Peterborough beat Middlesbrough 5-2

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The victorious Peterborough team (Debbie & Ian Lines, Justin Beaumont, Adrian Kirby)

Peterborough played Middlesbrough at York on 25th September in the final of the 2024 Secretary's Shield - a national AC Handicap competition for clubs who won their regional championships in 2023. It was Peterborough's second year in the competition and their first in the final. Middlesbrough were three-times losing finalists and were hoping to go one better this year, but it was not to be. Peterborough emerged victorious by five games to two.

Representing Middlesbrough were Andrew Killick (-1.5), Dennis Scarr (-0.5), Julian Gibson(captain) (7) and Brian Gardner (9). The Peterborough players were Debbie Lines (-2.5), Ian Lines (-1.5), Adrian Kirby (captain) (0) and Justin Beaumont (20) - a very dangerous 20 as it turned out.

In the morning doubles, and applying the handicap-base-6 rule, Debbie and Justin, playing alternate-stroke, had a slight bisque advantage, with three to Julian and Brian's two. Peterborough beat Middlesbrough +12 - with Justin almost matching Debbie for shot-making, but continuously guided by her in what to do. The morning singles, double-banked on the further - and slower - court, saw Andrew taking an early lead against Ian, only to succumb to a ten-hoop-and-lay-up break and a double-peel to finish by Ian +19. Dennis was well on top against Adrian in the other game, until the latter perked up enough to play round and achieve a double-peel-and-peg-out of Dennis's front ball. Adrian then made a complete horlicks of the leave, and of a subsequent turn, which let Dennis in to finish +14 in a couple of turns from 3-back. .... 2:1 to Peterborough at lunch.

In the afternoon, Debbie proved too strong for Andrew, winning +15, and Ian carefully and clinically repeated his ten-hoops followed by double peel to beat Dennis +17. Julian's 7 bisques against Adrian were just enough to get him to peg and peg, at which point Adrian took a twenty-yard 'last shot' at Blue and Black a foot or so either side of Rover - thinking 'this is a quadruple target' - and miraculously angled through the hoop hitting Black. The fight-back was short lived, with a shortish roquet miss giving Julian the chance he needed to finish +22.

What about Justin (with 14 bisques) v Brian (with 3)? Well... Justin is a good GC player (B-class standard), but he had played only five AC singles games in his life, and until the middle of this season was unsure how to construct breaks or make good tactical choices. In the last-eight round of this event, he had started to get the hang of things - just well enough to win his singles game - and in the final he was unstoppable, storming round in well under an hour to a +24 win, with an embarrassingly large number of bisques still standing. Ian is a CqE Handicapper, and is thinking of cutting Justin from 20 to 14. Well done, Justin, and commiserations to Brian, and to the Middlesbrough team.

The thanks of both teams go to Fiona Crompton and the kind folks at York Croquet Club, for providing the venue - and, despite the forecast, fine weather - and also to Brian Havill, for directing the competition.

Debbie Lines (-2.5) and Justin Beaumont (20) beat Julian Gibson (7) and Brian Gardner (9) +12

Ian Lines (-1.5) beat Andrew Killick (-1.5) +19

Adrian Kirby (0) lost to Dennis Scarr (-0.5) +14

Debbie Lines beat Andrew Killick +15

Ian Lines beat Dennis Scarr +17

Adrian Kirby lost to Julian Gibson +22

Justin Beaumont beat Brian Gardner +24