ALTHOUGH croquet is played throughout the winter in Bude, due to our excellent courts, the 2025 season really got underway on Thursday, April 3when a full-scale match was played between the handicap and higher handicap teams. The match was played under the new South WestFederation rules, which proved effective, as most games were very closely contested.

The higher handicap team got off to a good start, winning three of the five first round games, capitalising well on their starting score advantage. However, the statistically more experienced and skilful handicap team asserted themselves in the next round to win four of the six games.

The doubles games proved decisive in the next round with Andy Middleton and Dave Landown, and Keith Hansford and Chris Ham winning their games 7-2, though Frances Hornblow and Paul Knight had a real battle over 90 minutes to overcome Pauline Sear and Alison Osborne by the narrowest of margins (7-6).

Going into the final round of singles games, the higher handicaps had to win all four games to secure overall victory but in the event, only one game was won, so the lower handicappers gained an overall 12-7 success.

Eddie Piper-Mayo, who has only been playing for a couple of months, won all three of her singles games against experienced opposition and will certainly prove a valuable asset to the higher handicap team this season.

Overall, this was a very good pre-season workout for both teams, and will set them up nicely for the visit of Bradford on Avon on Sunday and the first higher handicap league match at home to Saint Agnes on Monday.