20+ Tournament 2012
8 September 2012, Meadows
Seven players from the Meadows and Edinburgh Clubs, with handicaps from 20 to 24, took part in this year's SCA 20+ Tournament. Fergus McInnes was there as manager and referee, and ran the event to a Swiss format with five rounds of short croquet games. Play began about 9:45am and, with a relaxed schedule and at least one game going to the 80-minute time limit in each round, the last game finished a little after 6pm.
The holder Roger Binks lost in the first round to Robert Drummond (the only representative of the Edinburgh Club), and after two rounds Robert and Mike Wilson had established themselves as the leaders. Accordingly they met in the third round after lunch, and it was Mike who prevailed by a margin of 3 points on time. With more emphatic wins over Ian Stark (+9) and over Roger Binks (+14) later in the afternoon, he finished the day unbeaten and a worthy winner of the quaich. Robert Drummond and George Geis shared second place with three wins from four games.
Eight of the day's 15 games reached a peg-out, with winning margins ranging from 7 to 14. Those that went to time were all closer, and they included at least two that went into extra time because the scores were level at the end of the normal extension period. In the first of these, Ian stuck in the potentially winning hoop 4 after time had been called, and George rushed Ian's ball out of the hoop but didn't get hoop 5; then in extra time, with the remaining bisques restored to life, Ian took his one bisque but failed hoop 3, letting George back in to use his four bisques to score hoop 5 and win 6-5. Later in the day - indeed at the very end of the tournament - it was Ian who won the endgame against Lyn Gilpin, after Lyn unwisely shot at Ian's ball stuck in hoop 4 instead of first taking the short roquet on her partner ball: she missed, Ian ran hoop 4 to equalise, and in an exciting sequence of extra turns both players attempted hoop 5 but it was Ian who succeeded for an 11-10 victory.
The weather on this September Saturday was better than on many days of the summer, with only brief light showers and some sunny intervals, and a good time appeared to be had by all despite the vicissitudes of the games.
Fergus McInnes
Results
Mike Wilson 5/5: beat Jonathan Stark +12, George Geis +3T (12-9), Robert Drummond +3T (10-7), Ian Stark +9, Roger Binks +14.
Robert Drummond 3/4: beat Roger Binks +7, Lyn Gilpin +8, Jonathan Stark +8.
George Geis 3/4: beat Ian Stark +1T (6-5), Lyn Gilpin +10, Roger Binks +10.
Ian Stark 2/5: beat Jonathan Stark +1T (7-6), Lyn Gilpin +1T (11-10).
Roger Binks 1/4: beat Ian Stark +4T (10-6).
Lyn Gilpin 1/4: beat Jonathan Stark +2T (10-8).
Jonathan Stark 0/4.
In the closing moments of the tournament, Ian considers the risky tactic of shooting at Lyn's ball stuck in hoop 5, with the risk of peeling it and losing the game! (He thought better of it, roqueted black and went for yellow from the other side so as to take position and run the hoop with blue.)