GC Open League

Golf Croquet

GC Open Level Play League
results by year:

2021 MATCH RESULTS - Eastern Area
Winner: [none]
Results vs.:	Colchester	Newport	Norwich	POINTS	GAME DIFF	NET HOOPS	PLACE
Colchester		A: Round 2 H: Round 5	H: 16-2 ^{[hoops: 121-73]} A: [18 Aug]	2	+14	+48
Newport	H: Round 2 A: Round 5		A: Round 3 H: Round 6	0	0	0
Norwich	A: 2-16 ^{[hoops: 73-121]} H: [18 Aug]	H: Round 3 A: Round 6		0	-14	-48

Venues may be changed by mutual agreement. The Home team should arrange the match. Results to be reported preferably by text message to the League Manager immediately after each match, otherwise by email or phone within 24 hours.

Guideline dates for completing rounds:

Round 1	30 May
Round 2	20 June
Round 3	11 July
Round 4	1 August
Round 5	22 August
Round 6	12 September

2 points for a match win. If the overall number of points is tied then the winner
is determined by game difference, then by net hoops, then by other means determined by the Manager.

Contacts:
Colchester	Ann Brookes	01206 501895
Newport	Desmond Taylor	07831 123650
Norwich	Colin MacDonald	01603 734498

2021 MATCH RESULTS - Western Area
Winner: Watford
Results vs.:	Watford	Northants	Letchworth	Wrest Park	Enfield	POINTS	GAME DIFF	NET HOOPS	PLACE
Watford		11-7 ^{[hoops: 107-97]}	11-7 ^{[hoops: 113-101]}	10-4 ^{[hoops: 89-72]}	11-9 ^{[hoops: 118-105]}	8	+16	+52	1
Northampton	7-11 ^{[hoops: 97-107]}		11-9 ^{[hoops: 116-111]}	14-4 ^{[hoops: 117-93]}	14-4 ^{[hoops: 113-86]}	6	+18	+46	2
Letchworth	7-11 ^{[hoops: 101-113]}	9-11 ^{[hoops: 111-116]}		11-7 ^{[hoops: 112-99]}	12-6 ^{[hoops: 110-95]}	4	+4	+11	3
Wrest Park	4-10 ^{[hoops: 72-89]}	4-14 ^{[hoops: 93-117]}	7-11 ^{[hoops: 99-112]}		13-5 ^{[hoops: 116-89]}	2	-12	-27	4
Enfield	9-11 ^{[hoops: 105-118]}	4-14 ^{[hoops: 86-113]}	6-12 ^{[hoops: 95-110]}	5-13 ^{[hoops: 89-116]}		0	-26	-82	5

Guideline dates for completing rounds:

Round 1	30 May
Round 2	23 June
Round 3	18 July
Round 4	11 August
Round 5	5 September

Contacts:
Watford	Geoff Johnson	07767 771180
Enfield	Brian Dawes	020 8366 6005
Northants	Mike Hills	01604 467780
Letchworth	John Noble	01462 635880
Wrest Park	Richard Keighley	01296 681235

Key:
Results vs.:	Club A	Club B
Club A		Club A - Club B score Club A at Home
Club B	Club B - Club A score Club B Away

The matches shaded yellow are played at home for the team in the left-hand column.
So to read the table easily, (1) find the club in the left-hand column (in bold),
(2) read across to find its scores against each opponent as the first figure given;
(3) read across to find its Home games in yellow and its Away games in white.

2 points for a match win. If the overall number of points is tied then the winner
is determined by game difference, then by net hoops, then by other means determined by the Manager.

Final: Thursday 1st January at

The GC Open League
Trophy

Click to enlarge

Area	2021 Area winners		2021 Winners
Eastern Area	[not contested]		Watford w/o
Western Area	Watford		Watford w/o

Watford win the Open League

This year’s Open League was organised into two areas: West and East.

