July 3rd & 4th, Moira Report by Mick; photo by Jane T
We were fairly lucky with the weather but there were scattered showers on Saturday and a fairly short but very heavy downpour during the final on Sunday.
Early on Saturday we were informed that two of the entrants had to self-isolate due to Covid-19. They were both in the same group so we had to hastily reorganise things. However, the event then ran very smoothly and both blocks were completed in time for players, who were interested, to see the football. There were two players with five wins in one block but we could separate them on hoop difference. In the other block Stuart Smith had six wins and there were two players with four wins so we arranged a play-off for 9.00 am on Sunday.
Unfortunately, on Sunday, one of the players in the play-off received a phone call telling him he had to self-isolate so we could then proceed with the semi-finals. Stuart Smith beat Les Heard in two games and Eleanor Ross beat Callum Johnson in three.
In the 3rd/4th play off we had a 19-point game which went the full distance with Les Heard just pipping Callum 10-9.
Meanwhile the plate games were going ahead and it was unclear who the two finalists would be until after the very last game. In the end Steve Leonard and Arthur Rowe made the final.
In the plate final Steve beat Arthur 7-2, reversing his 7-1 loss in the block game.
There were several spectators, including two dogs, to watch the final and they were treated to some top-class play by both players. In the end Eleanor triumphed 7-5, 7-4 but she was made to work very hard for her win by Stuart. The two dogs seemed uninterested in the final but maybe they prefer watching AC where you have rover balls.
My thanks go to all the players, who made my job as manager very easy by playing reasonably quickly and remaining cheerful even after suffering some bad luck.
Full results (CroquetScores)
