Category: News

Born out of a casual conversation between a few members regarding the two different croquet communities within the club, Peter Hall came up with the idea of devising a game which combined the two codes (AC and GC) which someone labelled ” Okay Croquet”. This hybrid game was launched , after a few test runs, as an internal tournament on Sunday 5th July. The emphasis was on fun and on bringing together the two disparate but friendly communities . 

Four 40 minute games were played, using the format of progressive doubles, in which the pairings, and the lawns they played on, changed with each round. The first three hoops were played according to GC rules, and the next three were played as AC. To the surprise of everyone the day proved to be very popular with the 24 player limit being oversubscribed.

Amanda was the outstanding winner with 23 points overall – 5 clear of her nearest challenger – well played Amanda!

The general consensus seemed to be that the day had been a great success and that it should probably be held again next year.

As the Intermediate team began to arrive lawn 1 was still being cut, and with another fine day forecast we anticipated fast running lawns.  

Our opponents from Cheltenham CC had time for coffee and a chat whilst the order of play and who would play who was finalised. Our visitors could only field a team of three so no double banking needed for the morning session.

The pairing of Kasia and Lynne set a lead with their first hoops of the game and held that place throughout.  They both missed some short roquets (oops!) which gave their opponents hope but they still managed to take a win.

Tony who was playing John on lawn 2 saw the lead swing from one to the other but Tony overcame his opponent to take a further win making the score 2-0 to Bath at lunch.

The afternoon session saw three singles games played and all three Bath players took an early lead.  Lynne took her game by 26-9 going to peg well within time.  Both Tony and Kasia won their games convincingly giving Bath a 5-0 victory for the match.

It had been a very warm, sometimes hot, day and a welcome break before the journey home of tea and cake was enjoyed by both teams.

Hanna and Teddy, members of the club’s U18s Academy, had an early start for their journey to Nottingham.  They were to compete, for the first time, as a doubles partnership in the National Schools’ and Clubs’ Championship.

Their meticulous preparation in the months leading up to the event had been led by Club coach, Nigel Dawson-Cocks.

The pairing played 4 rounds of 45 minute timed games in Block A against teams from High Wycombe, Cheltenham and Nottingham, winning 3 of their 4 matches and finishing second in their block.  They lost only to the eventual winners of their block, High Wycombe.

A placing of second in their block saw them in a playoff for overall third place which they won convincingly.

Teddy in action for Bath CC at the U18s Nottingham Championships

Hanna entered the further Sunday competition of GC singles.  Fifteen juniors took part in the event – 5/6/4 in the U18s/U14s/U11s categories. U11s on half lawns with block and playoff and the remainder on full lawns with 5 block games each deciding order. Again the games were timed to 45 minutes.

In Hanna’s U14s block, Alfie Baldwin from Nottingham won with a very strong 5 wins, with Hanna taking second place with 4 wins.

Congratulations to both Hanna and Teddy for their careful preparation and very creditable achievements. 

There is a further Juniors’ event in September in which we hope more of our Academy members will be able to participate.

The intermediate team travelled to Cheltenham in glorious sunshine for their first match of the 2026 season.  On arrival the mist had cleared and we knew we were to experience another very warm day.  So armed with sunscreen, hats and the enthusiastic words of the captain, the team greeted their opponents and settled on their allocated lawns.

The morning play saw the doubles pairing of Lynne Passfield and Tony Jackson get off to a good start.  They used their bisques well and set a commanding lead which they retained to win the match.  Hester and Mike Henebury both played very close games resulting in Bath being 2-1 ahead at lunchtime.

After lunch the temperature continued to rise and all players were searching for shade when not engaged in play on the lawns.  Again the hoops scored for each side were being fiercely contested and Tony almost gave the game to his opponent by conceding a lift when his own balls were nestled in corner one.  However, Tony was quickly able to regain his lead for a clear win on time.

The final score was 4-3 to Bath which reflected a closely fought afternoon session followed by tea and cake kindly provided by our Cheltenham hosts.

It was a bright sunny day and 16 players gathered to contest the Bath heat of the national Charity One Ball competition. The event started with groups of 4 players of similar handicap playing each other. The top 2 players in each group progressed to play for the One Ball cup, the next two games being played by everyone on a ‘winners play winners, losers play losers’ basis.

After playing five games each, most players then opted to watch the final, contested between the two Mikes (Henebury and Gorvett) on Lawn 1. The spectators settled down with tea and cake, whilst the players gave us an excellent display of croquet, with some very long roquets and hoop runs. The last two hoops of the game were dramatic, Mike H ran both twice but Mike G did not challenge his faults and, as the audience could not intervene, the game progressed, with Mike H being the eventual winner. It was a closely fought contest throughout, the final score being 13-11.

It was a successful day, £170 was raised for Save the Children and everyone was wearing red, the charity’s colour.

Email Hester to sign up!

CHARITY ONE BALL TOURNAMENT

SUNDAY 26th APRIL 2026

PLEASE SUPPORT THIS RELAXED AND ENJOYABLE DAY

FOR BOTH GC AND AC PLAYERS

The Charity One Ball event is a friendly, relaxed tournament suitable for all members of Bath Croquet Club, whether you are a GC or AC player. Our event is on Sunday 26th April with a 10.30am start and a finish ame around 4pm.

The game is straighborward to play – each player has one ball and the first person to run 12 hoops and hit the peg is the winner. The game operates on a handicap system, so high handicap players will have extra turns against low handicap players. It is basically GC with a bit of AC thrown in and it is quick to learn. If you have never played before, one session will give you all the information you need. I will be arranging a session for anyone who would like to learn or have a reminder.

The current plan is for players of similar ability to contest the group ‘heats’. Further rounds will then determine the overall winner and runner up. Everyone will play the same number of games – probably about 6 during the day.

The winner may also go to the naaonal finals at Surbiton or Bowdon in May, but there is no pressure to attend. There is a One Ball Cup for the Bath winner.

This year’s charity is Save the Children, whose house colour is red – it is the perfect opportunity to wear any items of red clothing lurking in your wardrobes….we want to turn our lawns red for our charity day! It has always been an enjoyable and relaxed day, everyone brings their own lunch, there is croquet and socialising, what more can anyone want!

How do you enter this really worthwhile event? It is simple:

**Let Hester know (by 15th April latest) that you wish to enter . Either email Hester  or sign up on the sheet in the clubhouse.

**Bring £10 on the day as an entry fee to support the charity.

**Bring a packed lunch.

**Wear as much ‘red clothing’ as you can find in your wardrobe!

A great Saturday afternoon of croquet