Weather is Winner in Intermediate Match

Bath 3 Bristol 4 

Any pleasure to be had from playing croquet on Sunday 12 June was hugely diminished by constant rain which began well before start of play and stopped ten minutes before completion of the final game. The Bath doubles pairing of Richard Jelly and Leonie Wilkinson successfully saw off the Bristol challenge with, among other things, an excellent use of the two available bisques. The two morning singles were lost, firstly by some accurate play by Gill Pocock (Bristol) against Paul Francis, and in spite of an excellent late surge by Bath’s David Perkins,$to the Bristol captain Mike Watson.

The lunch, complemented on by our guests, was eaten in a huddle around the table in Hut 2; one member of the home team having to stand! We watched the rain as it moved into torrential territory.

In the afternoon on Lawn 3 Jelly lost rather tamely to Watson in a pegged out game. The defeat wasn’t helped by gross misuse of the three available bisques. However on Lawn 1, Francis comfortably pegged out well ahead of Deidre Duggan. Wilkinson having allowed Bill Britton an eight hoop lead early on, produced a superb late surge to win +4.

Leonie Wilkinson (16) & Richard Jelly (14) vs Deidre Duggan (12) & Bill Britton (14)  +7 T

Paul Francis (92) vs Gill Pocock (11)  -13

David Perkins (11) vs Mike Watson (11)  -4 T

Paul Francis (12) vs Deidre Duggan (12)  +10

Leonie Wilkinson (16) vs Bill Britten (14)  +4 T

David Perkins (11) vs Jill Pocock (11)  -15

Richard Jelly (14) vs Mike Watson (11)  -15

One further point to mention: at lunch, one of the Bristol team expressed horror that I had agreed to re-arrange the date of the Nailsea Intermediate match, saying that “Nailsea are always doing that” and that we should have demanded a walkover. It doesn’t seem to be entirely in the spirit of the game, but perhaps next time….. a win is a win! We play Nailsea next week.