In September 2023, the Club launched the 23/24 season for new junior members by writing to all secondary schools in the Thanet area to highlight the Club’s facilities and willingness to support students looking into physical activities towards their Duke of Edinburgh award and International Baccalaureate qualifications. Croquet has proven attractive for those struggling to engage with mainstream sports as through non-contact activity it promotes hand-eye coordination, team play and the development of tactical & strategic thinking.
Robert Gregory is coordinating a taster session on Sunday 24 September to which we are inviting students to join us and consider then joining the junior section to undertake a regular course of instruction. His contact details: robertgregory125@btinternet.com OR 07508 612738.
Club members that have indicated a willingness to work with the junior section are also invited to the event.
Ramsgate Croquet Club is holding an Open Week, from Wednesday 19th May to Sunday 23rd May. Simply turn up any time between 13:00 and 17:00 wearing flat soled footwear – we’ll provide the rest! Whether you’ve played before and want to give it another go, or you’re a complete beginner and want to try something new, there will be plenty of friendly faces on hand to show you the ropes. You can come along by yourself, bring your friends & family, or even come along with someone you already know at the club! We welcome anyone aged 10 and upward (but children must remain under the supervision of a parent or guardian at all times). Unfortunately, dogs are not permitted within the grounds of the club, but there is a great spot on the public walkway just above the clubhouse which overlooks all the lawns. We are situated just down the road from the boating pool (see here) and parking is free and ample. So come and pay us a visit, forget all that you think you know about croquet, and you might just be surprised by how much fun it is. We look forward to welcoming you to the Open Week!
If you have any questions about the club or the game, you can easily find us on Facebook and get in touch, or use our contacts page for club contacts.
Following the announcement that Kent has moved into the new Covid Tier 4, The Committee have agreed that there is no option other than to close the club for playing croquet with immediate effect
We will always try to put our member’s personal safety as a priority, and so we are taking this step to avoid the possibility of any transmission of the virus through the club.
We wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas & hopefully the New Year will bring vaccinations and a chance to return to playing in the spring.
In accordance with Government guidelines, the way we play croquet has changed. Ramsgate Croquet Club has adapted to ensure members can continue to enjoy the game in safety and with confidence. Members are asked to adhere to the following:
Wash your hands frequently. Ideally do so prior to arrival, after setting up a lawn, after play, and just prior to departure. When in play, avoid touching anything with your hands other than your own personal equipment. Reposition balls with your feet, and take relief from stop-boards rather than moving them.
Avoid touching your face. Also try to avoid touching anybody else’s mallet or other such belongings. Remember that the clubhouse is unavailable, so bring any food or drink you may wish to consume along with you, again being mindful of hygiene measures when choosing to partake in refreshment.
Maintain social distancing. Keep a minimum of 2m apart from anyone not within your household or social bubble. Do not enter the main clubhouse building, and only enter toilets and the storage shed on a one-in-one-out basis. Lawns may be used by up to four players, either in a game of doubles or two (double-banked) games of singles. Remember to maintain social distancing when playing, and avoid contact (for example do not shake hands).
If you have a smartphone, check-in when you arrive at the club using the NHS Track & Trace app. You can do this by scanning either of the QR Codes situated just inside the door to the Ladies toilets, or attached next to the main Clubhouse door (but remember, do not enter the clubhouse).
If you are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 (a new and continuous cough, high temperature/fever, a lack of or change to sense of taste or smell), you or someone in your household has tested positive for Covid-19 and are isolating, or you or someone in your household has been told to isolate by NHS Test and Trace, it is imperative that you DO NOT come to the club.
There is now an easy and effective lawn booking system in place. Visit https://croquetbooking.com/book/index.php?site=13 and log-in to access the current calendar. Find a date and time slot that suits you, on a lawn according to the rota of use along the top, and click on the empty slot to make a booking. Fill in your name and any other players in the “Brief Description” field, and specify the type of croquet you are playing in the drop-down box a little further down. When you are ready, click “Save”. For GC Club days (Tuesday & Thursday mornings), partners and opponents are being randomly allocated and pre-drawn. If you would like to participate in a Tuesday or Thursday session, please contact Lynn Beedie (Contacts). All other games are to be arranged by the participants and booked in online.
If you have any questions or are having difficulty with the online booking system, please get in touch with Tobi Savage via email or Facebook Messenger.
8 Pairs gathered to contest this year’s Eileen & Dennis Shaw trophy.
Split into 2 blocks, each pair played 3 games with the top 2 pairs in each block going forward to a semi-final and final. Semi-finalist were Mary/Jeannie, Trish/Lesley, Allison/Lynn and Andrew/Linda. Winning finalists were Mary and Jeannie with Trish and Lesley runners up.
Even the weather played along and was warm and sunny all day.
