Richard Jelly’s success at One Ball Finals

Following on from the Bath heat on Sunday 5th April, the National One Ball Final was held in warm sunshine at Surbiton on 9th May, where all seven lawns were in full use, triple-banked, and swarming with 42 players dressed in red and white, from all over the country. One had even come down from Edinburgh!
There were eight rounds throughout the day, and though Richard Jelly (who was runner-up in Bath) didn’t quite make the last cut, his six splendid wins saw him through to the ‘Best of the Rest’ final where he battled against a very able OB12 from Hurlingham. Richard was ahead and looked sure to win, until his opponent managed a remarkable 10 yard peg-out and snatched the crystal goblet at the last moment.
The overall winner of the competition, which raised a record £7000+ for the British Heart Foundation, was young Joel Taylor of High Wycombe, a top-flight player in both AC and GC, who played off an OB handicap of -5.
A terrific day, very well-managed by Kevin Carter, and supported by a superb team from Surbiton, the host club.