Wynnum's Roy Brooks wins Norfolk Island Convict's Cup

Three members of Wynnum Croquet Club travelled to Norfolk Island with Go See Touring for a week of sightseeing and social croquet in June 2022. There were 76 players from clubs in:

- NSW: Ballina, Casino, Cherry Street, Eastwood, Holroyd, Murwillumbah, Newcastle, Orange, Port Macquarie and Toronto - Qld: BHPB, Eildon, Nambour, Stephens and Wynnum - SA: Hyde Park and Norwood - Tas: North Esk - Vic: Ballarat, Belmont, Morwell and Western Croquet Club

Brian Rubock and Elaine Berridge, with Gordon and Deirdre Giles, managed the tournament on behalf of Go See Touring, while Ann Brooks, Roy Brooks and Esme Lucas Havens all showed off their croquet skills on the playing fields at Kingston.

The history of sports on the island goes back to the Second Settlement (1825 – 1856), when sports were played by military and free settlers on these same sporting fields in Kingston. The fields have been prepared for croquet and were a little bit heavier than players were used to, but it was all good fun.

Deirdre, Gordon and Brian were also referees for the tournament, which had 2 blocks and used 10 courts, with most courts being double banked.

At the end of 14 rounds, the winners of Block A were Jim Hannington (Cherry Street) and Dave Barlow (Orange), and the winners of Block B were Roy Brooks (Wynnum) and Pauline Blyth (North Esk).

The final, which was untimed, was an intriguing affair, with Roy and Pauline the eventual winners 7-5 to take out the Convict's Cup trophy.

The weather was beautiful and sunny for croquet, and the social interaction between all the players was a pleasure to watch. Lasting friendships were formed, with many players promising to meet up again next year to play in the tournament in early August 2023.

At the presentation dinner, Esme received a small gift from David, owner of Go See Touring, for all the help she gave at the start of each session. Ann won a lucky door prize before Roy was presented with his shield for winning the trophy.

Congratulations to Roy and partner Pauline on a magnificent performance in taking out this prestigious trophy.

All results can be seen on [croquetscores](https://croquetscores.com/2022/gc/norfolk-island-convicts-cup-1).