TOURNAMENT CROQUET

Taranaki Daily News, 13 March 1933, Page 2

TOURNAMENT CROQUET

CONCLUDING STAGES TO-DAY OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP MRS. CALDOW DOUBLES MRS. CALDOW-HARTNELL i The ninth annual tournament of the Taranaki Croquet Association drew towards a conclusion at New Plymouth on Saturday and the final matches will be played to-day. By defeating Gibbs (Patea) by 26—21 and 26—24, Mrs. Caldow (Wellington) won the open championship. The second game of the rubber had a very exciting finish. Mrs. Caldow got in with a brilliant shot and picked out one of her opponent’s balls, made a break from two back, and pegged out one of Gibbs’ balls. For the next ten minutes it was a battle of tactics, but Gibbs’ lone ball was unable to make contact with his opponent, who invariably wired. Mrs. Caldow thus secured the championship rose bowl for 1932-33. One of the outstanding matches of the tournament was that in which MrS. Mouat defeated Mrs. Martin by222 in a semi-final of the first life of the ladies’ championship. Mrs. Mouat made an allround break with the yellow ball. Hitting in very early in the game, she took the ball from number one to the rover but failed to wire at the peg. Mrs. Martin hit in, but did not make a point. Mrs. Mouat failed with a long shot and Mrs. Martin made a hoop and lay for the black, made number ono and lay for number two with the blue. Mrs. Mouat hit in with the red and then made her all-round break, peeling the yellow through rover and pegging. Mrs. Mouat’s croquet was brilliant. She made 11 in one break and 15 in another. In the second life of the ladies’ championship a very good game resulted in Mrs. Mouat defeating Mrs. Manton by 26—24. Mrs. Mouat put Mrs. Manton on the stick, leaving her with one ball. Mrs. Manton played a number of long shots, but failed to pick up her opponent’s. balls. Mrs. Mouat went round with her two balls and won by the narrow margin of two points, thus bringing her into the finals of both lives.

TENSE MOMENTS. Tense moments abounded in the final match for the championship doubles won in the semi-darkness by Mrs. Caldow and Captain Hartnell against Mrs. McKay and Mrs. Brown, 26 —25. Mesdames Brown and McKay got an early start and made a few hoops. Hartnell followed shortly afterwards but missed a short roquet at' number three. Mrs. Caldow started a good break at number five, letting Mrs. McKay in. Mrs. McKay carried her clip from number five to the penultimate, and in and out play followed. Mrs. Brown picked up some remarkable long shots. Mrs. Caldow also did some good shooting and it was not long before she and Mrs. McKay had their clips on rover. Hartnell gradually worked his clip to the same hoop and the game became very exciting. Mrs. McKay got in a long shot at this stage, made the rover and parked her partner, who in the next turn made rover and in pegging out missed the stick with the forward ball and pegged her own out. Hartnell shot to his opponent and missed. Mrs. McKay missed also and failed to hit the stick. Hartnell, placing his opponent’s ball in a difficult position, attempted to make rover with his partner’s ball but failed. Mrs. McKay had several long shots that she was unable to pick up. After i manoeuvring for several turns Mrs. Caldow and Hartnell finished 26—25.

Jn the semi-final of the handicap singles Mrs. McKay defeated Mrs. Mouat 26—17. Mrs. Mouat was then playing her fourth game on end, but both .she and her opponent played well under the circumstances. Mrs. Mouat failed to

hit in on several occasions and Mrs. McKay took command and won. She will meet Miss Washer in the final.

Only two matches remain for decision to-day. One is the final of the handicap singles between Miss Washer (Okaiawa) and Mrs. McKay (Hawera) and the other the final of the ladies’ championship between Mrs. Henderson (Wellington) and Mrs. Mouat (Lower Hutt).- The first match will be decided by one game and the other by the best two out of three. Mrs. McKay and Miss Washer will commence about 1 o’clock and Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Mouat shortly after 9 o’clock. Both matches will be played on the New Plymouth club’s greens, and the distribution of prizes will take place as soon after 3 o’clock as possible. The final of the ladies’ championship is to be contested between Mrs. Henderson and Mrs. Mouat owing to Mrs. Caldow having withdrawn from the., competition. Having won the open championship dnd the championship doubles (with Captain Hartnell as partner), Mrs. Caldow does not wish to participate fur-, ther in the ladies’ championship. Details of play on Saturday are:— OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. Final: Mrs. Caldow (Wellington) v. Gibbs (Patea), 26-21, 26—24. LADIES’ CHAMPIONSHIP. First Life. Mrs. Mouat .26 v. Mrs. Martin 2. Mrs. Henderson 26 v. Mrs. Martin 11. Second Life. Mrs. Mouat 26 v. Mrs. Brown 9. Mrs. Manton 26 v. Mrs. Boocock 13. Mrs. Mouat 26 v. Mrs. Manton 24. CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES. Mrs. Brown and Mrs. McKay 26 v. Mrs. Boocock and Mrs. Henderson 7. Final: Mrs. Caldow and Hartnell 26 v. Mrs. McKay and Mrs. Brown 25. HANDICAP SINGLES. A Grade. Mrs. McKay (2) 26 v. Mrs. Manton (1|) 4. HANDICAP DOUBLES. A Grade. Final: Miss Washer (5) and Miss Beal (5) 26 v. Mrs. Henderson (1J) and Mrs. Codd (5) 20.