Yet again Zeus sought to disrupt the Horners’ Annual croquet tournament on the inappropriately named sunny south coast. Although some light showers may have curtailed the tournament in favour of food and drink it did not dampen the spirits of the Horners and their guests.
We again had the benefit of the talents of Jonathan Isaacs as a croquet player and tournament organiser, with his two assistants from the Sussex County Croquet Club organising an excellent tournament. We had some new attendees who were coming to croquet for the first time as well as three who had played club croquet.
After warm pastries with tea or coffee Jonathan explained the format for the day in which 5 rounds of games timed at a maximum of 45 minutes which should at the end of the day produce a winner. The three club players were given a handicap of -1 hoop. In the event not enough to prevent one of them winning the trophy!
We started with a coaching/learning session which was followed by everyone playing two matches before the excellent lunch supplied by the Sussex County Club catering team. Lunch coincided with a light shower.
The afternoon games were interrupted by some light showers but everyone played supported by the Father of the Company P/M/E Jeremy Cartwright.
The results of the afternoon games meant that it was going to be a close run affair as to who would be playing in the final and semi-final with the Master, Tim and Alan having won four games and Penelope, Colin, Michael and guest, Nigel, having won three games. This meant that the final and semi-final participants had to be decided by the net number of hoops that they had won.
In the event Tim played the Master in the final and won the Horners’ trophy for a second time and Alan narrowly won against Penelope in the 3rd place play off.
It was good to see those who had been to previous croquet days and also some new faces. Everyone agreed they had enjoyed meeting other
Horners and guests in a relaxed atmosphere with good food and drink whilst also appreciating that croquet is a fun game whether coming to it fresh or being an experienced player.
Alan Price
6 July 2025