Barry Memorial’s golf croquet singles handicap tourney results

AWARD WINNERS: Bryan Pulley (left) and Ross Thomson, “fairest” and best respectively at the golf croquet singles handicap tournament at Barry Memorial club this month. Picture supplied

TEN players battled 30-degree heat and each other at Barry Memorial’s golf croquet singles handicap tournament this month.

After nine rounds, Ross Thomson was declared the singles winner and recent arrival Bryan Pulley (of indoor bowling fame) was named “fairest player”, an award voted on by all the players at the end of the day.

Pulley showed a cool head and played some great croquet, despite his relative inexperience.

As he develops his ability to choose the right options to use his extra turns, he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Competitors played a round robin. In the first round, Pulley restricted Thomson to a two-point margin.

Rob Hayes and Charles Ostler (a visiting player from the UK) fought out a 5-5 draw in the second round.

In the third round, Dave Newton beat Ostler 7-2. This was a great win for Newton, who has a handicap of 6 compared with Ostler’s 3.

Games went pretty much to form in the fourth round.

In the fifth, Newton and Thomson drew 5-5, and Christine McCullough surprised by drawing 5-5 with Ostler.

McCullough, who has a handicap of 8, played some tremendous shots to get this result.

Some sensational results marked the sixth round. Richard Rice had a 7-2 victory over Newton, who has a superior handicap, McCullough beat Chris Newton 4-2, and Pulley nearly pulled off the upset of the day when he drew 6-6 with the more fancied Hayes, the current club champion.

The results were just as eye-catching in the seventh round. Per Elzen defeated Ostler 5-3 and McCullough beat Thomson 4-2. Other results were much as expected, and in a titanic struggle Newton and Hayes fought tooth and nail for the hoops, Hayes finally winning 5-4.

In Round 8, Chris Newton defeated Elzen 7-5 and Thomson defeated Hayes 5-3. By this stage, the heat had become too much for a couple of players, and they withdrew.

In the ninth and final round, the games came alive. Hayes and Elzen had an exciting 3-3 draw, Chris Newton defeated her husband Dave 6-5 and Pulley again lost narrowly, 7-6 to Rice.

Thomson was declared the winner, with five wins and a draw, in second place was Dave Newton, with four wins and three draws, and in third place was Ostler with four wins and two draws.

Ostler is a Barry club member who plays in the UK for the Northern Hemisphere summer and in Gisborne for the Southern Hemisphere summer. Although he is a very good golf croquet player, he is more recognised for his association croquet.

On February 14 and 15, Barry Memorial Croquet Club members will play two days of doubles and singles games at the Tauranga club. This will be the first time the two clubs have had an interclub exchange and it is hoped it will be held every year.

The Gisborne players are confident, even though the Tauranga club has three times as many members.