Barry club’s corporate nights prove success

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Barry Memorial Croquet Club has held the last of its Corporate Golf Croquet Challenge elimination nights.

Eight teams made up of 42 non-croquet and new croquet players did battle. Some had never held a mallet before. One condition was that croquet club members were not eligible.

On the first night, the ANZ, AgFirst, Sunshine Service One and Beetham Residents teams played three rounds of doubles.

In the first round, Jack Smith and Kathy Hayes served notice to other players, running up eight hoops.

In the second round, Michelle Hawea raised a few eyebrows with a good eight-hoop score with ANZ teammate Derek Craven.

On arrival, Michelle told organisers that she had never played before. She is obviously a quick learner because she finished the night with the second-highest score of the 22 players.

In the third round, Taylor Howatson (AgFirst) picked up only a five-pointer with his partner but it was enough to give him an overall score of 19 points to be the top individual, with Hawea the runner-up on 17 points.

The two top teams on each elimination night play off on the final night. AgFirst dominated the first night with an overall score of 66 and will be joined in the final by ANZ, who finished with 58 points.

In the second elimination night, Composite, a team of new players, along with Sunshine Service Two, Coates Associates and Team Richards (a family team) did battle.

In the first round, Gavin Lowden and Hamish Campbell (Coates Associates) served notice on the other players by comfortably beating John Aitchison and Glenis Ebbett (Sunshine Service Two) 7-2.

In the second round, Mary Dixon and Peter Richardson (Composite) battled Hamish Campbell and David Stephenson (Coates Associates) all the way. Both pairs played great defensive shots and they finished tied at 2-2.

Whether players were tired or just getting more savvy about tactics, the third and final round had three drawn games.

Francis Yates and John MacDougall (recognised from the building trade), playing for Composite, could not shake off Rodney and Anna Richards (Team Richards).

They played desperately, hoop for hoop, and Yates and MacDougall applied all their building angles and hammer experience to blast the Richards pair away.

However, they quickly learned that they had to be accurate. Sometimes their own ball ended up more than 20 metres from play, having missed their opponents’ ball completely. The game finished in a 5-5 draw.

Also ending 5-5 was the game between Jill Maynard (Coates Associates) playing by herself against Matti and Perran Richards (Team Richards).

The youngsters thought they had the better of Maynard but a wise head counts for a lot in this game. A draw was a fair result.

In this final elimination night, Gavin Lowden (Coates Associates) and Tony Nicholson (Composite) were named joint top individuals, with 15 points each.

So close was the competition that the Composite and Coates Associates teams each finished with 51 points.

The corporate nights have been a big success. The four finalists — AgFirst, ANZ, Coates Associates and Composite — will determine who wins the Gisborne Corporate Golf Croquet crown on Wednesday night. Report time is 5pm. Spectators are welcome to attend.