Pinchbeck Croquet Club have got into the swing of their brand new season.
Despite the obvious complications, last year’s season was a hugely successful one for the club both on and off the field.
Pinchbeck won the Plate for the 14-point East Midlands Federation League one-day competition.
Members also earned plenty of success in individual competitions reaching out to play as far afield as Nottingham, Poole, Colchester, Ashby and London.
The club was also boosted with a number of new members.
One of those was Ken Knock.
He progressed to a standard to be able to play in the charity fundraising annual One Ball Challenge held at Pinchbeck between members and invited guests.
It is a handicap event, and with the help of a generous handicap Knock won his first ever competition and lifted the trophy.
He will be defending it later this month against fresh talent with high handicaps as well as seasoned players.
Looking forward to this season, the club has entered several league competitions and will invite other local clubs over for friendly matches.
Many players have also booked places at several tournaments around the country.
Pinchbeck will hold regular training days each week throughout the season with a friendly group instructor able to advise.
They also have all the equipment and spare croquet mallets to lend to any newcomers looking to try something new.
Gordon Mills enjoyed success last year, reducing his handicap from 14 to six.
He’s only been playing for two years but reached a stage where he can compete on a no handicap basis with the long-established players with handicaps of around three.
He said: “The croquet season started on April 1 and the lawn has been cut several times in readiness and plays beautifully.
“(Club captain) Mike Bowser has got it up to its usually high tournament standard once again.
“Last year we gained several new members who quickly began to enjoy the game and soon felt the desire to invest in their own mallets and are they now committed members of the club and really enjoying the fun and friendship over competitive games of croquet in the serene setting.
“The new members’ skills and knowledge of the game has quickly built up and some are now looking forward to league games against other clubs and climbing the new croquet ladder.
“We still have spaces for a few new members and they would be made most welcome.”
For more information you can visit Pinchbeck Croquet Club’s website https://croquet-websites.org.uk/pinchbeck/
You can also contact Mike Bowser on 07930 865932 or press officer Gordon Mills on 07962 783294.
