Reigate Priory has taken part in this competition regularly since it began in 2001 and has won it on 3 occasions. Each year Southwick invite 5 local clubs to join them in entering a team for a 3 day Association 14 point handicap doubles tournament. 14 pairs in 7 teams play every other pair over the 3 days in one large American block, with a time limit of 1.75 hours. It is always an enjoyable, though long day.
This year I had difficulty in getting a team together for each day, so had to play 2 days myself. On Friday, John Hyde and Martin Peacock won 3 of their 4 games and Lorna Jenkins and I won 2. On Saturday, Frank Burch and Doug Dykes won 3, and what turned out to be a crucial, half a game. John Prior and I only won 1 of our 4, so imagine my amazement when Sunday captain Andrew Gray reported that his team -John Staddon, Lucy Beach and Martin Holland, had ‘put in a stonking performance’ each pair winning 3 of their 4 games, and had won the trophy! Reigate’s score was 15.5 to Southwick’s 15.
The time limit resulted in only 33% of games being completed – and only 25% of our own team’s games.
Christine Constable, the organiser commented – ‘The half games were the result of a stalemate. The ’golden hoop’ was being contested and had reached an impasse which could not be resolved equitably’.
Thanks and congratulations to all who took part.
