Report on First GC C – Level National Final – 23/24 September 2018
Chris Jackson reports –
Nottingham CC welcomed the 16 finalists of the First GC C-Series held over the weekend of 23-24th September. Given the onset of Autumn, the lawns were in remarkably good condition. The weather was also pretty kind, with none of the forecast rain occuring.
Based on an 'all-play-all' format, the finalists ranging from Bury to Ryde (with a strong Home Counties showing) played 15 untimed rounds. Handicaps ranged from 5 to 10.
At the end of the first day, three players – Steve Tarrant, Stephen Haynes and the local (and recent convert to croquet) Mike Hedge, were all tied on 6 wins each, closely followed by three others with 5 wins. Going into the final round, Mike Hedge had a one game lead over Stephen Haynes and Michelle Leonard. However, determined and attacking play from Michelle gave her yet another win whilst Mike lost his final game, making it 11 wins for each of them. Based on the tournament ruling of 'net hoops scored', Michelle was declared the winner with +63 with Mike a close second on +60.
Many thanks to Patricia Duke-Cox and Beatrice McGlen for their catering skills and to Chris Jackson for managing the final.
To conclude, this was a very successful inaugural C-Level tournament.