CROQUET.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16330, 20 January 1921, Page 6

CROQUET.

NOTES FROM THE LAWNS.

1 Tlie North Island tournament opened at Palmerston North on Monday, but so far no results hare come to hand. The entries were a record for a: tournament in New Zealand, and it is anticipated that some good games will take place. Among the entries for the North. Island championship arc Dr Whitakoi (Palmerston North), H. P. Stratton (Hastings), A. Ross and G- Murray \ (Christchurch), and H. . 'Williams (Sumner). Those live in them-e-elves wili add great interest to the tournament, as they have all won important events in the croquet world. Oroquet matters locally are suffering the after effects of the Canterbury and New Zealand championships. The various clubs havo arranged handicap tournaments to carry on for the remainder of the season, and these usually provide more real enjoyment, than the more arduous events m the tournaments. In a recent article on “Croquet''’ Ml H. F. Crowther Smith (runner-up for the English championship, 1919.), says: --" li wo wish to improve at- any game ii is necessary find of all to discover exactly *.vhnf faults we possess. This is not easy to do by ourseives, and we sigh in vain for the power ‘ to see oursel/es as others see us.’ It- is strange that though in the ordinary daily iound of life we resent being told of our shortcomings and m*perfections, in the matter of games v. e not only welcome some ‘ scratch ' friend pointing out our faults, but pay experts to do so \ Success at croquet—-as in golf--depends very largely on tho stability of tho stance. 1 use the word ‘ stance ’

i i.ot merely with reference to the teet, but to include the position of the head, shoulders, upper arm, back, and legs during a stroke. “ Make up your mind wliat mallet j suits you. and what stance suits yo*i j I come across, each year, tournameno players who, an tho beginning of the j season show mo with pride some- al- f teration they have made in the position ■ of their Hands or feet. No wonder | they never improve. “ Having adopted a mallet and stance ! which you are convinced is entirely j comfortable to you, concentrate on en- i suring tho immobility of everything cx- j

“ Lifting the head too soon—i-e., before the hall has left the mallet—and raising the shoulders, are two of the most fruitful sources of missing ‘ roquets.’ and sticking in hoops. And it is the player who hits the long and middle distance shots, and runs the hoops more consistently than his opponent, who wins the game. “My advice in a nutshell is:—* Study a steady stance.’ ” To follow on with some additional advice, another most important point, especially in tournament play, is “ never relax.” In croquet the game is not won until both balls are on the peg, and it is more the rule than the exception that the player who has a good lead in a game between two fairly equal players, generally loses. The reason too often is that lie thinks he has the game well in baud and plays i one careless shot which is promptly ! taken advantage of by his opponent, j who, being up against it, plays for ! safety and probably keeps control of the balls until lie lias won. The recent tournaments here gave j numerous examples of this, and there is probably not a single player who took part in them who did not lose at least dno game by not keeping this most important point in view.