East v West of Scotland 2012
2-3 June 2012, Meadows
This tenth annual match between the East and West of Scotland was one of the closest in the series to date, with the outcome still in the balance as the last round began. A total of 23 players took part in 10 games of Association Croquet and 33 games of Golf Croquet in the course of a cool but mostly dry and sunny weekend, with AC games counting for two points each and GC games for one point, and the final score was 28-25 to the West, increasing the side's advantage to 7-3 in the history of the event.
Saturday was the less popular day amongst the entrants, with only nine players in action. There were meant to be 10, but Bryan Sykes (West) had mistaken the dates of the match and did not appear - which was less of a nuisance than it might have been since his scheduled first-round opponent Jola Jurasinska was delayed in arriving and his next opponent Fergus McInnes was happy to fill in the time with other activities including three trips across Bruntsfield Links to the recycling centre to dispose of the club's accumulation of empty bottles. Three Association Croquet games made up the morning's programme and resulted in a 6-0 lead for the West; the rest of the day was mostly Golf Croquet, in which the East was more successful, and the score on adjournment in the evening was East 10, West 13.
On Sunday two of Saturday's contingent were missing, but the rest were joined by 14 others (including Bryan, who had been alerted to the dates and was fortunately still available) and the lawns were all fully occupied for most of the day. Three first-time visitors from the SCA's most recently affiliated member club at Dundonald were particularly welcome - and all the more so as they brought their own contribution of meringues and strawberry tarts to add to the provisions for afternoon tea. Again the Golf Croquet results favoured the East (assisted perhaps by the initial underestimation of handicaps for the Dundonald players, which were adjusted upwards for later rounds) but the West dominated the Association games; overall the 30 points available for Sunday's games were shared equally, so that the West retained its three-point lead. The Piersland Rosebowl, won by the East last year, was duly handed over, and by general consensus it was entrusted to the Dundonald crew of Marion Imrie, George Imrie and Marion Lauchlan to pay a return visit to its home county of Ayrshire.
Fergus McInnes
Results
(East names first; players' AC or GC handicaps shown after names)
Day 1:
Association Croquet:
Roger Binks (20) lost to Alan Wilson (3.5) -17
George Geis (20) lost to George Anderson (11) -19
Fergus McInnes (4) lost to Brian Cosford (20) -3
David Houston (18) beat George Anderson +7T (15-8)
Roger Binks lost to Brian Cosford -19
Jola Jurasinska (16) lost to Alan Wilson (3.5) -10
Golf Croquet:
Roger Binks (8) beat Kay Lucas (8) 7-3
George Geis (7) lost to Alan Wilson (3) 4-7
Jola Jurasinska (5) lost to Brian Cosford (5) 4-7
Roger Binks beat Brian Cosford 7-2
Fergus McInnes (2) beat Alan Wilson 7-5
George Geis beat Brian Cosford 7-6
Jola Jurasinska beat Kay Lucas 7-4
George Geis beat Kay Lucas 7-5
David Houston (6) beat Kay Lucas 7-5
Fergus McInnes beat George Anderson (5) 7-2
George Geis lost to George Anderson 1-7
Day 2:
Association Croquet:
Roger Binks (20) & Janice Duguid (9) lost to George Anderson (11) & Hamish Duguid (12) -10T (8-18)
Allan Hawke (5) & Robert Inder (5) lost to Bryan Sykes (3) and Alan Wilson (3.5) -4
Janice Duguid lost to Bryan Sykes -4
David Houston (18) & Jola Jurasinska (16) lost to Alasdair Adam (18) & Alan Wilson -4T (9-13)
Golf Croquet:
Lyn Gilpin (10) beat George Imrie (10) 7-4
David Houston (6) beat Marion Imrie (8) 7-2
Vivien Wightman (7) beat Marion Lauchlan (8) 7-2
Matthew Woodward (6) beat Joan Marshall (7) 7-3
Lyn Gilpin & Fergus McInnes (2) beat Alasdair Adam (7) & Marion Imrie (10) 7-3
Jola Jurasinska (5) & Vivien Wightman beat Marion Lauchlan & Joan Marshall 7-5
Matthew Woodward beat George Imrie 7-6
Roger Binks (8) & Fergus McInnes beat George Anderson & Marion Imrie (11) 7-5
George Geis (7) & Lyn Gilpin lost to George Imrie & Joan Marshall 6-7
Robert Inder (4?) beat Marion Lauchlan (9?) 7-3
Matthew Woodward lost to Hamish Duguid (4) 3-7
George Geis & Robert Inder beat Hamish Duguid & George Imrie 7-1
Allan Hawke (4) & Vivien Wightman beat George Anderson & Marion Lauchlan 7-6
Lyn Gilpin lost to Joan Marshall 2-7
Fergus McInnes beat Marion Imrie 7-3
Lyn Gilpin lost to Jamieson Walker (3) 5-7
Roger Binks lost to George Anderson 5-7
George Geis lost to Alasdair Adam 5-7
Allan Hawke lost to Alan Wilson (3) 5-7
Jola Jurasinska & Matthew Woodward beat Hamish Duguid & Marion Lauchlan 7-6
David Houston & Vivien Wightman beat George Imrie & Marion Imrie 7-4
Janice Duguid & Robert Inder beat Joan Marshall & Bryan Sykes (5) 7-2
Final scores:
East 25 (AC 2 + GC 23), West 28 (AC 18 + GC 10)
Photographs
Jola and Kay negotiate a congested position in Saturday's Golf Croquet, with the Meadows Festival funfair in the background.
Alan Wilson refereeing a hampered stroke played by Roger Binks
Golf Croquet on Sunday: George Imrie, Vivien Wightman, Marion Imrie and David Houston.
The Piersland Rosebowl on its improvised plinth.
