Rosemary Gugan won the Bristol B Weekend

[<<] [>>] by Hamish Hall at Bristol Croquet Club
20 Jun 2010 (AC)

A tropical downpour on Friday evening tested the resolve of the ground staff in preparing the courts for the Bristol 'B' level tournament. Beneath dripping umbrellas, the hoops were reset at 1/16", a challenge less severe now that the rain was negating the hazards of parched courts.
Entry was restricted to 12 players, arranged in 2 blocks, with handicaps ranging from 2 .5 to 8. Results, not unexpectedly, went according to form, but block winners remained in doubt until the final round, with Bristol's Rosemary Gugan and Geoff Hughes from Nailsea being undefeated and Nigel Amos and newcomer to Bristol, Jonathan Wolfe runners up on 4/5.
Scorching sun since the downpour had progressively reinstated the speed of the court. The hills and slopes, well known to Rosemary, gave her the 'home' advantage, and she confidently went to 4 back. Geoff responded, only to be caught out by hoop 6.Neither player was able to dominate play and nerves and errors crept in. One too many from Geoff, allowing Rosemary a victory +10.
So it was a jubilant Barbara Evans, who culminated the celebrations of her 90th birthday in presenting her trophy to Rosemary, much to the delight of the very partisan audience.