As a tribute to Mike, and also to get some game time away from Ember, we arranged a match against Mike’s other croquet club, Surbiton, which boasts seven lawns (plus the bowls green, which they get to use for championships).

Our team was Steve Edney (captain), Roger Stearn and Simon Charrington. We each played three open singles (no bisques) against three Surbiton players.

Steve versus Cliff Hunter, won 21-20, coming from 4 behind after the bell had sounded;

Steve v Steve Parish, lost 22-15, never really got going, canny player;

Steve v Elizabeth Kennedy, won 26-13, we were both worn out by then but I was relaxed enough to rely on auto-pilot to get me round.

Roger v Elizabeth, won 26-9, romped home enjoying it immensely;

Roger v Cliff, won 26-10, another romp!

Roger v Steve Parish, lost 26-12, like Steve E, just couldn’t get going against a wily opponent.

Simon v Steve Parish, won 15-13, got Steve P before he’d properly warmed up but well deserved tight win;

Simon v Elizabeth, won 15-14, another squeeze for Mister Chairman;

Simon v Cliff, lost 21-15, run out of steam perhaps, though Cliff certainly improved through the day.

So we managed to win the first, we hope, of many competitions in honour of Mike. Steve had painted a portrait of Mike, in tribute to their other shared hobby, as a temporary trophy (see photos below). It was a most enjoyable day and our hosts were magnificent. Thanks especially to Barry Holland who arranged the event and to Andy Dibben, the Surbiton Chairman, who came and said hello, watched a lot of the games, and invited us to a one-ball next week.

Here are some photos:

The article appears in the Friday 17th July edition of the paper. The text is shown below:

“EMBER Croquet Club say they can now “look forward in confidence” after being awarded £908 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund, towards the club’s essential running and maintenance costs during the ongoing Covid19 pandemic. The outbreak of the virus and the consequent shutdown of businesses as of March 23 has left the sport and physical activity sector facing a period of uncertainty. In response, on March 31 Sport England announced a £195 million package to help the sport and physi cal activity sector. Within the package is a $20m Community Emergency Fund, of National Lottery money, to deliver immediate funding to those who have a role in supporting the nation to be active, but are experiencing short-term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the impact of coronavirus. The grant will allow Ember Croquet Club, who are based in Weston Green, Esher, to cover insurance and essential lawn care and mainte nance costs over the spring and summer months. This will make a big difference to this small club, meaning that with their otherwise much reduced income this season they shall never theless be able to maintain the health of their lawns, without signifi cant setback, which is crucial for playing. Chairman of Ember Croquet Club Simon Charrington said: “The support from Sport England Community Emergency Fund is very gratefully received here at Ember Croquet Club in these exceptional times. “We are pleased that our budget for essential lawn care, maintenance and other costs is now covered for the early summer months  and we can look forward with confidence with all in good order. “The club lawns, toilets and bar facilities have progressively opened in line with government guidance; and an increasing number of members are now playing as lockdown has eased. We enjoy introducing less experienced players to the finer arts of this fascinating game and wel come prospective new members.” Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s chief executive, said: “As the body responsible for the growth of sport and physical activity participa tion, we want the vital grass-roots organisations that make sport and physical activity happen in this country to not just to come through this crisis but to be in a position to thrive again in the future. “The £20m Community Emergency fund, made possible by National Lottery players, is part of a multi-million pound package of support we are providing to ease the pressure on a huge number of the organisations who are central to the nation’s health and well-being. “We are proud to be able to provide vital funding to Ember Croquet Club to help it through these extremely challenging times.” For more information about joining the club, email croquet@embersportsclub.org.uk or call 07917 017 453.”

Mike Lambert.

Mike Lambert died in his sleep in the early hours of Monday 15^th June. Mike read Engineering at Edinburgh University and then joined Rolls Royce in Bristol as a Graduate Apprentice. He then worked for many years in the IT field for various companies.

Mike had been a long-time member of the croquet section showing a passing interest as early as 1989 and joining Ember Sports Club as a member just after the major re-alignment of tennis courts 6&7 and the construction of the new full-size croquet lawn in 1996. His participation in all aspects of Ember club life was significant and he contributed to the croquet section with his knowledge and skill on the lawn, as an 11 handicap player, and his enthusiasm as a woodworker and for DIY.

