A bit late but the last two days of the competition were in great contrast to the previous three days.
On Saturday, everyone woke a tad earlier due to the predicted hot weather as play was to start at 7:30am. And just to make it even more challenging, the wind was up.
A cool change came through Sunday and there was even a hint of moisture in the air. Amazingly, this was the first time I have played at Cairnlea where it hasn’t actually rained.
After play, we all rushed back to our accommodation to get ready for the final presentation dinner.
Our play continued to improve and although we never ended up winning a test, there were some great highlights, especially on the last day. Elizabeth’s break of 8 in the doubles was sublime and Judith managed to win both of her singles games.
This was Alan’s 25th appearance at the Eire Cup and I can understand why he is so committed to it. Similar to the ISS, a lot of planning and training needs to be put in beforehand but once you arrive at the venue in your team colours, there is a real buzz in the group as you realise the real work is about to begin. We all knew it was going to be a challenge on the lawns and so for me, the real highlight of the week was how we all came together and supported each other. It would be fair to say that our enjoyment levels were at there highest when we got to celebrate our team mates successes.
A big thank you goes out to the WA croquet community for your support. In particular, our local clubs for encouraging us to develop as players, Croquetwest for your assistance in helping us get to the event, and to Alan for all of his mentoring and coaching. Finally, a big shout out to my team mates. It was such a fantastic environment to be part of. All our individual strengths blended so well that the room was always beaming when we were together.
The competition came to an exciting conclusion as the final test match between NSW and Victoria would decide the outcome. Amazingly, the test ended with both states winning 10 games each but it was NSW who came out on top.
Full results can be found on Croquetscores.
