Budleigh Salterton
Croquet Club
Press release 3 – MacRobertson Shield at Budleigh Salterton
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While the Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles were being
contested on the lawns of the Croquet Club the coveted international
challenge shield was on display in the clubhouse. Teams from Australia,
New Zealand, USA and Great Britain will play a series of Test Matches in the
UK this August and GB will be wanting to retain their grasp on
the trophy that has been held by our players since 1993. With the trophy
only competed for every three or four years there will be great interest across
the croquet world. Two of the team, Keith
Aiton (captain) and Stephen Mulliner were seeking the title of Men's Champion
together with several former test stars from earlier years. All were in
contention but the title went to James Death who puts his name on one of
the sport's major trophies.
The Women's Championships attracted a larger entry than in
earlier years and some really competitive games took place. People were
very soon aware that in Gabrielle Higgins a new young croquet star was rising
In 2008 she had a handicap of 3.5 and was a good B class player. She
has since brought her handicap down to scratch and is playing with
impressive control and skill. She certainly made the best use of her visit
with rapid progress to the final where she defeated Carol Smith, last year's
champion, with two wins in the best of three final. She really sealed her
entry to the A class with her first triple peel in match conditions, a feat
that earned her a CA silver medal. The Women's trophies include a handsome
silver cup, a gold casket and gold locket. In addition she won one of
the two splendid cups for the mixed Doubles in partnership with Keith Aiton. She said that she was enjoying the chance of
playing with one of the best players in the country and learning from his
skill and tactical experience. We look forward to seeing her in action again. Charles
Townshend |
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