The Zia Sterling Cup

The Zia Sterling Cup was presented to the club in 1994 by Mrs. Zia Stirling, who had written to the club at the beginning of the year offering to donate a cup to be presented each year to the beginner who shows ‘the most improvement during the season’.  Her letter suggests it should be given to a player ‘in their first season’.   The cup bears the inscription "For the most improved Association Croquet beginner".  Thus in that first year, it was awarded to Lionel Wilding, the winner of a one-day AC tournament restricted in time and to new/novice members with a handicap of 20 or above.  By 1996, however, the tournament was singled out as the one AC events which was not well supported and needed new entrants, and it was decided to open it up to all members with handicaps over 20.  However it was still not supported in 1997, so it was decided not to charge an entry fee in 1998 and the then principal AC trainer, Wing Commander Jock McElwain, was urged to encourage learners to compete.  However, again in 1998, the high bisque competitive events were poorly supported, so from 1999 it was decided to restructure the long-running and successful Autumn AC tournament, restricting the main tournament to those with handicap of 18 and below, and running a tournament in parallel for those with handicap over 18, the winner of which was awarded the Zia Stirling Cup.  That is the basis on which the cup has been awarded ever since, although with the continued decline in AC at the club until very recent times, there were years in which the cup was not awarded due to lack of entrants.