Extracted from the Club’s March Newsletter:
Written by SIMON CHARRINGTON
Diary dates
Indoor croquet: Tuesday 3rd March at 7.30pm – do come along – & All ESC members welcome.
Pre-season social: Friday 27th March 7.30pm in the clubhouse – bring a dish, Geraldine will be in touch to co-ordinate. All being well, season starts Sunday 30 March at 2pm for first AC rollup.
Monthly Barbeques – Sundays: 17th May, 14th June; 19th July; 16th August; and 20th September. In the usual way we’ll be looking for volunteers to run these.
Croquet open sessions: the committee is working on details of dates, format, marketing and publicity. Further information will follow in due course.
The autumn Ember Players’ production at Walton Playhouse is scheduled for 10th (and possibly 9th) to 12thDecember (and matinee on the Saturday). We will need volunteers to run the bar for the performances so do, please, mark the dates in your diaries.
FIXTURES
SECF AC ‘B’ League (handicap): entry made, dates to be arranged and advised in due course
SECF AC Tournament at Southwick: entry made, 9th / 10th May. We have received confirmations of availability from four members but need one more for the Sunday plus reserves in case of unforeseen circumstances, and competition to put our best foot forward! While the SECF encourage clubs to draft in players from other clubs should they find themselves short of a full team for the day, it would be far preferable to field a team fully from within ECC.
AELTC GC friendly: 6th June (home)
LAWN
Rain, rain go away! Winter mowing has been monthly rather than weekly. Periodic swooshing has continued and the new drains at the south east corner have been installed: huge thanks to Steve, Roger S and Roger D for their sterling work on these. https://www.embersportsclub.org.uk/2020/02/08/croquet-lawn-maintenance/
The soil samples have been taken and the results are back. These show that the soil is in pretty good condition. The advice, looking forward, is that we should consider aerating (tine/slit) to a regular programme, use an alternative moss treatment with less iron content and more effective application and coverage, and reduce the sand content by encouraging natural organic processes and no longer applying annual top dressing. Cost-wise this involves pluses and minuses which we’ll be working through and making decisions. Ultimately, we have to fit the recommendations to our circumstances of little money, existing stock, but plenty of willingness to do right by the lawn.
Pre-season working parties for lawn, grounds and buildings maintenance: please keep an eye on your emails for appeals for help in the next few weeks, which may, necessarily, have to be at shortish notice.
Meanwhile, the small lawn is operational, on dry days, with holes set for the hoops, and almost visible boundary lines. Please use the correct hoops and the Barlow balls. One-ball is a good format to try, and is good for developing and honing skills in positioning in front of hoops, long hit-ins and long hoop running.
South East Croquet Federation – AGM
Steve and I attended the AGM and proudly received the SECF B League trophy for 2019. https://www.embersportsclub.org.uk/2020/02/23/croquet-b-league-2019-trophy-presentation/
In getting our hands on this trophy we were able to check for sure that this is, indeed, the second time we have won it. Sure enough! There we are, engraved ‘2009 Ember CC’, so exactly ten years ago! Must be cause for a celebration.
The meeting itself went through the due processes. We found it informative as regards the formal croquet structures, organisation and governance, and the relationship of the SEFC with the CA. The Motions in the Agenda were debated and mostly either rejected or withdrawn.
The lunch afterwards provided a good opportunity for networking with members from other clubs and we made new croquet contacts and friends, and we shared experience. The possibility of some mutual coaching days was mooted, i.e. predominantly GC clubs wanting AC coaching from us, and we wanting GC coaching from them.
All in all, it was a good event.
