CROQUET, AND HOW TO PLAY IT.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13876, 29 October 1910, Page 7

CROQUET, AND HOW TO PLAY IT.

(specially written for "the press.")

(By G. M. Butterworth.)

Every mkldle-aged Croquet player must remember tho controversy tint raged in the seventies over •*spoo_ing.'' Cau any reader tell mc how the term aro.>e? It surely could havo had no connection with one of the best known offenders, iyir Spooner. For years lie used to come down for a month or two to stay with the Bakers at. Has field Court, just the other side (tho Worcestershire side, though liasfield ivas a Gloucestershire parish) of the river Severn. Playing with h:s mallet between his legs, he was wont to bring off uncommonly long roquets, and if my memory doe. not deceive mc, used to mcto out pVetty seve.o treatment to us three brothers and the other young croquet bloodj of the neighbourhood. It was use les. to fumo and rage against the "disgusting habit of sjp-oning," for Mr _.poone"r went his way qnite unconcernedly, i making his ".spoon" shots with sej-.ue affability, tight croquetting his thm. partners to wherever they wanted io go, and then banishing the next player with a terrific tight croquet 1 ha.c lost sight of Mr Spooner for many years, but I sincerely trust ho _-as alive and well to witness in 1002 the complete vindication of his style The famous young Irish player, Mr Cyril Corbally, winning first the Irish .nd then the open cliarapiouship with ''centre play." But I am anticipating the coarse of events, and will now devote a few words to Mr Bonham Carter. I do not think you will find tho name of this great player in any of the championship lists prior to 1902, where he played, and won as "B. Carter." I was a friend of Mr Carter's for thirtythree years. He was, of course, older than I, and I experienced much kindness at his hands, and I had an intense admiration for his great all-round ability. He was—among a hundred other things—an admirable cueist, and one of the finest wlu'st players with whom I ever had tlie good fortune to ait down at table. But for private reasons—and there are countless such in. England—he chose to win the open championship as *'B. C. Evelegh" in 1877 and 1_79. His duty to the "Field" newspaper preventive! his competing during the years 1880-2, and his victory in 1899, just twenty years after his la_st public win, delighted a vast circle of friend*.. •'Evelegh" was an extremely companionable man, and at j

the same time intonaebv* reserved. Even had he been a Dr. Johnson, I had no intention of playing .__- p.irt of a Boswoll. Moreover, I cannot conceive anyone having the hardihood to attempt to take a liberty with Evelegh: and when he told mc in 1902 that the reasons that caused him to figure as B. C. Evelegh had ceased to exist, my interest was confined to the point, that in future I was to look out for "B_ Carter" in future tournament lists. Evelegh's appreciation of form—at lawn tennis — was sometimes _o niarv-llous as almost to amount to inspiration. At Bath in ISS3 wo for some reason or other wanted to get rid of playing for a second prize for the singles .the BagiiallWild system of drawing hud only just been settled and did not apply to that tournament), and Donald Stewart, W. C Taylor and 1 applied to Evelegh to settle the paint. We wero all drawn to play E. de S. H. Browne, who was certain to boat us. Evelegh bracketed ns equal, aud when we de mured with solemn gravity added: "None of you will get a set. I give yon each ten games against Browne." When I got my ten games without winning a set we all laughed and said "Good shot." Wlien Donald Stewart retired defeated but with ten games to his credit wo all stared. When Taylor was beaten, o—l.0 —1. 6—3, 6—3, wo scented brimstone and called for "holy water," but we wero uncommonly slew in the future about running down Evelegh's handicap- or from feeling annoyance at his unreserved criticism of our faults. But I must get back to croquet, and to •'Bonham Carter." At tho 1877 tournament, tho year I first met him, he fairly astonished tho croquet world by winning tho championship with front play. He stooel parallel with Bluo instead of facing it, antl with the* toe of his right fcot about nine inches behind tho ball. He held his mallet perfectly perpendicular, grasped it to all appearance very lightly, and made his roquets with a very easy, quick, short swing. Great was the consternation of tho wise-acres. I should especially havo liked to have known what Mr Hy. Jones (Cavendish) said or thought. His entrance a_ a successful player into the croquet arena mado at the time much tho samo sensation as did tho lato E. H. Buckland's revolutionary methods in tho dove-cots of old-fashioned golf players. But whereas Buekland's methods aro merely an item—l daresay already lonpsineo forgotten in this impatient in tho evolution of golf. Bonham Carter established a new principlo in croquet which has never been overthrown. And this principlo can be stated in. a word, and is this: "The player tliat can with the greatest certainty make a roquet from the greatest distance will win tho match. Breaks are merely supplemental to the initial roquet. No dele player can count with certainty on making a long roquet." Bonham Carter was no theorist. Ho never seemed to misa any roquets, and when in proceeded to make four-ball breaks with a]-vp'aren_lv the Samo ease as tho best of the sidepiayers. Now what was his method of making a.long roquet? He stood as I have never seen any player exactly stand beforo or since. Both feet wero firmly planted on the ground, no body swing appeared to be used: the fore. was applied by the muscles of the rightarm, ami though ho u.ed a tremendou.lv heavy mallet, his left wrist never seemed to tire. And in this way he achieved what he considered to be of paramount importance for making ac- ' curate roquets, viz., "Bringing red, blue, the centre line of my mallet head, and my two hands into tiie samo vertical plane with a point midway between my two eyes." i am quoting Mr Bonham Carter's own words. I will now ask my readers to put red on tho second corner spot of a full-sized croquet lawn, and standing as Bonham Carter did, fire at red with bluo diagonally across tho lawn at a distanoa of 120 feet. Very probably they will hit red at the first attempt. Then proceed to make tho shot 100 times. The aching left wrist and. the strain on the right forearm will show them that croquet may be a much more tiring gamo than is popularly supposed. Bonham Carter alleviated the strain by shortening tho swing with the uso of an extra heavy mallet, and ho woulel play through a six days' tournament anel retain the freshness of his play throngiiou.. But then he was a croquet genius, and a very strong armed man besides. Had W. G. Grace ever taken to croquet I have no doubt at all that ho coukl and would have wielded his mallet in Bonham Carter's way, and 'speaking generally have never missed a roquet, and probably havo swung perfectly straight. But then, of course, "W.G.! is a man of a million, and rules do not apply to geniuses. They live iv a world of their own, I am pretty sure that at a really long shot Bonham-Carter did not swing thro' perfectly straight—that like a quarter-milar he rushed into the straight and finished straight. For more than twenty years front-play maintained its combat with side-play, the fortunes of Avar swaying from side to side with astonishing impartiality, and just when it appeared likely that both forms of play wero going to be killed by "centre" play occurred an event that will never be forgotten in tho croquet world—tho annexation in 1905 of tho Open AllEngland Championship by Miss Gower.

