Interesting Matches In Croquet Doubles

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31587, 26 January 1968, Page 17

Interesting Matches In Croquet Doubles

The doubles championship provided some exciting “pegged out” games during yesterday’s play in the New Zealand croquet championships in Christchurch.

The most interesting match was between the veteran A. G. F. Ross and K. Woollett, and Mrs T. A. Creighton and A. D. M. Ross, known as “young Arthur” to distinguish him from his famous namesake.

Mrs Creighton made the tactical error of running all her hoops except the last one, the rover, when her partner had made only four points. This play was a challenge to such an experienced competitor as Ross, sen., who at this stage had made nine points. When his partner, Woollett, hit in to gain the innings, he peeled Mrs Creighton’s ball through rover in the course of his break and pegged it out. One Each However, in the next turn, Woollett inadvertently pegged his own ball out, leaving the two Ross’s to fight to the finish with one ball each. The older man, with a five-point lead, had the advantage and won the game, 26-22, to retain one life. Mrs Creighton and A. D. M. Ross had two lives before the match. Another interesting game was the first life quarter-final between Mrs R. A. Jarden and J. Prince, and Mrs G. Collins and the 14-year-old R. J. Clarke. Mrs Jarden, Prince,

and Clarke had all made their rounds, but Mrs Collins had made only three points by the time her opponents were ready to peg out. Mrs Jarden missed the peg with Prince’s ball, but pegged herself out, as her opponents were widely separated. Clarke, however, upset her calculations by hitting in a long shot, and removing Prince’s ball to a remote boundary. Mrs Collins then had a chance to score four points while Prince had several shots at the peg, which he eventually hit to reach the semi-finals of both lives. Championship Doubles First Life.—Third round: A. E. Saalfeld (Australia) and Mrs F. Orwin /Lower Hutt) 26, Mesdames H. Purdy and G. Tunnicliffe (Auckland) 10; Mrs G. Collins (Lower Hutt) and R. J. Clarke (Gisborne) 26, Mesdames

L. M. Hight (Morrinsville) and A. G. Rawlinson (Methven) 24: M. Reitchesen (Lower Hutt) and Mrs K. Woollett (Ohakune) 26, Mesdames J. McNab (Christchurch and R. Bugden (Hamilton) 9; A. G. F. Ross (Hastings) and K. Woollett (Ohakune) 26, Mrs T. A. Creighton (Timaru) and A. D. M. Ross (Auckland) 22. Quarter-finals: Mrs B. A. Jarden and J. Prince (Lower Hutt) 26, Mrs Collins and Clarke 16; L. Middlemiss and Mrs Middlemiss (Pukekohe) 26, Saalfeld and Mrs Orwin 12; Reitchesen and Mrs Woollett 26. Mrs 1. R. Lennon and J. Flanagan (Christchurch) 18; Ross and Woollett 26, Mesdames C. G. Bishop and A. Boyd (Ashburton) 3. Second Life.—Second round: Mrs E. M. Todd and J. McNab (Christchurch) 26, Mrs J. Martin and A. J. Bruning (Christchurch) 12. Third round: Mesdames F. Barltrop (Nelson) and D. Bary (Blenheim) 26. Mesdames McNab and Bugden 24; Middlemiss and Mrs Middlemiss 26, Mrs Todd and McNab 21. Quarter-finals: Mrs Creighton and Ross 26, C. T. Wadsworth and Mrs Wadsworth (Auckland) 16; Mesdames Bishop and Boyd 26, Mesdames Barltrop and Bary 20 Semi-final of second life: Mrs Jarden and Prince 26, Mrs Creighton and Ross 7. Women's Championship First Life.—First round: Mrs B. A. Jarden (Lower Hutt) 26, Mrs F. Orwin (Lower Hutt) 8; Mrs L. M. Hight (Morrinsville) 26, Mrs B. A. Todd (Dunedin) 12; Mrs H. Alabaster (Dunedin) 26, Mrs J. McNab (Christchurch) Second round: Mrs G Collins (Lower Hutt) 26, Mrs C. McHerron (Westport) 20 Third round: Mrs F. A. Barrow (Christchurch) 26, Mrs A. Bovd (Ashburton) 19; Mrs R. A. Clarke (Gisborne) 26, Mrs G. Harwood (Lower Hutt) 18 Second Life. —Second round: Mrs M Porter (Oamaru) 26, Mrs F. J. Fraser (Christchurch) 12: Mrs Jarden 26, Mrs H. A. Penn (Christchurch) 8. Third round: Mrs I. R. Lennon (Christchurch) 28, Mrs J. Martin (Christchurch) 22. Mon's Championship Second Round (best of three games).—W. B. C. Paynter (Lower Hutt) beat O. Andersen (Christchurch), 16-26, 26-19, Level Singles Second Life.—First round: Mrs J. Read (Christchurch) 26, Mrs L. Ford (Auckland) 12; Mrs G. Tunniciiffe (Auckland) 26. Mrs A. O’Malley (Christchurch) 3; Mrs J. McNab (Christchurch) 26. Mrs M. Porter (Oamaru) 19. Second round: Mrs F. Barrow (Christchurch) 26. Mrs Tunnicliffie 4.