The Western area consisted of 5 teams, and was quite hotly contested. Right up to the final match both Northampton and Watford could win, depending on the outcome of Watford’s last fixture against Wrest Park. Watford won this and thus won the Western Area with a clean sweep of wins.

The Eastern Area was much more difficult to organise due to 2 withdrawals from clubs who had played in previous years. This left just 3 clubs to contest the Area, and accordingly they needed to play two fixtures, one at home and one away, against the other two clubs, giving a total of four matches each. By the end of the season only a single match had been played out of the 6 required, so the League Manager was left with no alternative other than declaring the Eastern Area result void.

The Play-off Final was thus redundant, and Watford, as winner of the Western Area, were crowned Open League Champions for 2021.

Report by Geoff Johnson

Golf Croquet Open League Rules – 2021

Print version

General
1. All games shall be played under the current CA-approved Laws of Golf Croquet (NB: new 5th Edition, March 2019) unless modified below.
2. The start time of the match should be 10.00 am, unless otherwise agreed by team captains.
3. Any number of courts may be used, subject to a minimum of two; but note that the format differs substantially depending on the number available. Standard Courts should be used wherever possible, and all courts must be at least ¾-size with the correct proportions. All courts should be in adequate condition such that there is a possibility of accurate positioning, and of hitting a ball from one corner of the court to the opposite corner. Play should be equably spread where the quality of the courts differs.
4. Each team shall consist of four players, not necessarily the same players each match. Prior to the start of each match, the Captains will exchange team lists with players listed as A (H1/A1), B (H2/A2), C (H3/A3) & D (H4/A4). The listings shall be firstly in order of handicap, and secondly in actual index.
5. The order of play shall be:-
  First (normally in the morning): all players of both sides play a doubles game with the following format:-
  - H1 & H4 vs. A1 & A4, H2 & H3 vs. A2 & A3.
  Then 16 singles games, in an all-play-all format. The final game of the match is a second doubles game with the format
  - H1 & H4 vs. A2 & A3, H2 & H3 vs. A1 & A4.
  This final game is optional, at the discretion of the captains, unless it could materially affect the result of the match.
6. All games shall consist of a single 13-point game.
7. The default time limit is 50 minutes per game, but captains may mutually agree to waive this. At the end of the 50 minutes standard CA rules apply: an extension period of 8 shots, at the conclusion of which the leading player is declared the winner. If the score is tied, then play will continue until the next hoop-point is scored to give a clear winner. Drawn games are not an acceptable result.
8. Substitutes in matches shall be allowed only by prior agreement between the Team Captains.
9. No player may play for more than one team in a season. In the event of a violation all illegal games won by that player shall be forfeit to the opponent with a 0-0 hoop score; all illegal games lost by that player remain valid.
10. For those Clubs with two teams in the same region, the matches between those teams must be played as the first fixture otherwise the result of that game will be void.
11. Teams may wear coloured attire, provided all team members (other than those wearing white) wear the same design. [Comment: This is in line with CA Tournament Regulation P4(d)(2).]
Results
1. The home Team Captain should submit to the League Manager a copy of the completed score-sheet within 48 hours. [Comment: The score sheet must show the club names, location, date, full names of all players, handicaps, and all results. Email is preferred.]
2. The home Team Captain is also responsible for submitting results to "results#croquet.org.uk" for inclusion in the Golf Croquet Grading System, within 5 days.
3. Matches not played by the published cut-off date will be declared void and no points awarded unless a later date has been agreed beforehand by the League Manager. If a team cancels a match unilaterally less than 5 clear days before a scheduled match, then that team forfeits its points and the non-offending team shall be awarded the match and 2 points.
4. In the case of a tie on points between two or more teams in an Area Group, then the winner will be determined by net games in all matches, then by net hoops; and then by other means determined by the Manager.
Disputes: In the event of a dispute, the League Manager's decision shall be final.

Geoff Johnson
League Manager