The methods of tliis absolutely-perfect front player are so interesting to describe, so difficult to imitate, that 1 must reserve them for a separate article. It is impossible to evince quite the samo enthusiasm for the Mrs It. C.

J. Beaton (under which name the identity of Miss Gower is now disguised), as every man in th_ British isles was proud to feel towards tho young girl who in 1899 commenced her* wonderful career by ousting Miss Olive H-ilry from tho Ladies' Championship. Many players, like myself, grieved over this. Miss Henry came from my own part of the country, Gloucestershire. She was niece of a great personal friend of mine, and her rollicking, bold game, which involved taking all sorts of risks, always captivated her audiences. But when Miss Gower permanently annexed the Ladies' Championship, and in 1902 threw it up in pursuit of the Open Championship, then every man wished lier success, though I for one never believed, in my masculine self-conceit, that she stood a real chance of beating c-: .her Mr Cyril Corbally or Mr R. C. J. Beaton, not to mention at least half a dozen other famous players like G. H. Wools ton, M. Locock, and F. W. Croft. Well, no doubt all my readers know what happened. s:i thoy musi extend their kind indulgence to mc as I tell the story over again. In 1903 Miss Gower came up victorious from Brighton to the Ali-England Championship, played through to the final, and was beaten by the then champion, Mr Cyril Corbally. Next year was Beaton's great year. He started off with winning the "Irish," then took the "Peel Memorial Cup," and in his turn defeated -viSGower in the final of the Championship. But this last was indeed a Pyrrhic victory. He attempted to come to terms with his fair antagonist by assisting her to win the Mixed Championship, but Miss Gower captured from all her male antagonists tho "Associated Gold Medal," and ended by fairly routing the unfortunate Mr Beaton at the Wimbledon Club Championship. She also won against tho nine best men players the "Beddow Cup"—never before or since won by a lady.

In 1905, Corbally regained tho Irish, but all thoughts Were centred on the All-England Championship. Corbally ."-uccurnbed to Miss Gower, and the final was, as in the previous year, fought out by her and .Mr Beaton, and Miss Gower won a glorious victory and the open championship. Of course the inevitable happened, and tho next news m the croquet world was that Miss Gower had become "Mrs Beaton" : and in this fit manner tho croquet career of _.'i_s Gower ended, namely with the peal of the marriage bells, and "thoy

b'ved happily ever after," After ber marriage Mrs Beaton was not lost to the croquet world, though of course not playing quite so much. In 11H)6 she and her husband regained tho Mixed Championship, and held it again in PJO7. In I'JOS, the year which witnessed th. first success ot the brilliant New Zeal .nd play.r, Mr K. H. Izard, they tied for _econd place in the Association Champion Cup. Mr Izard coming th'ri. Miss Gower's victories \ioro not_ received with universal plea--ure. Un worthy grumblings wero heard about the decadence of croquet. "Fancy a girl winning tho -open championship' " and so forth. Rank nonsense, I say, nnd ungenerous nonsense, too. But then, when wero men ever really generous towards women? Miss Gower's splendid victories were won during the very heyday of croquet. She was opposed by the" verycream of English men players, including veterans, present-day men, and tho coming new players. She was as good ir. doubles ns she was supremo in singlo play. Her style and methods wero perfect, indeed amazing. To sco her for tho first time get out balls from tho two opposite diagonal corners of a full-sized lawn, and then sot to and compose an all-round break, was a per- j feet revelation. I believe she did as , much to populariso and improve croquet as any two men that ever played. Her example so fired and improved other lady players, that in 1900, at the scene of her great singles triumph, Miss Coote was gooel enough, aided by Cyril Corballv, to defeat Miss Gowcr (present champion) and Mr Beaton (tho immediate ex-champion). Her career was a perfect example of how a game should be used and not abused. Three years' supremacy as a ladychampion, after four years' struggle supremo as open champion. Then a happy marriage and a proper acceptance of the serious duties of life. Genius, rare as it is, overrides sex. Miss Gower was, in my opinion, the samo marvellous genius at her own .game as Miss Lottie Dod was at lawn tennis.