The local weather did not disappoint last weekend for the 2026 Lakes Entrance Croquet Club open singles tournament.
Some superb croquet was on display, with players travelling from across Victoria, including Castlemaine, Monash, Mornington, Howlong, Bairnsdale, Sale, Sandringham, Quarry Hill, Orbost, Traralgon, Wonthaggi and Lakes Entrance.
Twenty-four members took part in the singles level-play tournament, with eight players in each of the three sections. Each competitor played seven games across the weekend.
Following heavy rain on the Friday, the courts came up a treat and proved ideal for the game of golf croquet.
The winner of section one was Bairnsdale’s Dennis Saxton, who prevailed by six hoops from Mornington’s John Carr after both finished with five wins and two losses.
A similar scenario played out in division two, with Wonthaggi’s Virginia Wheeler finishing ahead of Traralgon’s Mick Crawford by three hoops after both also finished with five wins and two losses.
Quarry Hill’s Christine Scott dominated division three, finishing with five wins and one loss, with Susanne Neilsen from Howlong the runner-up.
Club officials were delighted with the magnificent team effort required to deliver a well-run tournament.
This included the grounds team, who have worked tirelessly to keep the courts in the best possible condition. Setting up the courts for such a tournament requires many hours of work and it was to their credit that compliments flowed for
their appearance.
The catering team were kept busy coordinating a magnificent array of food to keep players well fed and refreshed throughout the day.
The administration team prepared the event and recorded scores from each game to produce the final results for the presentations.
Two referees carried out their duties efficiently, assisted by several club members who filled a range of supporting roles across the weekend.
John and Lynley Mitchell also spent many hours walking the main streets of Lakes Entrance approaching local businesses to sponsor and support the tournament and raffle, an effort that did not go unnoticed.
The club will now begin preparing for its doubles tournament in October.
Anyone interested in seeing what the game of golf croquet is all about is welcome to visit the courts in Don Road or Palmers Road, behind the Aquadome near the tennis courts, on Wednesday, Thursday or Sunday mornings.
Players of all ages are welcome, from teenagers to keenagers, with no age restrictions to take part in
the sport.
