6-9 Evening Series 2024
The competition was won in 2024 by Rob Eagle. He and John Rumford finished joint top of the table, having each played all the other competitors, winning 11 games and losing 3. However, Eagle secured the title by virtue of having defeated Rumford 7-3 in their 'head-to-head' game.
The league table and the full table of results are shown below.
Rob Eagle receives the trophy from competition manager, Russell Robinson. Photo by Helen Essa.
The ‘6-9 Evening Series’ is a series of competitive GC events run on selected evenings through the season from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for those with handicap between 6 and 9 inclusive.
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On each evening, participants play three level-play singles games against different opponents, with the results being accumulated over the season.
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Participants register for the series and should expect to play in not less than four events. The competition regulations are set out below. There is a charge of £10 for the Series; this is a one-time charge, not a charge per evening.​
6-9 EVENING SERIES: COMPETITION REGULATIONS, 2024
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Eligibility
Any member of Phyllis Court Croquet Club with a handicap of between 6 and 9 inclusive is eligible to enter. A member who has become eligible and has been allocated a place on at least one evening but whose handicap subsequently moves outside the 6 to 9 range (in either direction) will remain eligible for the rest of the season. A member whose handicap moves into the 6 to 9 range after the start of the competition will still be entitled to enter the competition (but, depending on when this happens, may not be able to play enough games to qualify as the winner).
Entry fee
There is an entry fee of £10 for the Series. Payment online is preferred.
Number of evenings
The number of evenings to be run will be sufficient to allow all members registering at the start of the competition to play on at least four evenings. Some members may play more frequently than this depending on their availability and at the discretion of the manager (to ensure that “all play all” to the extent reasonably practicable).
Selection for an evening and “who plays who”
Each evening will normally comprise six or eight members, but may exceptionally be run with four. Each player will play three games of an evening against different opponents. The manager will determine “who plays who” on each evening. The manager will make reasonable efforts in the allocation of places and the order of play to ensure that “all play all” over the course of the competition as a whole, to the extent that is reasonably practicable, but it is recognised that it will probably be logistically impossible to ensure this is achieved 100%. It will almost certainly occur that some players play each other more than once.
Conduct of an evening
The manager may choose to attend an evening or appoint another assistant manager or referee to do so, but in general the evenings will be unsupervised, in which case, one of the players on each evening will be nominated to be “in charge” and will be responsible, inter alia, for ensuring that the prescribed order of play is adhered to, the guidelines herein contained are adhered to, the results are reported to the manager and the courts and pavilion are left in a tidy state at the end of the evening.
The plan is to play three games in three hours. This could be a challenge with delays getting started, delays between games, including having to wait for one’s next opponent to finish his or her previous game, the effect of double-banking, etc., and it only takes one over-running game to have a knock-on effect on subsequent games. Players should therefore arrive in advance of the scheduled start time to allow any knock-up to be completed in time for the first games to start promptly at the scheduled time, and any delays between games must be minimised. Time limits will be imposed as set out below.
Time limits
Unless otherwise specified below, a time limit of 60 minutes will apply to each game. At the expiry of the time limit, play continues for an extension period of a further eight turns (two with each ball). The first turn of the extension period is the first ball struck after time has expired. If the game is then tied, play again continues until the next hoop is scored, thereby determining the winner.
The time limit for second and third games may be reduced to 50 or 55 minutes if the games are not starting by 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively and both players agree before the start of the game. The minimum time limit permitted is 50 minutes. The time limit for the third game may be scrapped if both players agree to do so before the start of the game.
The detailed rules for time limits are in Rule 19 of the WCF Rules of Golf Croquet (6th edition) (https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=games/golf/rules/gcRules6th#rule:19) and Regulation T3 of the Croquet England Tournament Regulations (https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=tournament/regulations#T3).
Timers are provided and stored in the pavilion.
Determining the winner
The winner of the competition will be determined firstly as the player with the highest win percentage (wins divided by number of games played), provided that player has played a minimum of ten games and excepting as noted below.
If two players are tied on that basis, the winner will be whoever (based on wins first, net hoops second) has the better record in games between the tied players. If a tie remains (or the two players have not played each other), the two players will play a single 13-point game to determine the winner.
If more than two players are tied on the basis of percentage wins, the winner will be determined according to a mini-table comprising the games played between such players, ranking first on percentage wins, then on net hoops per game played. If a tie remains, the tied players will play one-off 13-point game or games to determine the winner.
However if the would-be winner on the above basis has not played one or more players who could overtake the would-be winner if such game or games were to be played, or if any two players in a tie of three or more players have not played each other, then such outstanding games must be played and the winner then determined in accordance with the above criteria including such additional game or games.
Competition manager
The competition manager is Russell Robinson, whose decisions are final.
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Russell Robinson
22nd May 2024
6-9 Evening Series 2023
The competition was not run in 2023 as there were an insufficient number of members interested to make it viable.
6-9 Evening Series 2022
31 August 2022
Gillian Symons wins 6-9 Evening Series
Today saw the ninth and final event in our inaugural 6-9 Evening Series competition, which has been open to those who have had a handicap of between 6 and 9 at some stage during the season.
Fourteen players participated, although three withdrew during the season.
“Who plays who” on each evening was pre-determined to try to ensure that everyone played everyone else at least once.
Andy Jones, Gillian Symons and David Young all went into this last evening with title hopes, having just two losses from their 8 or 9 previous games, and with both Gillian and David to play Andy, a tense climax seemed on the cards.
Andy and Gillian both won their first two games (Andy defeating David), which beautifully set up the evening’s final game against each other, with the victor to be declared the outright winner of the competition
After an early tit-for-tat exchange led to a 3-3 scoreline, Gillian stretched away to 5-3, preluding a long contest at hoop 9, eventually won by Gillian as Andy was unable to nail a number of long clearances.
With Andy then unlucky to leave both his balls hampered in hoop 10, Gillian was able to slot a straightforward winning stroke at hoop 11 and thereby lift the “virtual” trophy and reduce her handicap to 6. [A real trophy was later procured and presented to the winner!]
Congratulations, Gillian!