Ostler crowns NZ visit with club title

Charles Ostler

CROQUET

Barry Memorial Croquet Club has a new golf croquet club champion.

British player Charles Ostler — who has been visiting Gisborne over the warmer months — is better known in the association form of the game but showed he was flexible in his croquet styles by winning the golf croquet singles club title.

Ostler has been playing both types of game in recent months and this year decided to try for the golf croquet title.

Playing in a round robin of eight, Ostler won five games — with scores of 7-2, 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 and 7-2 — and lost only one, to Rob Hayes, 6-5.

Dave Newton was runner-up, losing only to Ostler and Hayes, while Hayes and Chris Newton both won four games and lost three.

Ostler has already left for the UK and club members wish him well, but they are determined he won’t have such an easy time of it when he returns next summer.

The club has also held its doubles golf croquet club championships and six teams played each other in a round robin.

Chris and Dave Newton couldn’t do a thing wrong and ran out clear winners without a loss all day. Their scores of 7-4, 9-7, 10-0, 6-3 and 8-5 indicate their rampant mood. Runners-up were Christine McCullough and Hayes, whose only loss was to the Newtons.

The final of the Corporate Teams Challenge has also been played.

Agfirst, Coates Associates and Composite teams took part. There were many draws and most games were won by only one or two hoops.

However, over the night it became obvious that the pairs from one team were using better tactics and were more accurate in hitting their opponent’s balls away.

The Composite team of Tony Nicholson, Francis Yates, Peter Richardson, Mary Dixon, John MacDougall and Karen Hollamby reigned supreme, with 58 points. Agfirst had 45 and Coates Associates, 42.

Tony Nicholson, with 19 points, was a clear individual winner with several players behind on 13 points.

Late last weekend the Barry club invited the caregivers and clients of Idea Services along for an afternoon of golf croquet.

Club captain Ross Thomson said it was a delight to see the joy and laughter of the occasion.

The clients understood the concepts of the game well, and some said they were disappointed at being let down by their caregiver playing partners at times.

The banter was in good fun, and the club will look at having a similar event next year.