Jersey v SCA 2013
6-7 April 2013, Jersey
Four Scottish players started their 2013 croquet season with a cool and windy weekend in Jersey, losing to the home side by 6 games to 9.
This was the first match between the Scottish and Jersey sides since 2009, as Jersey hadn't managed to raise a team to come to Scotland in 2011. Initially and optimistically it was planned to be followed by a seven-day multi-event Jersey Open tournament, in the hope that players from other parts of Britain as well as from Scotland could be enticed south for an early start to the season in a milder climate. But take-up for this was poor, and after unsuccessful appeals for entries in February the secretary and manager decided reluctantly that it was not viable. They feared for a while that the Jersey-Scotland match would go the same way, as the availability of Jersey players was in doubt, but it was salvaged when Tony and Paula Le Moignan agreed to play (though only doubles), and strengthened when Gavin Carter became available. The eventual line-up was:
Jersey:
Tony Le Moignan (-2) (doubles only)
Gavin Carter (-1.5)
Richard Sowerby (4.5)
Elizabeth Medway (11)
Mireille Sowerby (11 but out of practice) (doubles only)
Paula Le Moignan (16) (doubles only)
SCA:
Campbell Morrison (-0.5)
Fergus McInnes (3)
Janice Duguid (7)
Hamish Duguid (9)
Hamish, Janice and Fergus arrived at midday on Friday in unseasonably cold weather, with a bitter easterly wind and wintry showers. They went out on the lawn to practise, but didn't stay long, and were glad to adjourn to the sports centre's warm cafe for lunch and to spend the rest of the afternoon out of the wind. Campbell's flight came in a few hours later, and all the players except Gavin got together for dinner at the Prince of Wales Hotel on the north coast of the island.
Saturday brought sunshine and temperatures a few degrees higher than Friday's, though still well below average for the time of year. Three rounds of games were played, with one doubles and two singles games in each round involving varying subsets of the Jersey players. Jersey won all the day's doubles games, and four out of six singles, with the Scots' only points coming from wins by Fergus and Hamish over Elizabeth.
Gavin was in good form and did two triple peels - one in the second-round singles against Campbell, and one in the third-round doubles with Mireille against Campbell and Janice. Fergus and Janice nearly got a win against Tony and Paula after Fergus went round and pegged out his ball to gain a one-point lead in the time turn, but Tony hit his lift shot and equalised by running penult, and a miss by Janice in extra time allowed him to score the deciding point. Fergus had another extremely close game against Richard, which reached a position with three clips on the peg after Richard pegged out one of Fergus's balls, but it was Richard who hit in - rushing Fergus's ball dangerously close to the peg, but avoiding the "grievous" by about an inch - and pegged out (in two separate turns) to gain a +1 win.
So it was 7-2 to Jersey overnight, and the Scots needed all six of Sunday's games to win the match.
Saturday evening's dinner was on the south coast, where the Old Portelet Inn kept up the high standard of Jersey cuisine, and was followed for Campbell and Fergus by a little tour of some other parts of the island with Richard on the way back to their quarters. (Hamish and Janice stayed on for a few days after the match, and got a more extensive tour with Richard and Mireille by daylight on Tuesday.)
Sunday's weather was similar to Saturday's though not so sunny. Gavin beat Fergus +24 to seal the home side's victory, but the other two morning games and two in the afternoon went to the Scots. The last game to finish was the doubles, Tony and Paula versus Fergus and Hamish, and was another very close one. Time was called at 5:30pm with Tony in play, and at about 5:40 he pegged out his ball to go one point ahead. Fergus hit the lift, but did not quite manage to get his own back for Saturday's doubles, as he hurried the shot at the peg to equalise - being slightly distracted by the need to get away to the airport for the 6:45 flight - and missed it from about five feet. With this anticlimactic finish it was 4-2 to the SCA for the day, and 9-6 to Jersey overall.
Hearty thanks go to the Jersey players for their hospitality - in particular to Richard and Mireille putting up Campbell and Fergus, and Elizabeth for accommodating Hamish and Janice. We hope to be able to reciprocate in Scotland in 2015.
Fergus McInnes
Results
(Jersey names first)
Tony Le Moignan & Paula Le Moignan beat Campbell Morrison & Hamish Duguid +10T (19-9)
Richard Sowerby beat Janice Duguid +6
Elizabeth Medway lost to Fergus McInnes -6T (11-17)
Tony Le Moignan & Paula Le Moignan beat Fergus McInnes & Janice Duguid +1T (22-21)
Gavin Carter beat Campbell Morrison +25tp
Richard Sowerby beat Hamish Duguid +14
Gavin Carter & Mireille Sowerby beat Campbell Morrison & Janice Duguid +16tp(C)
Richard Sowerby beat Fergus McInnes +1
Elizabeth Medway lost to Hamish Duguid -10T (11-21)
Richard Sowerby & Mireille Sowerby lost to Janice Duguid & Hamish Duguid -10T (10-20)
Gavin Carter beat Fergus McInnes +24
Elizabeth Medway lost to Campbell Morrison -22
Tony Le Moignan & Paula Le Moignan beat Fergus McInnes & Hamish Duguid +1T (21-20)
Richard Sowerby lost to Campbell Morrison -14
Elizabeth Medway lost to Janicie Duguid -18
Match score: Jersey 9, SCA 6