Congratulations to Sue Payne on winning the 2020 Trevor Cobb 10-7, and commiseration to Jeanette Clarke for being runner-up for the second year running – in itself no mean achievement.
It was good to see several players entering who had never tried a competition before, let alone a singles event, and I hope that they, and all the others enjoyed the challenge and will return next year to do battle again.
The Len Hawkins GC Competition is usually held as a tournament spanning the duration of a playing season. This year, owing to the shortened season, it was decided to run this as a one-day event.
This was the first competitive event that Ramsgate has hosted this year, and attracted players from all across the handicap scale, despite being level play. The standard of play was generally high, especially considering how little some entrants have played this year (although there were one or two moments where our low handicap players were showing us how not to do it!)
Play kicked off promptly in the morning, with players keen to restart the competitive calendar. The weather was glorious, very hot with barely a cloud in the sky, and no wind, which for Ramsgate is almost unheard of! The lawns were playing incredibly well, and were running very fast. This can sometimes prove challenging, as taking position becomes more difficult the quicker a lawn is running, but ultimately challenging conditions are what is called for at competition level.
The format was 2 blocks of 6, with a semi & final. By about game three, the blocks were very interesting. 2 players in Block A had gone undefeated, and were drawn to play in round 4, and Bob Ellis in Block B played well to remain undefeated through the entire block stage. In Block A, Fynn Ballantine played Tobi Savage for the honour of four straight wins, and took out the England International player in superb fashion. This resulted in Fynn topping his block without dropping a game, after having not picked up a mallet for a couple of years – incredible! Tobi took block A runner-up spot, and with Bob comfortably through block B in top spot, this left the remaining spot to be contested by third and fourth seed Mary Neale and Todd Ballantine. Todd prevailed, setting up a semi-final draw of brothers Ballantine vs Ballantine, and the slightly less tantalising fixture of Ellis vs Savage.
Tobi was able to bring Bob’s winning streak to a grinding halt, after initially being on the back foot courtesy of two glorious hoop strokes from Bob. After scoring hoop 6, Bob took a 4-2 lead, which prompted Tobi to need to wrestle back control of the game. He duly did so, and the game finished at the twelfth hoop. Fynn got the better of Todd, setting up a final of Tobi vs Fynn.
The final was played as a 19-pt game, which Fynn commenced in style, running a terrific hoop 1. Savage squared up the scoreline, but Fynn scored another great hoop at 3 to regain the lead, leaving Savage with flashbacks of his earlier defeat at the hands of Fynn running hoops from seemingly wherever he wanted to. The players traded blows to 3 apiece, but Savage turned the tide of the game by taking 7 with a jump shot, leading for the first time at 4-3. Fynn played an exceptional clearance at 8, and went on to take the hoop to level the score once again, but from there on in the resilience, grit and determination of Tobi shone through, and he took the next 6 hoop points with a combination of good positional play, controlled clearances and an excellent clearance at 12 to get a ball legal at 13. Fynn never gave up the chase though, and forced Tobi into playing a few key make-or-break shots. The scoreline of 10-4 wasn’t entirely representative of performance of the finalists, as there were some closely contested tussles for control throughout the game that could have gone either way.
The day ended with a (socially distanced) presentation of the trophy, and words of thanks expressed to the manager, competitors and grounds staff. Incidentally, Trevor Longman came under all three categories! The lawns were quick and the hoops were well-set thanks to Trevor and his grounds team, and the event was well-managed, so it ran smoothly. To be responsible for all this whilst still competing in an event is hard work indeed, but he had some fabulous patches of play, including a stretch in his fixture against Savage where he hit multiple consecutive stunning cross-court clearances at hoop 8! Well done Trevor, and thanks for all your hard work. Trevor presented the Len Hawkins trophy to Tobi, drawing the event to its conclusion. A good day was had by all!
This is available to subscribing members and lawns must be booked. Lawns are available to be booked in 1H 30m slots and the daily schedule follows previous GC and AC playing day preferences. There will be no club days. Play is singles only and no double banking is permitted. Doubles is only permitted for members of the same household.
The first 3 slots on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be random selection where both players will be drawn from a list of those wishing to play at that time. Otherwise booking of up to two slots (i.e. 3H) is permissible.
To book a lawn please contact Julie or Chris Goulding by phone or email. Details on all aspects of the club opening have been sent to all members and the rules of play and precautions are displayed at the club.
As usual our end of the summer season culminates in the Terry Ballard competition which is a fun event where we all try out our various skills in a series of challenges some of which are more familiar to the Association Croquet players.
This was a great end to the summer season which was won by Mary Neale with Trevor Longman as runner up.
Thanks go to Andy Mitchell and Zoe Hawkins for organising the event, to those who baked some lovely cakes and to all that helped with the event, plus of course the players who made this a great afternoon.
Our chairman Meg Bowyer presents the Terry Ballad trophy to the winner Mary Neale and runner up Trevor Longman