Clapp shines on tournament debut

BOB Clapp had a dream start to his competitive croquet career when he got to within one hoop of winning his debut tournament on Friday at Phyllis Court.

Only a fortuitous stroke in the final by opponent Ian Prince denied Clapp victory in the host club’s contribution to the national C-Level (7+) series and automatic qualification for the end of season’s grand final tournament.

Clapp, and fellow Phyllis Court members Liz Smith and Carol Huntington, were joined by 13 visitors from other south of England clubs for a tournament that followed the familiar format of morning group games, seeding players into two-tiered afternoon knock-outs.

Smith had the best return of the morning session, winning all three of her block games, two of which were tense tussles won at the 13th hoop.

Clapp, having learnt to play only last year, also qualified for the main afternoon knock-out by winning two of his three morning games against lower handicap players.

Huntington lost 7-6 and 7-0 before showing good character to win her last 7-6.

Smith and Clapp qualified for the afternoon’s main knock-out, while Huntington’s single win consigned her to the plate knock-out event where she finished 11th.

In the main event quarter-finals Smith was 7-4 winner against Watford’s Kevin Currie and Clapp, completing a 7-1 trouncing for Truida Travere of Dulwich.

These wins pitched Smith and Clapp against each other in the semis, where they were 4-4 before Clapp pulled away to win
7-4.

Smith played-off against the other semi-final loser Andrew Jackson from Guildford for third place, and she went to the last 13th hoop for the third time in the day, and a long battle which Smith ultimately won.

Smith’s five wins and one loss on the day were more than enough to reduce her handicap to a career best seven.

The final pitted Clapp against Ian Prince of High Wycombe for the second time in the day, the visitor having been the only player to have got the better of the Phyllis Court debutant when they met at the group stage.

Clapp played the better of the two in the early exchanges, and only a 20-yard clearance by Prince stopped him from almost certainly going 2-5 down.

From that pivotal stroke, Price recovered to 4-4, only to see Clapp get to 6-5 with a first approach and advantage at hoop 12, however, he was unable to convert his chances, and the game went to another nail-biting finish at the golden hoop.

Prince then got his stroke of luck when he stuck the rear of that last hoop with a misaligned approach, which usually ends disastrously, but this time his ball slid between the hoop legs and landed just six inches in front, blocking Clapp’s would-be winning hoop attempt.

Although Clapp managed a difficult partial clearance, he was always second favourite from that point and after he failed with an angled hoop shot for glory, Prince tapped in to take the game and lift the trophy.

Despite the valiant efforts by Clapp and Smith to keep the trophy at Phyllis Court, Prince, who was undefeated on the day, was a worthy winner.

Clapp and Smith won six and two series points respectively to kick off season-long tallies which could lead to the C-Level National Final.