Spalding Trophy 2021
22 August 2021, Knightswood
Due to a disappointing lack of entries from Edinburgh players, there were just two teams, John Owen (2) and Bill Strachan (8) from Aberdeen and Crathes Croquet Club, and Brian Durward (4½) and Stefan Colling (7) from Glasgow Croquet Club. An agreement was made so that GCC provided the lawns, food and drink, while ACCC provided the tournament manager. It was cloudy and humid, with only a couple of light showers in the morning, and quite warm in the afternoon.
As it was a long way to go for just one game of advanced alternate-stroke doubles (the normal format for the Spalding Trophy), the manager devised a Davis-Cup-style tournament with advanced singles, the ASD, and reverse singles. If the singles went according to handicap expectations, then the doubles would be pivotal, and so it proved.