CROQUET                                                       SIMON CHARRINGTON

Diary dates

As I set out to write this month’s news, I have a blank sheet of paper in front of me, and a fairly blank idea of what to put on it!  So, firstly, here is a picture of our lovely croquet lawn and sports club in the background

Thank you to Roger D and Roger S who, with me, form the interim mowing team.  At the moment the lawn is being mown once a week with the six-blade cartridge.  We are ready to step this up to the full season routine of twice-weekly ten-blade cutting as soon as club reopening for play is in sight.  Thanks must go to Barry for maintaining the grounds around the lawns and also, re the whole club generally, to the many ESC members who, safely, do all kinds of individual jobs behind the scenes even when (or especially when) the club is otherwise closed.

Thank you also to all who have recently renewed their croquet subscriptions for this year.  It is great to have your support in keeping the club maintained, lockdown or not.  As time moves on, we are, by definition, moving ever closer to the start of the season.  Meanwhile we wait patiently.

Our next croquet section committee meeting is scheduled for 18^th May, probably via ‘zoom’, though we shall bring this meeting forward should the national social distancing/isolation policies and requirements ease significantly before then.  Please do share any thoughts or ideas you may have in relation to the new season, through any member of the committee – Geraldine, Steve, Roger S, David, Bob and me.  We would love to hear from you.  This might be in relation to club competitions in the truncated season, or to suitably distanced social activities (has anyone tried the Brookwood online croquet suggested by the CA, or their ‘indefinite free trial’?  http://www.brookwoodcroquet.btck.co.uk/ ) or, looking further ahead to the autumn and winter, to keeping the small lawn open for roll-ups and ‘mini’ competition.  All ideas welcome.

Best wishes to you all, & stay safe.

CROQUET                                                                                        SIMON CHARRINGTON

Diary dates

Start of Season – PAUSED

As you already know the Croquet Lawns are closed for all play until further notice (this includes for practice).   We appreciate your co-operation and continued support in this for the club.  We are committed to reopening for play as soon as possible, whilst abiding by the Government’s advice and guidelines.  I shall keep in touch with you with regular updates via email.

Lawn care and maintenance

After successful progress with the early spring programme of work, the programme is now much limited by the lockdown requirements and availability of appropriately trained and fit volunteers within walking distance. The formal mowing rota has been abandoned for April, accordingly. The team, however, are in regular contact with each other and will do what is possible and reasonable within the constraints; with individual, family, neighbour and national safety being paramount.  These plans change by the day.

Handicaps & Coaching

Note from Roger Dollimore, by way of reminder:

If you play either AC or GC singles as a competitive or friendly game it should be recorded on your handicap cards. For friendly games a card game should be mutually agreed before the start of play. If you are playing a tutored or coached game then it should not be recorded on your handicap card.

If anyone would like to take one-on-one coaching once we are able to resume then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Publicity and recruitment

We are now listed in ‘Silvergrape – Mid Surrey’, an online and hardcopy magazine, and we are exploring the establishment of a U3A course, as well as starting to use various links and facilities to raise our profile on social media.  Publicity for some open ‘come along and try’ sessions has been paused for now. The CA are suggesting ‘Two ball Match-play’ as a good introduction to croquet generally, with elements of both Golf Croquet and the more complex four-ball AC format  https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=ca/ncd/ClubInfo   (scroll down to Suggested formats for NCD

Meanwhile,

our thoughts and prayers stay with you all and your families during these uncertain, and suddenly and dramatically changing times which are impacting upon each and all of us in so many, various, the same, and in different ways

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 27^th 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:  17^th May, 14^th June; 19^th July; 16^th August; and 20^th 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 10^th (and possibly 9^th) to 12^thDecember (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, 9^th / 10^th 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:  6^th 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.

Simon Charrington and Steve Edney represented Ember Croquet Club at the South East Croquet Federation (SECF) AGM today (23rd Feb 2020) at Surbiton Croquet Club.

The highlight of the meeting was undoubtedly the presentation of the B League Trophy for the 2019 season to Ember. The picture above shows Steve accepting the trophy from Bill Arliss, chairman of the SECF.

After the meeting, Surbiton supplied a very nice lunch of venison stew and a potato and cheese bake, followed by lemon mousse or cheese. We have made some contacts with other clubs, which may result in some more friendly games in the future.

Taking advantage of the dry sunny weather of the past week, the intrepid trio of Simon Charrington, Roger Stearn and Steve Edney, under the expert tutelage of Roger Dollimore, has installed two land drains under the lawn.

The first trench was dug on the south boundary on a line just to the right of the pavilion, near Hoops 4 and 5. The second trench is moreorless in line with the first Tennis lamp post, from the east boundary towards Hoop 4.

Hopefully this will go a long way to solving the drainage problem we have been experiencing after periods of heavy rain.

We will work tirelessly (tee hee) to make sure the lawn recovers, so Bob can still have success with his epic roll shots to Hoop 1 from that corner, when the new season starts at the end of March!

In the meantime, a couple of us having been honing our skills on the small lawn…