Bribie members begin tournament season, and Shane Davis wins the Steve Jones Cup

February and March opened tournament season for Bribie Island members. Players competed on the Bribie lawns and also travelled to Toowoomba and Darling Downs clubs, the Sunshine Coast region's annual tournament, Windsor, Wynnum, Ipswich, Cairnlea in Melbourne, and the NSW Women's Singles in Sydney.

Bribie's first Golf Gala Day for 2026 attracted 18 visiting players from Point Lookout Club, Caloundra, Ipswich, Eildon, Windsor, East Brisbane and Wynnum, with 14 Bribie players completing the field. A feature of Bribie Golf Gala Days is that players have a range of partners through the day.

On Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 March, Bribie hosted the Queensland State Association team and six other players for the Steve Jones Cup. It was the State Team's final competition before Perth for Croquet Australia's National Men's and Women's Singles events and the Eire Cup. The camaraderie between state team members was a highlight.

The competition was exceedingly tight. Sixteen players played seven games across two blocks. At the end of the sixth game on Sunday, any three of the top players in each block could still have made the final, with games won and net hoops very close.

Shane Davis from Windsor came out on top of the Blue Block, while Dave Luxmoore from Burleigh Heads Palm Beach won the Red Block. Their final was an excellent demonstration of controlled ball movement around the court, described as like watching snooker on grass. Several hoops were made after time was called and either player could still have won. Dave unfortunately hit his ball out of court, allowing Shane to finish and peg his red ball out.

Shane lining up for his winning shot.

Final score: Shane Davis 23 hoops, Dave Luxmoore 21 hoops.

Coming up at Bribie

- 18 April: Golf Gala Day. - 16 May: Caboolture Sports Club's Golf Tournament for players with a 7 and over handicap. - 6 and 7 June: Mary Masters Association Memorial for AC players with a 4 and over handicap.

By Gwen Connolly, Bribie Island. From the Croquet Newsletter, March/April 2026, pages 3-5.