Scottish Croquet Association

Scottish Short Croquet Championship 2019

18 August 2019, Balgreen

With eight entrants, the format this year was a single American Block with all-play-all. The 14-point games, played on half lawns and with a one hour time limit, meant that, although some games finished quickly, nobody had to wait long before returning to the lawns.

The laws allow for all but the very low handicap players to have a suitably adjusted number of bisques in every game. Not only did Jane Morrison, the lowest handicap entrant, not receive bisques but the short croquet handicap table showed that she also was required to do two mandatory peels in every game. Jane accepted that this would be excellent practice for all the triples she will be doing next season and, to her credit, she still went on to win 43% of her games.

This year there was more than pride at stake, as the SCA Handicap Committee had earlier decided that short croquet games would now count for ±5 points on the index card.

At the end of the day, two players were on six wins from their seven games. Although Rosemary had beaten Roger in the block, it was to be Roger who lifted the trophy by meeting the tie-break criterion which was the greatest number of gross hoops scored.

Hamish Duguid (manager)

Results