[<<] [>>] by Ian Vincent
22-24 Jun 2001 (AC - Championships)

The East Midlands Championship was won by David Goacher. The runner-up was David Mundy, who qualified for a CA Silver Medal as a result. Steve Comish reached the final of both the draw and process, but lost both. Richard White won the plate, beating Sam Tudor in the final.

Conditions were relatively testing (only four triples were recorded) and the temperature escalated towards those considered more acceptable by our Australian visitors as the weekend progressed, culminating in a day of glorious warm sunshine. The front of the pavilion, sadly, was boarded up, having suffered considerable damage during a breakin the previous weekend. Fortunately, it was kitchen rather than croquet equipment that was stolen.

Avid readers of the regulations should note that the algorithm for a balanced draw and process published as F1(d)(3) has the defect that the same eight players get byes in both halves in a field of 24. Fortunately, this was pointed out before the process started and it was possible to adjust the postion of the byes in the process to avoid this without destroying its other properties.

There was one interesting legal point: after a croquet stroke, the striker's ball ended just outside the yard-line area, but interfering with the replacement of the croqueted ball, which was replaced in contact with it. This situation had been discussed at some length in theory, but I never expected to see it so soon in practice. Asked by the striker how he should proceed, I stated that he should play a continuation stoke from where the balls then lay; in my opinion he would not be committing the error of taking croquet from a dead ball by so doing. Neither player appealed.

Draw

Round 1

1: Draw A. Gregory bt E.J. Davis +3
1: Draw C. Southern bt J.G. Allen +12
1: Draw S. Comish bt R. Davis +7
1: Draw B.G. Hallam bt B. Fleming +25
1: Draw D.J. Kibble bt G.J. Bennett +5
1: Draw C.G. Hopewell bt Mrs C.M. Dawson +14
1: Draw P. Swaffield bt D. Mundy +16
1: Draw S.M. Tudor bt Mrs E. Fleming +24

Round 2

1: Draw A. Gregory bt C. Southern +2
1: Draw N.E. Evans bt Dr F.L. Whittaker +15
1: Draw S. Comish bt B.G. Hallam +23
1: Draw Dr I.G. Vincent bt R.K. White +24
1: Draw C.G. Hopewell bt D.J. Kibble +4
1: Draw D.J. Goacher bt S. Meatheringham +7
1: Draw S.M. Tudor bt P. Swaffield +10tp
1: Draw Dr JC Williams bt Miss L. Bradforth +10

Round 3

1: Draw N.E. Evans bt A. Gregory +17
1: Draw S. Comish bt Dr I.G. Vincent +25
1: Draw D.J. Goacher bt C.G. Hopewell +22
1: Draw S.M. Tudor bt Dr JC Williams +10

Semi-Final

1: Draw S. Comish bt N.E. Evans +17
1: Draw D.J. Goacher bt S.M. Tudor +21

Final

1: Draw D.J. Goacher bt S. Comish +17

Process

Round 1

2: Proc D. Mundy bt R. Davis +14
2: Proc D.J. Goacher bt Dr I.G. Vincent +9
2: Proc S.M. Tudor bt B. Fleming +24
2: Proc Miss L. Bradforth bt N.E. Evans +8
2: Proc S. Comish bt P. Swaffield +25
2: Proc Dr F.L. Whittaker bt Dr JC Williams +23
2: Proc Mrs E. Fleming bt B.G. Hallam +10
2: Proc R.K. White bt S. Meatheringham +5

Round 2

2: Proc A. Gregory bt G.J. Bennett +10
2: Proc D. Mundy bt D.J. Goacher +6
2: Proc C.G. Hopewell bt C. Southern +20
2: Proc S.M. Tudor bt Miss L. Bradforth +12
2: Proc D.J. Kibble bt E.J. Davis +7
2: Proc S. Comish bt Dr F.L. Whittaker +26tp
2: Proc J.G. Allen bt Mrs C.M. Dawson +2
2: Proc R.K. White bt Mrs E. Fleming +11

Round 3

2: Proc D. Mundy bt A. Gregory +26
2: Proc S.M. Tudor bt C.G. Hopewell +22
2: Proc S. Comish bt D.J. Kibble +25
2: Proc R.K. White bt J.G. Allen +6

Semi-Final

2: Proc D. Mundy bt S.M. Tudor +7
2: Proc S. Comish bt R.K. White +19

Final

2: Proc D. Mundy bt S. Comish +25

Play-Off

D. Goacher bt D. Mundy +21