Sidmouth (SE) croquet team player Richard Thurlow stars in Nailsea (SE) loss

Sidmouth (SE) narrowly lost their first match of the season against Nailsea (SE) at home, writes David Butler.

The day began quite positively for Sidmouth. After the two opening rounds of four doubles and two singles they were ahead by four games to two.

This lead was maintained in the third round with each side winning two singles.

After lunch however, Nailsea advanced positively. In the fourth round they achieved two and a half singles to Sidmouth’s one and a half singles (a drawn game gives each side a half point).

In the final two rounds of six singles they won four games to Sidmouth’s two, to win the match by one game with a final score of ten-and-a-half to nine-and-a-half.

In this match Sidmouth welcomed Pamela Bowra back to the team after a year’s break due to illness.

Pam made a good return to competitive Croquet by winning her doubles (with John Coombes), and one singles, though she lost her other singles game.

Undoubtedly Richard Thurlow was Sidmouth’s man of the match.

Though he lost his doubles game (with Edward Colman), he was the only player to undertake four singles; and of these he won three and drew the other.

This almost equalled his recent successes in two short croquet tournaments, in each of which he won all four of his games. In three consecutive matches therefore( of short croquet and golf croquet), this man with the magic mallet has played 12 singles in which he has won 11 and drawn the 12th – formidable!