Maggie Cowman Cup 2023

The second Maggie Cowman Cup Festival of Croquet took place on 11th and 12th September 2023 at Studley Royal Cricket Club the home of Ripon Spa Croquet Club.  Over the two days we raised £560 for the Freeman Heart and Lung Transplant Association.  This was the organization that supported Maggie and she supported brilliantly.

On the Monday, 22 players played progressive doubles on a sunny summer day. Seven rounds of up to hoop seven croquet were followed by quarterfinals, semis and a final between Ted and Andrew against Kath and Marcia, with the gentlemen prevailing.

Tuesday morning’s games were played in steady rain which, mercifully, ceased around lunchtime. Three untimed rounds, in discrete blocks of four, were followed by semi-finals and a final played between Jane and Ted. Jane was the first winner of the Maggie Cowman Cup and Ted was the runner up. This year the positions were reversed with Ted raising the cup and Jane settling for a bottle of wine. Ki Hulme, who came from Sheffield with one of his sons, won the plate.

The club was grateful to Yorkshire Croquet Federation chairman, Eugene Chang, for making time in his busy life, to present the trophies.

The club is also grateful to Julian for running the cricket club bar, to the cricket club for letting us use their barbeque and to Ted, Sue, Andrea and Kerry for providing food for the barbeque and afternoon teas. A special mention is due to Robert for bringing his banana cake, which was very well received. The festival would not have run so smoothly without Liz and Kerry keeping the score, nor without the “team” setting up the courts and being welcoming hosts to our visitors from near and far, including Wales, which made this an international tournament.

We look forward to our third Maggie Cowman Cup festival in September 2024.

Monday’s briefing
The cup, the claret, the plate and the chairman.
Ki receives the plate from Eugene
Monday’s winners with Sue
Pat, Alice, Andrea and Ted
Penny, Ted, Jackie and Gill
Marcia, Robert, Roger and Ki
Roger, Robert, Ki and Marcia
Roger, Kath, Marcia and Jackie
Vivien, Michael, Sue and Jackie
Watching avidly
Sorting the scoring
The chief scorer
Robert, Vivien, Andrew and Sue at hoop 2
Ted is hot off the block, followed by Alice, with Jackie and Andrea
Jane playing red, Kerry studying the shot intently, Michael and Mary
Kerry, Jo Ann, Jane and Jackie
Roger and Marcia
Hoop 3 in the final.
Is this the secret of Ted’s success – a magic mallet?

Andrew and Ki in the plate final