Liz Ellway (3). Wren was played accurately and scored a particularly good jump shot (one of the harder shots of the game when an opponent’s ball is blocking the hoop and the player must make the ball jump over the top and go through the hoop to score).
In the second game of the morning Evans and Sullivan each scored five hoops hoops against Hopgood (2), Wren (3) and Ellway (1). Evans played very well while her partner Sullivan scored with a trick shot.
The weather conditions deteriorated late in the week and when the Gateball players lined up on Friday they were confronted with overcast and drizzly weather and a strong cold wind. The conditions did not dampen the player’s enthusiasm as they hit the court although it did take a little while for them to warm up.
Les Williams, Sharyn Roser and Grace Howard won the toss and elected to play white balls against Joy Newman, Jenny Tunbridge and Pauline Smith (red balls).
In the early stages if the opening game both teams struggled to put their balls in play. Reds took control of hoop three but in spite of their early dominance whites warmed to the game and showed some good form scoring a decisive victory taking 17 points (including two Agaris). Although Newman played some accurate long roquets Red’s scored on.ly five points.
The second of the four games was very close until Sharyn Roser sparked three 3 red balls out of play allowing her white team to take their second win of the morning with a 9-8 score line.
In the final two games teams swapped colours. Newman continued to play well for the now white team and scored the only Agari of the third game with a long spark. However, in spite of this the red team scored a healthy 17-11 after controlling hoops two and three for the majority of the game. There was little between the teams in game four. Reds took a small lead before Tunbridge managed to score a touch-and-gate and put three red balls out of play. It put the white team in the lead, and they went on to win 12-9.
