WCF PFC Mallets GC World Team Championship

Following England - WCF PFC Mallets GC World Team Championship

by Alison Maugham
16th February (World Championship)

England have completed the first round of games in the Plate, having not made the knockout for the WCF PFC Mallets GC World Team Championship. Congratulations to the team who successfully won their match against Spain 6-0.

Our England players sent their journals for the first few days of their WCF PFC Mallets GC World Team Chapionship tour.

Safe from relegation (Thursday 20 February 2025)

England overcame Spain 6-0 today in the first day of the consolation event. With the points from our earlier test win against Ireland carrying over into the plate we are now guaranteed to be competing for 5th/6th on Saturday and Sunday and hence are comfortably safe from relegation with a test match to spare.

After completing our matches we enjoyed watching some of the action from the semifinals before heading out to Cataract Gorge for a swim in the river.

Tomorrow we take on the South African team, headed up by two time GC World Champion Reg Bamford.

Aston Wade

Final day of blocks (Wednesday 19 February 2025)

England's hopes of winning their first Openshaw Shield came to an end today after being defeated by an exceptionally strong Australian team.

Despite the disappointment of being knocked out, the team had a thoroughly enjoyable evening together at a delightful barbecue hosted by the Irish.

Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, and the USA will now progress through to the semifinals. England will be aiming to win the consolation event against Spain, South Africa, and Ireland.

Aston Wade

Jack's Back! (Tuesday 18 February 2025)

The team played a high quality test match against New Zealand today. Regrettably the defending champions overcame us 5-1, though that scoreline fails to reflect the immensely competitive nature of the match.

Credit must go to Jack for another magnificent performance to get us a point on the board. He confidently ran hoop 13 from the boundary in his 3rd game to defeat NZ captain, Felix Webby.

England face Australia tomorrow in the final day of the block stage. Our fate remains in our own hands as a 6-0 victory over the hosts would guarantee us a place in the knockout. Ireland gaining a draw or win over NZ would help to reduce the extent of our task but a hugely strong performance will be required nonetheless.

The opportunity for a legendary comeback is certainly on the cards and our team fully intends to rise to the challenge!

Aston Wade

England v Ireland (Monday 17 February 2025)

The England team's Openshaw Shield campaign kicked off today with a well fought victory over Ireland.

Jamie & Euan played brilliantly together in their doubles games and promptly chalked up a 2-0 victory, becoming the first players in the event to win a match. Jack & Aston didn't get up and running quite as quickly and the Irish capitalised to tie the doubles session 1-1.

The first singles session saw the two closest matches of this test. Jack dependably delivered a strong performance in the critical stages of his match to beat Mark Stephens. Meanwhile Jamie was pipped by Simon Williams in an exciting match where the momentum constantly swung back and forth.

In the final session of the day, Aston picked up a win against Rob O'Donoghue to give England a 3-2 lead in the match. Euan dropped the first game to Kieran Murphy but produced a cracking comeback and dominated in game three with an emphatic 7-0 scoreline. This secured a vital 4-2 victory for England in the test match.

After what was a long and suitably challenging day of croquet, the team enjoyed a relaxed evening back at the house with takeaway Chinese and pizzas.

Tomorrow we take on the reigning champions, New Zealand, in what is likely to be the key match in determining qualification from our block. For those aiming to tune into the livestream, I have no doubt the match will produce some exceptionally exciting croquet!

By Aston Wade

Final Preparations (Sunday 16 February 2025)

The final day before the event was busy for all. It started with the final 3 hours of practice at the NTCC with most teams having their full roster. Afterwards, we were blessed with the presence of various local officials and a terrific speech by the minister of sport for Tasmania. The WCF representative, Jim Nicholls, then declared the event open (not sure what we have been doing for the previous few days). The BBQ was then opened and was enjoyed by the competitors, volunteers, and spectators.

During the afternoon, we ventured to the north of the island to find a beach. It's fair to say, some members enjoyed the waves of the Bass Strait more than others. An ice cream down, we headed back home and have just finished Euan's finest carbonara served with garlic bread!?

By Jack Good

Pirates for Practice (Saturday 15 February 2025)

Day 3 in Launceston was the first practice day at the event venue, The Northern Tasmania Croquet Centre. The day started wonderfully with us getting the opportunity to practice on each lawn for one hour, this was perfect until about 11:15 when the clouds rolled in and it began to hail…. It seems like usual the English have brought the weather with them. Having had some lunch we proceeded to have another hit and played pirates, which unsurprisingly, Jamie cleaned up in.

As I write Chris is cooking us a roast chicken to enjoy this evening before exploring a bit more of Launceston this evening. Tomorrow we will have another morning of practice and then a BBQ at the club followed by the usual pre-tournament formalities. It's definitely starting to feel real now :)

By Euan Burridge

A Trip to Latrobe Croquet Club (Friday 14 February 2025)

Today, the England team headed north to Latrobe Croquet club for a match against a Tasmanian representative team. We were greeted with open arms and proceeded to have a thoroughly enjoyable day. We were very well looked after and the competition was excellent and we were well tested. Special thanks go to Patsy Paine but I'm sure there were many others that also deserve thanks.

We got home in time to get our glad rags on for an official opening ceremony. The Launceston town hall was lovely and drinks and canapes were enjoyed by players and dignitaries alike. We enjoyed speeches and team introductions and catching up with other competitors.

We head off to the Northern Tasmania Croquet Centre in St Leonard's for a day's practice at the event venue tomorrow.

By Jamie Burch

We've Arrived (Thursday 13 February 2025)

The England team landed in Tasmania today in advance of Tier 1 of the GC World Team Championships - The Openshaw Shield. The team wasted no time in getting to work and were on a croquet lawn for a practice session within two hours of touching down on the runway in Launceston. We were generously hosted by the beautifully situated Royal Park Croquet Club. I'd especially like to thank Diane Oliver for such a wonderfully kind welcome to her club.

Tomorrow the team heads to Latrobe Croquet Club for a one-day test match vs Tasmania, before returning to Launceston for the tournament's official mayoral reception.

The Openshaw Shield itself will commence on Monday 17th at the Northern Tasmanian Croquet Centre. Livestreaming coverage and daily updates from the team will be available throughout.

By Aston Wade (Captain)