Mike served as Chairman of the croquet section from 2007 until 2011 and as such also served on the Club Management Committee. Mike’s main interest for croquet however lay with Surbiton Croquet club where he played most of his croquet and where he served on the committee, the last couple of years as their secretary. Mike was interactive with many of the Croquet Association Council members and was always mindful of Ember Croquet Club. His work for both Surbiton and Ember was invaluable when the CA started their IT register of members, actively assisting with the usage of the CA application. His main professional occupation had been in IT and he had set up numerous little applications for Ember to enable simple control of the various knockout competitions that we run.

Mike was also very active around Elmbridge as a keen amateur artist with both Molesey Art Society and Chertsey Artists, as secretary of Molesey & District Antiques Society and involved in a music appreciation society. Mike viewed Ember as a very convenient social venue for Sunday afternoon and evening croquet being able to access the club from the back gate of his house adjacent to tennis court 5, and in the winter appearing at the clubhouse from beside the tennis courts for indoor croquet wearing his head light. Mike was also a very keen participant at the monthly BBQ’s usually bearing his infamous pineapple for dessert. Mike was also an accomplished cook preparing various quiches for informal gatherings.

Mike had been coping very well with cancer for some 15 years but was informed last autumn that it had now turned more aggressive and that there was now very little the medics could do to stop the progress. Mike was a family man and leaves wife Linda, son Matthew and daughter Sarah, both married just two years ago and a granddaughter Felicity born just last year.

Roger Dollimore 21^st June 2020

Now that we have access to the toilets again, the croqueteers are returning in their droves (well, okay four of us, but its a start).

Instead of rollups we are inviting members to come along for these sign up sessions at the usual rollup times:

Sunday 2pm to 5pm

Tuesday 5pm to 8pm

Thursday 2pm to 5pm

The sessions can host up to six people, hence “Croquet Six”. We can play doubles on the main lawn and singles on the small lawn. We can now sit on the benches as long as we are careful but it’s still best to bring your own chair if you are able.

We are determined to give golf croquet a good go from now on, and even managed to play a decent game between three of us on Thursday afternoon (the official GC slot) using three balls. It made for some interesting strategic play and quite a few jump shots were attempted, and to our surprise, some succeeded.

We had another game of golf croquet on Tuesday evening now with four of us, so it was more conventional! We must admit we have a lot to learn about the tactics of GC, so in time hopefully we can visit other clubs, as we had lined up to do before COVID struck.

Hope to see you there! Please sign up on the Lawn Booking sheet. Six slots available, otherwise book a singles (or doubles) game at any other time.

Dear Member,

I hope you are keeping well and staying safe.

Following our (limited) reopening on 18 May and the further government announcements and DCMS and CA guidance from 1st June, please find below our updated Notice to members, together with the CA guidance and graphic. These are also posted on the pavilion window. Government social distancing and hygiene advice continues to be the primary concern and must be followed by members and visitors to ECC at all times.

The main changes from the 18 May Notice are:

• Up to six players/guests may be at the club at any one time, this is subject to having pre-booked via the online lawn booking system: singles or doubles on main lawn; no double banking; singles only on small lawn; and subject to maintaining the advised social distancing and hygiene standards.
• The lawns will be reserved for club members’ practice “Sessions to six” at the following times: Sundays 2pm – 5.30pm; Tuesdays 5pm – 8pm; Thursdays 2pm to 5pm. Places are limited to six. Pre-book online to reserve your place – simply add your ‘name /’ in the Name(s) box against the appropriate lawn Bookings number – first come / first served. N.B. Roll-ups are not permitted.
• The club is open to new membership applications.

Unfortunately, the clubhouse WCs remain closed for the time being and there are still no formal competitions.

A few games are being played, however, and the new online AC and GC ladders are there to be climbed (or descended). Member contact details for arranging games can be found in the password protected Croquet members area of the website. https://www.embersportsclub.org.uk/ember-croquet-club/members-area/ . The password is as before and will be sent to you separately on request.

Best wishes, and stay alert and safe, Simon

Ember Croquet Club – COVID 19 measures – 1 June 2020 (update to 18 May Notice)
Notice to Croquet Members

Please read carefully for your safety and that of other members. If these
rules and guidance are not followed the club may have to be closed again.
From Monday 1 June all paid up croquet members will be able to play croquet following the guidelines below. The club welcomes new membership applications subject to an introduction to the club and to the game (if appropriate, e.g. for beginners), and explanation
of the current COVID 19 restrictions.

