EXHIBITION CROQUET

Taranaki Daily News, 21 March 1935, Page 7

EXHIBITION CROQUET

VISIT OF TOURING ENGLISHMEN. MATCHES AT NEW PLYMOUTH. The opportunity of watching croquet of world class comes but rarely to New Plymouth players, and there was an excellent attendance yesterday at the West End lawns when Colonel W. B. Du Pre and Messrs. T- Poulter and Ward-Petley, three members of the English touring team, staged three exhibition matches with leading Taranaki players. Du Pre, who is ranked . among the three best exponents of croquet in the world and who won the New Zealand championship at Auckland recently, is the captain of the team. Yesterday he was evidently off form, having just finished a gruelling ten days’ play and finding himself on greens much keener than those at Auckland. His shots frequently over-rolled but his tactics were an education to the spectators. Of all the players Poulter is the most spectacular. He raises the head of his mallet to his shoulder to sight the ball and swings it back in the centre stance with a deceptively effortless pendulum motion, almost stroking the ball forward. Poulter’s play at first suffered from errors in judgment but later in the day he hit form, giving a splendid exhibition. WardPetley was the steadiest of the visitors. He displayed deadly accuracy and control. Nevertheless none of the three consistently played to minus bisque standard. Three matches were played, details being:— W. B. Du Pre 26 v. J. M. Clage (Patea) 9. Neither Du Pre nor Clague was able to gauge the strength of the lawns at first. Clague made the first hoop but failed at the second, letting Du Pre in. After laying out a three-ball break Du Pre went to number 3, but baulked at a difficult hoop. Clague picked up the shot. He made only one hopp when Du Pre again took control, but after making one hoop broke at No. 4 Clague missed the shot and Du Pre, playing, with his blue ball, ran No. 2 hoop. Gathering the balls in for a four-ball break he carried his blue clip with a well played break to four back, packing his opponent at No. 4 hoop and retiring to No. 2 comer. Clague picked up a splendid long shot across 36 yards of lawn, and keeping control of the play carried his red clip from No. 3 hoop to No. 1. There he broke, however, letting his opponent in with’ black but Du Pre failed to score before his opponent hit in, and laid out for a break. In and out play followed until Du Pre again took control with his black ball. Making use of the four balls, he advanced his black clip from No. 5 to the stick, packing his opponent’s at the peg and retiring to No. 4 comer. Clague failed with a long shot and Du Pre had no* difficulty in taking the game 26-9.

T. Poulter and Ward-Petley 26 v. Mrs. F S. McKay (Manaia) and A. J. Gibbs (Patea) 10.

Gibbs made one hoop before WardPetley took command, breaking down at the fifth hoop. In and out play resulted in Mrs. McKay carrying her ball to three back. Ward-Petley picked up an easy shot but failed to make a point. Gibbs failed to make the second hoop, letting Poulter in with a good shot. Poulter made an all-round break to the peg. He took the balls to the corner and Gibbs failed at a long shot. Ward-Petley went on to gain the remaining seven points and the game 26—10. T. Poulter (England) and Mrs. E. V. Tingey (New Plymouth) 19 v. Du Pre 'England) and Mrs. A. S. Clark (New Plymouth) 19 (game unfinished). Mrs. Clark made one point but overrolled for the next. Poulter picked up a splendid long shot and laid up for his partner, Mrs. Tingey, who took her ball to three back and, failing at a short roque, let Du Pre in. Du Pre made two points and laid for the third hoop. He took his ball to four back, laying up his partner at the second. Mrs. Clark failed and let in Poulter, who in turn gave the innings back to Mrs. Clark. After making the third hoop she made a boundary and let in Mrs. Tingey, who went to the penultimate. Mrs. Clark, lifting with the yellow, shot at her partner’s ball and hit it. Picking up a fourball break she took her ball to four back where she baulked. Poulter hit in but failed to score. After, two more failures at the first he let in Mrs. Clark, who laid up for four back. Du Pre was hoop bound and missed his own ball, thus letting Poulter in with the lift shot. Starting from the first hoop, hS began his break with a double-peel in view. He peeled his partner through the penultimate roque after making two back. Du Pre got in and laid jfor his partner at four back. As it was late play was abandoned, both pairs being equal with 19 points.