Our WA State Open Ricochet Singles Championship was held on the 3rd & 4th of May and, in spite of dire warnings regarding a likely drenching on both days, we escaped with perfectly acceptable weather – the merest trace of a shower (and that was at lunch time!).
As well as the old hands, we had some strong new blood coming to the fore to stamp their authority.
The weekend seemed to be enjoyed by all with just the right number of games and change over time. Ultimately, our pinnacle event was reduced to 8 contestants, in fact a very workable number for competition organisation. We had placed a cap of 16 as being the maximum .manageable over two days, as we could foresee the event being oversubscribed, knowing the interest expressed around the State. However, divine intervention meant that many were away or were not in a position to attend that weekend. For example, 2 were in Japan, 2 in Queensland, 1 in Victoria, 1 on the high seas and others had a variety of reasons.
The signs do seem to be there that next year will see the numbers boosted. We did after all attract 16 players to the RC Doubles Championship (but with one couple opting out due to the extreme heat at that time). The event was won by Anthony Nelson from Dunsborough in his first competition, with Vince Sinagra (Cambridge) second on a hoop count from another Dunsborough player (it’s quite a breeding ground) Michael Demonakis.
Consequent to the Championships, I’ll be submitting our first Ricochet Handicap Rankings for publication on the Croquetwest web site. These will follow a similar pattern to the Golf Handicaps which I prepared for many years until the recent hand-over. The Rankings file itself will show the players ranked by Index Points (highest first.). The other listing will have players grouped together by Club membership. I’ll be pleased to receive feedback on the entries here as I’ve included not only active competing players but also those I know who are playing regularly, along with some who have played and may well return. It’s also likely that there are others who may wish to be removed as they are not contemplating being involved at this stage. Perhaps you could let me know if any of the following apply:-
- You are not included but would like to be;
- You know someone who would like to be included;
- You, or someone you know, would like to be removed.
- Or you may simply wish to change the entry shown in the last column, recording your Status. As part of this exercise we can rationalise these along with adding any missing ACA Ids.
Regarding club activity, I should report that the signs are looking healthy for Geraldton who are seeing 10 to 12 players each week with more potential newcomers in the wings. They are also considering holding their first ricochet championship next year. Very promising. Halls Head too, have assembled a very keen core of RC players. They’ll be playing every week and are keen to enter competitions. I believe Dunsborough will be holding their championship in June. Cambridge have been playing RC on Tuesdays and may well hold their first RC championship this year. Como’s regular Friday morning sessions continue with allcomers welcome. All in all, State RC is looking very promising. Keep up the good work.
On a sadder note we say goodbye to Denis and Dorothy Bull from York. They have been stalwarts of their club and staunch supporters of ricochet here in WA, to the extent of entering the RC Nationals last year. They will be moving permanently to Queensland to join the rest of their family over there. Unfortunately they won’t have much opportunity to continue with croquet as they’ll be a long way from the nearest club. Ah well, the end of an era.
That’s the news for now. Let me know of your club’s progress or activities if you’d like to spread the word.
Cheers.
Peter Hamilton.