General
 Paid up members for 2020-2021 are eligible to play.
 Up to six members may be present at the club at any one time, subject to having pre-booked.
 Members may bring guests providing their names are recorded in the lawn pre-booking system and the number of members and guests together at the croquet ground is no more than six. Visitor playing fees should be paid into the club account referencing ‘Visitors Fee – Croquet.’ Non-member partners/parents/siblings/children from the same household are asked to pay a visitor fee.
 Club members’ practice sessions ‘Sessions to Six’ are on Sundays 2pm – 5.30pm, Tuesdays 5pm – 8pm and Thursdays 2pm – 5pm and are subject to pre-booking (‘first come first served’)
 Do not play if self isolating or feeling ill in any way.
 Observe the 2 metre social distancing rules at all times, including entering and leaving the premises. Beware of bottlenecks along The Drive entrance and along the path by tennis courts 6 and 7.
 Please wash hands before leaving home, on arriving at the lawns and on leaving the lawns and when you arrive home. You are advised to bring your own hand sanitiser/wipes or soap & hotwater and gloves.
 You are permitted to play Doubles or Singles on the main lawn.
 Singles is permitted on the small lawn, but not Doubles
 No double banking on lawns is permitted.
 The clubhouse is closed so there are no toilet facilities available.
 Please follow NHS test and trace Guidance and inform the chairman if you or a guest becomes ill within 14 days of visiting the club.

Lawn Bookings
 To play you must first book a lawn via ESC website Croquet members area. You may make a booking without having an opponent. This could be either for solo practice or as a way of making a general invitation to members of the booker’s availability to play.
 If you are a paid up member and do not have booking access please contact Steve Edney
 Lawns are bookable in 30 minute units, up to three hours in total, every day from 9am to 8pm.
 Play should end 30 minutes before the end of your booked time to allow you time for cleaning and putting away equipment and leaving before the next booked time.
 Please keep a record of your bookings together with a list of people who played, for tracking purposes.

At the Lawn
 Players must use their own mallet and not touch their opponent’s mallet. A designated club mallet may be allocated to you upon application to the club secretary. Club mallets must otherwise be pre-sanitised by the club and the player both before and after play.
 Please do not enter the pavilion or any other building except for shed 2.
 Before opening shed 2 wash/sanitise your hands with the soap or sanitiser you have brought with you. (Endeavours will be made to maintain a supply of soap, paper towels, antiseptic wipes or spray in the shed if you have forgotten to bring your own but this cannot be guaranteed). Use the water tap next to the pavilion and the washing up bowl in the pallet under the yellow hose as necessary.
 Players must agree which of them is to enter shed 2 to collect and return the hoops, peg, ball sets, clips and bisques and wash/sanitise them on collection and on return.
 Other players must stay well behind the white line in front of the door to shed 2.
 If the hoops are already out leave them out.
 Use antiseptic spay and wipes for cleaning clips and bisques, if used.
 Use soap and water for cleaning ball sets.
 For timed matches use a timer on a watch or phone – and players should referee their
own matches appropriately.
 Wear gloves for the contact touch-points above.
 Seating: it is suggested you bring your own lightweight folding chair. Alternatively,use one of the white plastic chair stored outside: make sure you clean with antiseptic wipe or spray both before and at the end of the game. If you sit on a bench, avoid touching it with your hand.
 Wearing gloves during play is advisable. Consider wearing a face covering if there is a moderate easterly breeze and tennis courts are in use.
 Use your feet to retrieve and manoeuvre balls. Avoid touching any ball with an ungloved hand.
 Take special care when placing or removing a clip from a hoop. If you or your opponent feel using clips causes one of you anxiety, then try golf croquet instead, or other croquet formats, e.g. two ball match-play.
 When the game is complete remember not to shake hands and remember that the player who put all the equipment out is the player to wash/sanitise again and return all to shed 2. Wipe clean the padlock when you have closed the door.

Coaching
 One to One coaching may be available on request to Roger Dollimore
These rules apply currently and may be amended as time goes on, so please look again at the website or on the pavilion door each time you play.
Enjoy your game but please remember there is still a risk of contracting COVID 19. So Stay Alert, obey the social distancing rules and wash/sanitise your hands before arrival and before leaving.
Note: wearing of gloves and/or face mask, during play, is a matter of personal choice.
Remember to bring with you next time you play: sanitiser or soap and hotwater, cloth or paper towels, glove(s), mallet, lightweight folding garden chair, and a drink.

