Club captain Penny Clark won the Ben Rhydding Croquet Club in-house competition double for the fifth time.
Penny, from Askwith, and her partner Jenna Mallinson, from Ben Rhydding, snatched the trophy from last year’s winners Sally Varley and David Carpenter in a thrilling match. Jena scored the ‘golden shot’ in the final hoop to win 7-6.
“We salute the opposition for a nice but strong contest,” Penny said. “They put us on the defensive early in the game and made us fight for every hoop.”
The Cynthia Barraclough Challenge Cup she won in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 will now go home.
The singles title went to club treasurer John Green of Baildon who beat newcomer Blake Hemingway 7-3 to take the shield given to the club by the late Richard Lorimer, one of the founding members.
Ben Rhydding’s Hemingway had never played competitive croquet before and only started the sport last summer when he joined the club through Ilkley and District U3A.
BRCC organizes training courses for U3A members in the spring. More experienced players compete in friendlies with other Yorkshire clubs and teams also compete in league and federation matches.
Anyone interested in getting a taste can contact Membership Secretary Stephanie Ferguson on 01132 843439.
