Colman set to officiate world team competition

PHYLLIS Court Croquet Club president Frances Colman is the most sought-after refereeing official in the country and oversaw the British Open Championship last week as a prelude to being appointed the referee of the tournament at next month’s World Team Championships tier 2 event.

With a worldwide audience racking up 10,000 live-streaming views on the Croquet England YouTube channel, Colman took charge of the final match between reigning champion Jamie Burch and 13 times open champion Reg Bamford.

For the pre-match coin-toss, Colman produced a solid silver Austrian Maria Theresa “taller” coin dating from 1780, which had been given to her by former Phyllis Court President RS “Smokey” Eades when he retired from playing in his mid-90s.

The Open Championship was held at the UK’s largest croquet venue at Budleigh Salterton in Devon and her next assignment will be the World Team Championships tier 2 in August.

Also at the opens this year were Phyllis Court’s Roger Goldring and Rick Lilley, who had a disappointing time in the doubles event and Chris Roberts who, after attaining a career high UK number 19 ranking position, and 13th seed in the singles event, failed to make the cut for the last 16 knockout.

Roberts opened with a good performance in defeat to 18-year-old England international Jack Good, but then suffered defeat to Spaniard Mateo Palzon on the opening day and, although all went to plan thereafter, he still had a struggle to make a play-off for the last qualification place from his block.

Needing to beat Taunton’s Tim Jolliffe in his last block match, Roberts came back from 6-4 down to win the last three hoops of the deciding third match 7-6, to set up a three-way contest with frequent adversary Steve Leonard of East Dorset and new nemesis Palazon.

Again, Palazon ended Roberts’s championship with the Phyllis Court player then losing in the plate semi-final.

Back at Phyllis Court, the club’s C team got off to a good start at their Advantage League match at High Wycombe last week, when they won three of the four first round matches to draw 8-8.