Newport enters teams in three different Association Croquet competitions: the Mary Rose, the Longman Cup and the Essex and Suffolk League. In each competition, teams of four play a series of six singles and one doubles match over the course of one day.
Match reports from each of the competitions will appear on this page.
Reports from the 2006 season can be read here.
Reports from the 2005 season can be read here.
The Mary Rose is a national interclub knockout tournament organised by the Croquet Association. Early stages of the draw are done on a regional basis to avoid excessive travel.
This year we received a bye through the first round.
Mary Rose 2nd round, 22nd May
2007: Colchester 5-2 Newport
On a beautifully
sunny day, temperatures hovering around the 22° mark, Newport's Mary Rose
team travelled to Colchester in a convoy of convertibles. Unfortunately, the
stylish arrival turned out to be the high point of the team's day.
Due to a withdrawal through injury, the team included a newcomer to advanced play, Francis Lambert. While he battled manfully against Colin Hemming in his opening game, he was comfortably defeated. Meanwhile, the doubles match was the first to finish(!), with Jim Potter and Chris van Essen going down to Steve Woolnough and Terry Mahoney. It was left to Mike Porter to gain Newport's only victory of the morning, struggling to a narrow win over George Woolhouse.
After an excellent lunch generously provided by the Colchester club, the afternoon matches commenced. George defeated Francis to put Colchester on the brink of victory, which was confirmed by Terry's win over Chris. Mike lost to Colin to make the score 5-1, and in the final game Steve snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Jim to make the final score 5-2 to Colchester.
The calm of the morning's play had been shattered by the buzzing of numerous helicopters overhead, and news had filtered through that a tanker had overturned, closing the A12. Over tea, all the discussion was of alternative routes out of Colchester... but in the event, any disruption had been cleared by that time and the journey northwards was smooth.
We would like to thank Colchester for their hospitality and wish them every success in future rounds.
Scores (Newport players
first)
Jim Potter (2.5) and Chris
van Essen (2.5) lost to Steve Woolnough (1) and Terry Mahoney (2) -24
Mike Porter (3) beat George Woolhouse (3.5) +8
Francis Lambert (16) lost to Colin Hemming -25
Jim Potter beat Steve Woolnough
+3
Chris van Essen lost to Terry Mahoney -20
Mike Porter lost to Colin Hemming -12
Francis Lambert lost to George Woolhouse -23
The Longman Cup is a national interclub handicap tournament, organised by the Croquet Association.
Longman Cup 1st round, 3rd June 2007: Newport 1-6 Letchworth
On a hot sunny day, Newport were outclassed by a Letchworth team (one of whose members was also in Colchester's winning Mary Rose team!) which now goes on to face Norwich in round 2.
Scores (Newport players
first)
Adrian Brown (4) and Stuart Warren (9) lost to George Woolhouse (3.5) and Ian
Mantle (4.5) -20
Bernard Yallop (11) lost to Colin Davis (14) -1T
Francis Lambert (16) lost to David Smith (20) -14
Adrian Brown lost to George
Woolhouse -8
Stuart Warren beat Ian Mantle +9
Francis Lambert lost to Colin Davis -13
Bernard Yallop lost to David Smith -17
The Essex and Suffolk League pits
eight different clubs from across the region against each other in a series
of handicap matches.
Players of all standards are encouraged to take part in ESL matches; contact
Bernard Yallop if you
are interested in playing.
11th August 2007: Newport 1-4
Colchester S
Scores (Newport
players first):
Robert Skeen (9) and Bob Brashaw (12) beat David Haslam (7) and Gerry Varndell
(9) +5(T)
Bernard Yallop (12) lost to George Jeffery (10) -21
Robert Skeen lost to David
Haslam -8
Bernard Yallop lost to Gerry Varndell -1(T)
Bob Brashaw lost to George Jeffery -5(T)
24th July 2007: Bury St. Edmunds 3-4 Newport
Scores (Newport players
first):
Stuart Warren and Bob Brashaw beat John Robinette and Ann Sweeney +1(T)
Ron Atkinson beat Simon Conran +2
Bernard Yallop lost to David Wicks -20
Ron Atkinson lost to John
Robinette -14
Stuart Warren beat Simon Conran +7(T)
Bob Brashaw lost to David Wicks -9
Bernard Yallop beat Ann Sweeney +10
5th June 2007: Colchester N 3-2
Newport
Scores (Newport
players first):
Ron Atkinson (12) and Bob
Brashaw (12) beat John Williams (11) and Ann Lee (18) +1(T)
Bernard Yallop lost to Joan Collis (12) -4(T)
Bernard Yallop lost to
John Williams -13
Bob Brashaw lost to Joan Collis -1(T)
Ron Atkinson beat Vi Lester (16) +8(T)
12th May 2007: Newport 3-2 Ipswich
An enjoyable day despite
the rain at the end.
Scores (Newport players
first):
Jim Potter (2.5) and Ron Atkinson (12) beat Celia Pearce (6) and Jill Waters
(6) +5(T)
Bernard Yallop (11) beat John Andrews (10) +3(T)
Jim Potter lost to Jill
Waters -7
Bernard Yallop beat Celia Pearce +3(T)
Ron Atkinson lost to John Andrews -7(T)