2018 Open 1-Day AC Handicap Advanced Tournament

Click on photos for an enlargement

With only two courts in operation this year the usual Handicap Advanced block in the annual open tournament had been moved into a separate 1-day tournament, which allowed the capacity for double the entry compared with previous years. So this year there were 8 players, with handicaps ranging from 2 to 11.

The weather was warm and fair. After quite a prolonged period without significant rain the Watford courts had become dry and quite tricky in places, so it took a while before the players acclimatised to them. The hoops were firm and set to 1/16", and breaks proved quite difficult with several occasions when players croqueted balls off the court.

The first round saw wins for Carole McLoughlin, André Machell, Robin Barry and Mark Homan. Even the normally quick players André and Mark failed to beat the clock - rare events indeed - with only Robin managing to complete his game within the 3-hour limit. But after lunch everyone had become more accustomed to the conditions, and in the next two rounds only one game went to time. In round 2 Sophie McGlen in particular was in fine form with a convincing win against Quiller Barrett, and André and Robin also both won again to set up the final between them.

In the third round Quiller found top form in his game against Geoff, and although Geoff hit in on turn 3 and managed to make a couple of hoops, Quiller then used a bisque to set up a break which he took round in impeccable style without further mishaps. It was not Geoff's day for long-range shooting, and Quiller soon used his large stack of remaining bisques to polish off the game +24. Meanwhile in the final between André and Robin, in spite of some accidents along the way including an elegant but unfortunate cross-wiring at 3-back (see photo), Robin's bisques also proved decisive and he emerged triumphant +11 to take the title. André was the tournament runner-up, having beaten both the other two players finishing on 2/3, and Sophie won the consolation prize for the best "significant" peel - a peel of rover on her partner ball after running hoop 5, and the only peel of the day which was both intentional and in accord with orthodox peeling tactics!

Results: Results vs.: RB AM JB CM SM MH QB GJ WINS WINS within TIME WIN QLTY NET HOOPS Robin Barry   +11       +15 +9   3 3 4 +35 André Machell -11   +1T +10T         2 0 4 0 John Bee   -1T     +17     +13 2 2 1 +29 Carole McLoughlin   -10T       +18   +9T 2 1 1 +17 Sophie McGlen     -17     -2T +20   1 1 1 +1 Mark Homan -15     -18 +2T       1 0 1 -31 Quiller Barrett -9       -20     +24 1 1 0 -5 Geoff Johnson     -13 -9T     -24   0 0 0 -46 WINNER Robin Barry L-R: André Machell, Robin Barry, Sophie McGlen Participants Name Club H'cap Geoff Johnson Watford 2 Mark Homan Watford 5 John Bee Watford 6 André Machell Watford 7 Carole McLoughlin Ealing 9 Sophie McGlen Oxford University 9 Quiller Barrett Watford 11 Robin Barry Watford 11 *Roger Stroud (Leighton Linslade) acted as a non-point-scoring reserve for Northampton. Click on photos for an enlargement