23 May 2018
The Croquet team called up new members from the Middle School and the Lower School to play against Winchester College on 19 May and Radley College on 21 May. Although both matches were defeats for Abingdon, all of the team played exceptionally well, raising their game with each round to meet stronger opposition. The Lower School Duo of Sam Turner and Ollie Northwood ran the most hoops of any Abingdon pair in their first round match against Winchester. The team had some good opportunities but were unable to take control of the lawns to any real degree despite good support and fair conditions. Alex Lees gave strong performances both against Portsmouth Grammar and Winchester College despite being paired with and playing against much older players.
New again to the team for the Radley match were Harvey Vinton and Eddie Good who played admirably for their opening appearance, getting to grips with the Laws, game play and much older opposition. Team Captain, Tom Mills led the fight in a close first round at Radley with three draws and a loss, only to lose overall by one or two hoops in each match of the second round. The focus is now on skill building, tactics and gameplay in advance of the OA match in June.
It was also great to see Alex Long back at the baulk-line for his third season playing in external matches for the team.
Coach's Top Players for the matches are:
Vs Portsmouth – Alexander D'Arcy and Graham Suttie
Vs Winchester College – Sam Turner and Ollie Northwood
Vs Radley College – Tom Mills, Will Franklin, Will Quirke and James Moore
More croquet news: success against Portsmouth.
