Sam Cuthbert and James Death won the English National GC Doubles Championship
James Death & Sam Cuthbert holding the Ranelagh Doubles Trophies (Photo: Chris Roberts)
31st July (GC - Championships)
It was a super weekend at Budleigh for the GC National Doubles 27-28 July - excellent lawns, lovely weather, wonderful hospitality, a delicious fish & chip supper on Saturday night and some highly competitive croquet, all in a very friendly atmosphere.
We had a strong field. The top 11 (of 16) pairs all had average grades above 2000 and two of the pairs were previous winners of the Ranelagh Cups (Stuart M Smith & Steve Leonard (2020) and Ivor & Richard Brand (1997, 1999)). Also in the line-up were three players who had won in the past with other players (Louise Smith, Jonathan Powe and Stephen Custance-Baker) and we were joined by three high-quality pairings: Chris Clarke & Helen Reeves, Sam Cuthbert & James Death and Jenny Clark & Roger Goldring.
The format for the event was pretty standard - two all-play-all qualifying blocks on Saturday (7 rounds) followed by best-of-3 quarters, semis and final on Sunday alongside the Plate and Bowl.
There were few surprises in Block A. C Clarke & Reeves were seeded #1 in the block and took the top slot, losing only one of their 7 games. The other three quarter-final places went to seeds 2-4: J Clarke & Goldring with 5/7 wins; Colin Britt & Andy Loakes (4/7); and (by the skin of their teeth) Powe & Tim Russell (3/7).
The battle for the top four places in Block B was less straightforward. Both the #1 seed in the block (Smith & Leonard) and #3 seed (Raouf Allim & Tim Jolliff) struggled throughout the day, ending up 6th (3/7) and 8th (0/7) respectively. Conversely, Cuthbert & Death (#2) looked in complete control in all their games and took first place (7/7). The other three places in the Championship Knockout were taken by Jon Carrington & Stuart Smith, Stephen Custance-Baker & Neil Fillery and Kevin Connolly & John Taylor, all on 4/7.
On Sunday, the Plate was concluded by mid-afternoon with an impressive win and welcome return to form for Smith & Leonard, who beat the Brand brothers 2-0 in the final.
The Championship Knockout quarters and semis went to the higher seeded pairs, which set up an intriguing final between C Clarke & Reeves and Cuthbert & Death. Clarke & Reeves went ahead in both games, but Cuthbert & Death always looked the more dangerous pair, and so it proved. James's clearances throughout the match were extremely impressive (nothing was safe) and Sam looked very strong, with some excellent hoop-running and jump shots. They made an excellent pair, and thoroughly deserved their 7-4, 7-2 win to take the Ranelagh Cups.
In the Bowl (for losing quarter-finalists), Connolly & Taylor won a very tight final against Custance- Baker & Fillery 7-6, 7-6.
The Saucer (13th-16th) was won by Frances Colman & Chris Roberts, who beat Adam & Andrew Wimshurst (combined age 161) 6-7, 7-4, 7-4.
Key results are below. All the scores are available via Croquet Scores here: https://croquetscores.com/2024/gc/english-national-doubles-ranelagh-cups
Plate Final: Stuart M Smith & Steve Leonard beat Ivor & Richard Brand 7-5, 7-4
Bowl Final: Kevin Connolly & John Taylor beat Stephen Custance-Baker & Neil Fillery 7-6, 7-6
Championship:
QF1: Chris Clarke & Helen Reeves beat Kevin Connolly & John Taylor 7-3, 7-5
QF2: Colin Britt & Andy Loakes beat Jon Carrington & Stuart Smith 7-5, 7-4
QF3: Jenny Clarke & Roger Goldring beat Stephen Custance-Baker & Neil Fillery 7-5, 3-7, 7-6
QF4: Sam Cuthbert & James Death beat Jonathan Powe & Tim Russell 7-5, 7-6
SF1: Chris Clarke & Helen Reeves beat Colin Britt & Andy Loakes 5-7, 7-5, 7-5
SF2: Sam Cuthbert & James Death beat Jenny Clarke & Roger Goldring 7-3, 7-6
Final: Sam Cuthbert & James Death beat Chris Clarke & Helen Reeves 7-4, 7-2
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