CROQUET.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 49, 26 January 1938, Page 12

CROQUET.

OPEN CHAMPION BEATEN. Per Press Association. WANGANUI, Jan. 25. in spito of the cold, threatening weather good progress was made with the Dominion croquet championships to-day. A feature of the play was the defeat of A. J. Gibbs by Mrs Watkins, the former having been open champion for the last two years. Results:— WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP. First Life. Third round.—Mrs Simpson beat Mrs McMurnay, 26—20; Mrs Palmer beat. Mrs L. Bassett, 26—21; Mrs Cadvallader beat Mrs Anstis, 26—18. Fourth round: Mrs Caldow beat Mrs Cadwallader, 26—14. Second Life. Second round.—Mrs McLennan won from Mrs C. Webber by default; Mrs Palmer beat Mrs Jarvie, 26—14; Mrs Brass beat Mrs Simpson,227; Mrs Bryan beat Mrs Finch, 26 —8. Third round: Mrs McLennan won from Mrs Hawken by default; Mrs Brass beat Mrs Bryan, 26 —22; Mrs Keys beat Mrs Given, 26—14; Mrs Morgan beat Mrs Wilson, 26—13. ' i OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP. Second round.—l). McClymont beat! W. F. • Jatvie, 26—17. 16—26, 26—22;' J. Tannock beat F. L. Harrison, 17—26, 26—24, 26—18; F. C. Bryan beat H. P. Stratton,223,6 —3,26 —7 ;C. La Roche beat H. A. Penn, 26—3, 26—15; Mrs Watkins beat Mrs Walker, 26—4, 26—9; A. J. Gibbs beat Mrs Keys, 26—5, 26—7; E. W. Veitch beat R. W. McCreath, 17—26, 26—7, 26—19; Mrs Palmer beat Mrs Jarvie, 26—8, 26—1. Third round: Mrs Watkins beat A. J. Gibbs, 26 —17, 26 —19. MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP. Secoud Life.

R. W. McCreath beat F. W. Veitch, 26—15; H. P. Stratton beat W. F. Jarvie, 26—18; C. La Roche beat J. Tannock, 26—20. Third round: C. La Roche beat H. P. Stratton, 26—6. LEVEL SINGLES. Final.—Mrs La Roche (Durie Hill) beat Mrs Leo (Northern, Palmerston North), 26—11, 26—7. HANDICAP SINGLES. (2J and Over.) Semi-finals. —Mrs Barry beat Mrs Anderson, 26—24; Mrs Given beat Mrs Borrie, 26—10. Final: Mrs Barry (Haunui, Eeatherston) beat Mrs Given (Waipukurau), 26 —19. HANDICAP EVENTS.

Further results In the handicap events of interest to Manawatu players are as follow : Singles and over). —Semi-finals: Mrs Barry beat Mrs Anderson, 26 —24. Doubles. —Fourth round : Mesdames Brown and Anderson beat Mesdames Meikle and Borrie, 26 —19. COMMENT ON PLAY.

In the open championship match, Mrs Brown v. D. McClymont, McClymont got away early in the game and made a perfect break to 4 back, parking his ball for the second turn. Mrs Brown failed to hit in and McClymont started his second break, but in attempting to complete the double peel was unable to carry his clip further than third return. Mrs Brown then hit in, and made a break to rover, and after some in-and-out play attempted to peg out her opponent, but failed at rover hoop, enabling Mr McClymont to win 26—18. Mr and Mrs Bryan (Wellington, formerly of Palmerston North) have reached the finals of the championship doubles, having defeated C. La Roche (Wanganui) and Mrs Walker (Wellington), in the semi-finals after a thrilling game. At one stage of the match it looked as if the Wellington pair had no chance of winning. La Roche having rolled both the balls of his side to the peg, putting out his own. Mrs Bryan was for penultimate .and C. Bryan for four back at this stage, when Bryan, hitting in a particularly good shot, mad© th© last three hoops and set for his partner in No. 2 corner. Mrs Walker fiailed to hit the peg, when Mrs'Bryan, taking the play, baulked in penultimate. Mrs Walker again missed and Mrs Bryan made the last two points but fa.iled to peg out. The opponent again missed when the Wellington players finished the game, by the small margin of one point. , . , The finals of the level singles was won by Mrs La Roche (Durie Hill), who had been playing steady croquet throughout the event and well deserves the honour she has attained. Mrs La Roche, who has 5 bisques, met and defeated Mrs Lee (4} bisques) in the final. In the first game, in-and-out play was a feature, until Mrs La Roche, making a substantial break, gradually increased lier lead, winning by 16 points. In the second match soon after the game had commenced, Mrs La Roche, collecting the balls, made a perfect break of 10, and kept control for some time, giving her opponent few opportunities to score, and eventually winning 26—7.