Sat 13th May, Moira
Ashby croquet players were among six teams from across the East Midlands competing in the annual Coors Cup and Bass Shield competition at Moira.
In the first four rounds the Ashby team of Mick Haytack, Lesley Leitch and Richard Sanville won six of their 12 singles games to finish in second place in their block. Long Eaton dominated with nine wins and one draw, whilst Darley Dale scored two wins and one draw.
The other block was much closer, with Leicester finishing on six wins and two draws, followed by Gainsborough with five wins and two draws, and Southwell on five wins.
After an overcast morning, the sun broke through to provide much faster lawn conditions for afternoon play. The winning teams from each block contested a closely-fought Bass Shield final, which finished Long Eaton 4 Leicester 2, giving the Derbyshire side their first victory in this competition which dates back to 2001. Well done to the Long Eaton team of Chris Jackson, Stephanie White (who is also a member of Ashby!) and Joan Skuse.
Meanwhile, Ashby won the third-place decider by triumphing 5-1 against Gainsborough. Darley Dale finished 5th with a 4-2 win against Southwell.
In the concurrent Coors Cup individual tournament, Stephanie White (Long Eaton) was the clear winner with six wins from six games during the day, closely followed by runner-up Ian Buckley (Leicester, 5 wins and 1 draw) and in third place Mick Haytack (Ashby, 5 wins).
Many thanks to Ray for managing the tournament.
