Wed 17th July, Northampton
Northampton beat Ashby by 5-1, in a closely-fought match at Northampton. The contest was much closer than the final scoreline suggests, with five of the seven matches going to a deciding game, a sixth match finishing 7-6, 7-6, and the final match unfinished at one game all.
Scores (Northampton names first):
Lionel Tibble (-4) & Pete Dowd (-3) beat Will Gee (-4) & Tim King (-3) 6-7, 7-4, 7-6
Jayne Stevens (-1) beat Paul Durkin (1) 7-3, 3-7, 7-1
Michael Hills (0) beat Michael 0’Brian (0) 7-5, 5-7, 7-3
Lionel Tibble beat Will Gee 7-6, 7-6
Pete Dowd beat Tim King 5-7, 7-6, 7-6
Jayne Stevens v Michael O’Brian. 7-3, 6-7 (unfinished)
Michael Hills lost to Paul Durkin 5-7, 7-5, 5-7
Ray (Ashby’s non-playing team manager) added: “The first doubles game lasted 1 hr 40 mins. and was high quality croquet. Overall there were seven 7-6 finishes and six games finished 7-5. Considering the distinct home advantage, the Ashby team gave a very strong challenge to a Northampton team consisting of three minus handicaps and a scratch player.”