Peel Memorials

[<<] [>>] by Mark Lansdale at Nottingham
19 May (AC - Handicap)

The Peels Memorial Handicap Tournament 2024 took place in Nottingham between Thursday 16th May to Sunday 19th. There were 7 entries for the Womens Competition, 13 for the Men's competition and 8 pairs contested the Doubles. Consistent with the last three days weather, the event progressed in a friendly and sunny atmosphere.

This in part may have the reflected the relief felt by all after the first day; not least the manager. A deluge of biblical proportions started mid-morning and did not lift all day. Stout contestants kept going,the next morning but quickly the lawns became unplayable. Two of the six lawns remained flooded all day. The other four, being newly laid and with better drainage, performed better and intermittently playable until the cold, wet, and finally the dark, stopped play with a significant number of matches not even started.

Fortunately, the next mroning, the weather improved and everyone got down to making up the lost time. With a small bit of improvisation (semi finals were played as shorter 18 point games to enable all three finals to be played on Sunday in golrious sunshine. In the morning, Nicky Newberry and Mike Hedge beat Viv Staley and Andrew Willis 19 hoops to 11 on time to win the Doubles. In the afternoon Sarah Butler and Phillipine Hallam fought out the Ladies' Final, with Sarah winning 16 hoops to 11 on time. Finally, in lengthening shadows, Andrew Beaumont beat Roger Staples 24 hoops to 17 on time.

Over the last three days, the Nottingham lawns, particularly the new lawns, played superbly; and the catering was of its usual high standard. So hopefully all contestants - especially those travelling long distances to play - felt it was a successful event. Much more than the manager could hope to expect on the first evening when he was driving home shivering in a puddle while trying to work out how the events were going to get completed in time. He has since been told that it is all part of of a 'manager's learning trajectory'. Perhaps, but he would have preferred it otherwise.