Father and son Ross and Rick Thomson, of Gisborne's Barry Memorial Croquet Club, won their section of the Morrinsville Golf Croquet Level Doubles.
Eighteen pairs were divided into three sections of six and in their first-round game against a Mount Maunganui pair, the game was timed out with the Thomsonsahead 5-3.
They found the second game, against a Morrinsville pair, a bit tougher. At the buzzer, the Thomsons were 6-4 down. Although they played well, the opposition played brilliantly.
Their third game, against another pair from Morrinsville, was a nail-biter in which the lead changed regularly. After Hoop 7, the Gisborne pair were 4-3 down and in a seemingly hopeless position — one of the opposition balls was sitting in Hoop 8. Rick Thomson's only option seemed to be to try a jump shot.
Delighting in being a risk-taker, he proceeded to play a superb jump shot from three metres on a very acute angle over their ball and deflecting through the hoop, much to the amazement of the opposition. That proved crucial, and the Gisborne pair went on to take the lead and win the game 7-6 on the final hoop.
In the fourth game, the Thomsons played some really accurate golf croquet. They regularly hit away — from over 10 metres — the balls their Matamata opponents had positioned at the hoop. At the buzzer they were 5-2 up.
They continued their form in the final game and comfortably beat their Morrinsville opposition 7-2.
By virtue of being the only pair to win four games in the section, the Thomsons were declared the winners.
