Pennants success, championship honours, and a Gateball victory for Southport

Southport Croquet Club has had a very good start to its pennants season in Golf Croquet and Ricochet. The weather has not been the best but the team members have played under all sorts of conditions. The pennants between clubs in the Gold Coast Tweed Region have been held in Golf Croquet and Ricochet.

In Golf Croquet, the three Southport teams in Division 1 have been very successful, with the White and Blue teams placed 1st and 2nd respectively. Southport Red is 4th out of the 6 teams. In the Division 2 section, the Southport Shakers are in 3rd position while the Southport Movers are in 6th spot.

In the Ricochet pennants, the Sharks team has won all of its five games, while the beginning team in competition, the Southport Dolphins, are yet to win a game. The Association pennant team has had just one game, which it lost. There will be a flurry of pennant games come June and July.

There was a wonderful result for the CAQ Women's Golf Singles Championship in that Mary McMahon from Southport was placed 1st and Gabby Spencer came third. Congratulations! Next up, Mary travelled to Melbourne to compete in the Australian Golf Croquet Open Singles Championship where she achieved some good wins and some close losses. Charlie Ernst was undefeated in a recent tournament - the Windsor Shield - and Mary was placed second in that event.

Mary McMahon with her trophy and certificate after winning the CAQ Women's Golf Singles Championship.

Charlie Ernst with the Windsor Shield perpetual trophy.

Four of the Gateball players travelled to Rockhampton over the long weekend in May to compete in the annual Rockhampton Gateball Tournament. Rob and Donna Nicholson, Eunice Frater and Margaret Fitzgerald joined with two players from Rockhampton - Lynne Farry and Coral Walsh - to form a team. This team had never played together previously but they performed very well indeed and were undefeated.

The wooden shield trophy presented to the Southport team for their undefeated performance at the Rockhampton Gateball Tournament.

Back at Southport the wonderful win was saluted by all the players who could not travel to join them.

Kathie Grant has competed in two recent Association Croquet Championships - the Queensland First Eights and the NSW Women's Association Croquet Singles Championship where she came 4th. Her dedication to practice shows its benefits because she has achieved success in so many Association competitions.

The club has been able to hold many social events. Visitors arrived to have some experience of Golf Croquet on World Croquet Day on Friday 6th May. The Sunday afternoon Golf sessions are welcomed by many members because they are able to enjoy their socialising over some afternoon tea or even a meal. The club is continuing to attract many people wanting to learn to play so Monday afternoon coaching sessions for beginners are being booked out again.

By Barbara Northcott, Southport. From the Croquet Newsletter, June 2022, pages 25, 26.