Croquet Association Guidance
Covid-19 Precautions for Playing Croquet
Version 4- 31st May, 2020

The Croquet Association offers the following advice to clubs and players, to
minimise the risk of infection by Covid-19 when clubs decide to open for play.
This version applies to clubs in England from 1st June until further notice.
Both clubs and players should follow Government guidance, particularly those in vulnerable groups; this advice supplements that general guidance by covering situations specific to croquet. The advice has been updated as shown in the change log at the end of the document. It may be further updated if government advice changes.
The guidance published by DCMS on 13th May states that organisations are
encouraged to think creatively about how best to make their sport or activity possible within the guidelines, but also that they should only reopen or restart activities as soon as they feel able to do so safely. These guidelines should be read in conjunction with that advice. They have been updated in line with the further relaxation of the lockdown in England from 1st June, but it is up to clubs to decide whether they can safely accommodate more people playing or spectating.
These are uncertain and very unsettling times. We want our community to stay physically and mentally healthy and as long as it is safe to do, and provided that it is consistent with Government guidance, we want to keep the croquet lawns open and available for members to use. We hope you all stay healthy and that we all get through these challenging times by looking to help each other where we can.
Meanwhile, keep safe, take care, look after yourself and, if possible, enjoy your croquet.

Advice to Clubs
The CA recommends that clubs adopt this advice and adapt it to their
circumstances. The advice below recognises that there are now more stringent measures that must be followed if our sport is to be managed in a safe way.

1. Clubhouses should only be open to the extent required to access
   equipment, toilet and hand washing facilities. Bars and catering facilities should remain closed.
2. Ensure that the necessary facilities and cleaning products are available to maintain a clean environment and enable players to wash equipment after use.
3. Provide hand washing facilities and/or hand sanitiser for players.
4. Only pre-arranged games, coaching or individual practice should be
   permitted, not roll-up or public sessions. There should be no more than four players on a court for play: either one game of singles; two, double-banked, games of singles; or one game of doubles. For coaching, up to five players in addition to the coach are permitted; the coach is responsible for ensuring that social distancing is maintained at all times.
5. Provide clear signs to encourage good hand washing technique, social
   distancing and limits to the number of players per court.
6. Consider providing a lawn-booking system, both to avoid congestion and to facilitate contact tracing if necessary.
7. It is a matter for clubs to decide whether they can now accommodate
   guests, visitors or specatators, but if they do it is recommended that a
   record should be kept to facilitate contact tracing if necessary.
8. Whether or not in play, no more than six players, guests, visitors or
   spectators should be permitted in any group and 2m social distancing
   should be observed within it.
9. Where equipment can be left out, then it is preferable to do so. Nonessential equipment should be stored away.
10. Avoid the need to share club mallets. Consider allowing members to
    borrow one for a while.

Advice to Players

1. Do not go to the club if you are experiencing any symptoms of a cold or flu, in particular a cough or high temperature. Use the NHS helpline and seek advice. For your own protection, follow the advice about self-isolation if you are, or are living with, someone in one of the vulnerable groups.
2. All players must keep 2m apart at all times unless they are in the same
   household. Particular care should be taken in all doubles, including
   alternate stroke Association Croquet and in Golf Croquet games.
3. Any activity should be in line with the Government’s social distancing
   measures at all times, including when going to and departing from a lawn. Consequently, do not shake hands before or after a game.
4. Wash your hands and clean any equipment you use, such as hoops, balls and club mallets, before and after you play.
5. When setting out and taking in a court, only one person should handle any particular hoop or the peg.
6. Clean padlocks, keys and door handles before and after use.
7. Avoid using toilets wherever possible and clean after use.
8. Use the court booking system if your club provides one, rather than
   turning up in the hope of being able to play or practise.
9. If possible, dress appropriately prior to travelling to the club, rather than changing there.
10. Bring any food or drink you might need.
11. Do not use clips, corner pegs/offside markers or flags (unless needed to secure string boundaries). Players should agree the score at the end of each scoring turn. Personal counters should be used to keep count of bisques/extra strokes.
12. Do not move stop-boards/check fences, but take relief instead.
13. Avoid using movable chairs as far as possible, otherwise clean them
    before and after use.
14. Use your feet, rather than hands, to position balls where you can do so
    with sufficient precision, including when moving or replacing balls from a double-banked game. If playing Association Croquet, handle only you own ball(s), not those of your opponent.
15. Players should be their own Referees and acknowledge faults and errors if they occur.