(Opinion from Sally Liggins, Kingston Club Dec 2 2018)

I would like to see the conditions for the AC Hilo Doubles competition changed.

The AC HiLo Doubles is one of the more important events on the CT Calendar especially as it can be a very good confidence and skills-building occasion for inexperienced players. Currently entrants usually enter as a *pair.  But this means that if you are a newish player you might feel you have to wait around shyly for an experienced player to ask you to play.  And some of the experienced players are not aware of themselves as potential mentors.

So: Perhaps it would be best to accept entries from individuals rather than pairs. Then the ‘teams’ could be created by the Tournament Manager/s according to the players’ handicaps/indices .

Also I would like to see it held as a round-robin event to make sure everyone has the maximum possible number of games.  If there are too many pairs there could be two blocks with finals held between the top scorers in each block.

*Currently the conditions do allow for people to enter individually, however very few people actually do so and they can often be disappointed when no suitable partner is  found for them.

Sadly, we are unable to enter the TCA Golf Croquet singles championships as there is a clash with the ACA (AC) doubles being held in Melbourne at the same time. The ACA (AC) doubles and Open are always held mid November and all the other states endeavour not to run major state events during that time period. Perhaps this should be thought about before next year's events are scheduled; with such important events, players should not have to choose between a state and a national event.
Lizzie Bassett & Ian Bassett, Club: New Town,   Oct 11 2017

July 5th 2017 From Ian and Lizzie Bassett New Town Club 

We are writing as  members of Tas Croquet.
We feel very strongly and believe that there should be one team from each in division from each club.
Clubs may decide to rotate, if that is their wish. Players should be encouraged to practice in order to progress upwards to a pennant team. We could go on adding teams ad infinitum.
Social play is being very unfairly disadvantaged by the current two team allowance. For example, Sandy Bay AC stands to lose,Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. These members pay their fees the same as everyone else & deserve consideration.
We want to see this policy changed.

August 14 from Gaylene Broom New Town,

I agree with the post July 5th, 2017 regarding one team in each division for each club

August 24 from Rob McAdam Kingston Club

I do not agree with limit of one team per club in pennant division. We MAY be limiting the opportunity for players to play competition....as a controlling body we should be encouraging more players to play competitively. There may not be any demand for more than one team per club so perhaps there is no real need for the clause to be removed from a practical point of view.
But we need to show that we want to grow our sport and not put artificial limits on its expansion.

July 5th 2017 Sally Liggins KCC

AC players in the more senior grades can compete in a Sunday Competition held over the Winter months at New Town.  It would be good to see a similar weekly competition for lower grades – we could get regular games against other players from other clubs without our handicaps being affected.

Who else would like to be part of such a tournament?

August 24 2017 Larry Hamilton Kingston

It has taken me a little too long to find this forum which is why this comment is somewhat late in appearing. Thanks Sally for the opportunity the forum provides.

I'm new to the Winter Competition and still relatively new to AC Croquet. Having had an opportunity to participate I feel the need to express three comments.

Firstly it is not surprising that this is a popular competition. Ian and Lizzie Basset (and the New Town Club) are to be commended for their hard work in putting it on. To run a competition like this one is an onerous responsibility over a long period of time. That they did so cheerfully and competently deserves commendation. Most Sundays were oversubscribed which indicates to me just how much this competition format is appreciated by players. I've certainly never played in a competition like this and I found it a very rewarding experience.

Secondly the format makes it an ideal environment for individuals to improve their game. Participating in this competition is as good as individual coaching and probably better than the individual practice I engage in. The popularity of the competition is at least as much because of the particular format as any other factor. I've not come across a competition like this before but will be seeking out opportunities like it as a way of getting better at the game.

Finally the generosity, attitude and fellowship of the participants was particularly impressive to me. The format of the competition encourages the giving of advice, the opportunity for support and encouragement and the opportunity to have a go at a higher level of play without one's handicap being at all threatened. I was by a long way the weakest player competing yet felt included and welcomed in a way that I found uplifting.

I certainly benefited from the opportunity this competition provided and very much appreciated the advice and encouragement that came my way. I think there is something important going on with the Winter Competition that all clubs should perhaps attend to. It's popularity and success attest to this. If the workload and responsibility for running it can be shared it can grow. And if it grows It will benefit this form of croquet, particularly because it provides such a great opportunity for people to improve their skills.

I don't understand why Association is not the most popular form of the game but perhaps it is because it isn't the easiest form of the game to master. There were times when I felt a little guilty taking up a scarce place in such a contested competition. I persisted though because of a conviction that it was good for my game and because everyone else seemed so encouraging. If these opportunities were more available for others who want to improve their game it would be a good thing for AC in Tasmania.

The July State Newsletter is a welcome contribution to our croquet community.  We will all benefit from the opportunity of finding out what our sister clubs are doing and what is happening in Tasmania and on the Mainland too.

Thank you to the editor!

From  Lizzie Bassett, New Town Club  July 11 2017 8:20pm

It would be great to have a reply option for the posts here. Then we could have a "real" discussion.

Reply from Web Officer  July 11 2017 8:50pm

If you are sending a reply just say which previous post you are replying to, and your comment will be added to it. 

This valuable AC competition has been held by New Town Club for many years and is an excellent event for enticing new players into entering Tournaments.  However it may be that the rules need some revision!

These days many new AC players migrate from GC played on full-sized lawns so perhaps half-lawns are no longer appropriate.  Also given that it is a very rare novice player who can peg out in the allowed 2.5 hours (2.25 hours in 2015) perhaps the allowed time or the number of hoops should be reduced. Entrants could be playing three games in a day so shorter games would be kinder to them.  It would be a pity to lose potential AC competition players because they were put off by a gruelling first event.

Posted anonymously July 3 2017

Reply from Lizzie Bassett - New Town July 11 2017

New Town has rewritten the rules for this novice competition after discussion with committee and previous entrants. It will be advertised well in advance and most likely will be in January. It will be played on full size courts. The games will be 2 hours and extra turn. Mentors will not be used but there will be "friendly" referees who MAY make suggestions at appropriate times, including suggestions for all players at the end of each game. As well as the perpetual trophy, which is inscribed and remains at New Town, we will be offering small prizes for first and second placings, that the players can keep.

The traditional croquet playing times were established many years ago – before daylight-saving, before flex-hours and part time work, before many women had paid employment, before Golf Croquet came to Tasmania and when few people played sport on Sundays.

Perhaps we should look at the way things are now and think about reorganising our playing hours and days to take advantage of the changes, especially in summer.

For example we could have twilight pennants, family Sunday mornings, early morning coaching/training sessions.

I think all Croquet Players should wear whites whenever they are on the lawns. Also the ladies should wear ankle-length dresses.
George Grundy ABCC