CROQUET.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 51, 30 January 1937, Page 12

CROQUET.

CORBRIDGE STARS MATCH. A Corhridge Stars match was played at the Mnnawntu Club’s greens yesterday. when Mesdames Radford and Gould (holders) were defeated bv Mesdames Simpson and Langford, 19—26. GILBERT HOOP MATCH. In a croquet match for the Gilbert Hoop, played on the Taisaro lawn, yesterday afternoon, Mesdames Burnett and Lyall (holders) defeated Mesdames Glass and- Doggett (Dannevirke) 26—19. NEW ZEALAND TOURNEY. MRS GAMBRILL’S PLAY. One of the most interesting games played in the New Zealand championship croquet tournament at Christchurch, this week, was the final of the open championship, when Mrs R. D. Gambrill, of Palmerston North, holdei of the North Island women’s championship, was nhrrowly defeated by A. J. Gibbs, of Patea, who won the event for the second year in succession. , Commenting on the game, the Christchurch Press says that it was played in brilliant sunshine, and was a fitting culmination to the championship events. Gibbs was always steady anti deliberate, and Mrs Gambrill was equally imperturbable. It was a contest between two champions. Gibbs opened with a fine break of 10 hoops cross-wiring at the peg. Mrs Gambrill played from baulk but missed, and Gibbs continued with his other hall to make nine hoops and one peel before failing at four back. Mrs Gambrill commenced with two balls, but later established a break which carried one ball to the rover. She failed to cross-wire and Gibbs joined up. Mrs Gambrill cleared to the line. Gibbs made penultimate but was unable to hit the near ball and retired. Mrs Gambrill then hit in, but went off alongside her opponent, who finished three turns later, 26—10. In the second game,, after a cautious opening, during which both players made two points for each ball, Gibbs bit in but over-rolled the third hoop. Mrs Gambrill connected and commenced a break, but failed at No. .5, letting Gibbs in to carry his clip to the rover and to peel his black through No. 3 during the break. Mrs Gambrill missed and Gibbs continued with black to the penultimate, where he missed a short roquet. Mrs Gambrill now took control with red, making two hoops for that ball and one for yellow, failing, however, to run No. 6. Gibbs bit with the ball for the penultimate, but made a poor approach and stuck in the hoop. Mrs Gambrill imperturbably continued with yellow, but missed a return shot after running two-back. This enabled Gibbs to make the rover with blue. His two remaining hoops he made with black in his next turn, but failed to peg out, and scattered both to the boundaries. Three minutes later, however, he pegged out to win the match and the championship, 26—10, 26—13.