By Colin Hindson
As the Covid restrictions ease, the latter part of the Sunshine Coast interclub croquet competitions are nearing their conclusion, and Noosa Croquet Club teams are holding their own.
As well, internal competitions continue, and it has been a busy few weeks for those who taking part, including the referees.
It is good to see the as Noosa Association Croquet team (competing jointly with Coolum Croquet Club as “Cooloosa”) in the lead in the Lockwood Shield, the Association croquet competition, with no further games to play.
Well done to Noosa representatives John Olsen and Galina Makarova.
In the Golf inter-club competitions, it is getting tight with only a couple of games left. The Shield team, the medium handicappers, competed on Monday 6 September against the Caloundra team, and won 6 games to 4.
Best player on the day was Richard Bawden who won all three of his games, two singles and a doubles. This leaves the Shield team in second place not far behind.
On Monday 13 September, the Pennant team of low handicappers played against the Nambour team, always a strong opponent. This resulted in an 8 -2 win to Noosa, which keeps Noosa in striking distance of the leaders Headland-Buderim, with two games to play. Best player on the day was John Dark who won both his singles and the doubles. On the same day, the Plate team of high handicappers played against Nambour at Nambour and went down narrowly 6 games to 4. The newest member of the team, Lois King, in her first competitive event, went very well, going down narrowly in both her singles, but sharing a win in the doubles. This should leave the Plate team on top of the ladder with two games left.
The finals of the internal Jan van der Linden Golf Doubles competition were concluded. The Division 2 Doubles competition was very close, the leading teams were all separated by only one hoop, but the winners were Sally Walker and Bob Eames. This was a great win, as Sally and Bob have not been playing very long, but have improved their games dramatically.The winners of the Division 1 Doubles competition were John Dark and Ed Boyd. Again, both players are relatively new to the Club and it is good to see them achieving success, particularly John who seems to get in a lot of photos. This was also a close win, the three teams involved were all level on games won, and the final winner was decided on hoops.
The Club’s Annual Budget Meeting will be held on Tuesday morning of 28 September – the Club is in a sound position and membership is solid, although we are always looking for more members. The Club grounds are looking good as spring continues, the grounds are a scenic place to be on play days. We always welcome visitors to our grounds at 9 Seashell Place Noosa Waters, and remember, every Sunday morning is a Come and Try morning – just drop in and say hello.
