The Challenge and Gilbey

[<<] [>>] by Hamish Hall
13th September 2004 (AC - Mixed)

100 years on from when Roehampton first hosted the Challenge, the entry had shrunk from 300 to 24 players, and the dozen or more courts largely given way to tennis. But the 4 remaining were in prime condition, and a joy to play on. But even with this disappointingly small entry, we required additional courts, generously provided by Hurlingham.

Chris Daniels, -0.5, demonstrated that A-class players can give the bandits a fright in a handicap game, but Nigel Graves had just too many bisques in the Gilbey final, with 1 still standing when he pegged out, claiming the crystal goblet.

In the Challenge, David Magee had a clean sweep playing for the Roehampton Cup. Daniels, the runner up, lost only 1 game and Jack Wicks foreshadowed hope for the future with 4 wins. Played at Hurlingham, Michael Hann was undefeated, taking the Council Cup. Under the who beat whom regulation, David Mumford was the runner up, with 3 wins.

More excitingly, the Reckitt Cup would be claimed by the winner of the final game in the block between Gina Lewis and the Manager, Hamish Hall, both being undefeated at that stage. Whether tension got to Gina or not, she failed to get the better of the veteran.

With only 4 players competing for the Stevenson Cup, Julie Hudson had little difficulty in overcoming the opposition in the block games, but her final went to time, with Nigel Graves losing by 3.