Willis and Amos star at Budleigh

Two of Bath Croquet Club’s rising stars took part in a recent week long tournament at Budleigh Salterton in Devon. Andrew Willis and Nigel Amos were lucky enough to enjoy one of the hottest weeks of summer 2007, and both made the most of the fine weather by producing some magnificent performances.

Andrew Willis (handicap 6) won the handicap event outright. He won 4 out of 5 matches in the preliminary stage, and then defeated Jonathon Toye (6) in the quarter-final by 14 points. In the semi-final he overcame Brian Lewis (10) by just 1 point on time. In his final turn, Willis made four hoops playing with only two balls and then peeled his partner ball through one more hoop at a very tight angle to win the game. He won the final convincingly againist John Taylor (9) by 15 points. He was presented with a fine silver cup by the tournament sponsor (a local Estate Agent) and was also rewarded with a handicap reduction to 5.

Nigel Amos reached the quarter finals in the handicap event and ended the tournament with a handicap reduction from 4.5 to 4. In the B class event (level advanced singles for players with handicaps below 5) he won 3 out of 5 matches, and overall won 8 out of 13 in the whole tournament. Amos also achived his Croquet Association Bronze and Silver Awards during the course of the week.