Queensland State Gateball Championships – 12th to 14th August 2023

The Queensland Gateball Team and Doubles Championships were held at the Pine Rivers Croquet Club, on the 12th to 14th August 2023.

The Championship was incident free and compliments flowed about how the event was run, the catering, and the overall event. A big thank you goes to the Pine Rivers Tournament Committee for their support, enthusiasm and work ethic that they displayed during the months of meetings and planning. I would also like to thank the club members, who volunteered during the tournament, for their enthusiastic approach and the way that they embraced the 3 days as their chance to show that even though they are a small club that they are quite able to take on a tournament like the Queensland State Gateball Tournament, and do it successfully, with a minimum of fuss. A special  thank you to Mr Sep Hines for the weeks of hard work in getting the courts into a great standard for the Championships and his dedication to providing the players with the best possible surface to play on.

The team event was played over the 12th to 13th August, and the Doubles over the 13th to 14th Aug 2023. The Team event was won by Moreton Bay 1, with Southport Red in second place.

The Doubles event was won by Julia Tai & Lee Wentworth – Southport, with Emma Mauceri & Kaelan Sweatman – Moreton Bay, the runners up.

I would also like to thank all the sponsors who gave great support to the tournament.

Robert Roose – Queensland Gateball Coordinator

Moreton Bay Gateball Club event 11th -13th March 2023

We had a wonderful weekend with all the players that joined us for our 1st ever Team and Doubles competitions. 

We had players travel from Canberra, Rockhampton, the Sunshine Coast and many from our local region to join us for our 3 day event. 

Congratulations to our Winners:

Teams Winner : Dolphins 

Teams Runners up : Eildon White (missing from photo are Grahame Bishop and Jules Churchward).

Doubles Winners : Kele Crew

Doubles Runners up : Em & M

There were many very close games that went down to the last second. 

It was lovely to see some new players. Welcome to the game David, John, Joanne and Mark. We look forward to see you at the next event. 

We thank you all for your support and we’ll see you all again in the future. 

Thank you 

Moreton Bay Gateball Club  

Submitted by Emma Mauceri

Beginner Gateball Captain Course at Strathfield Croquet Club

14 NSW players participated in a Beginner Captains course at Strathfield CC led by John and Penny Park of Hazelbrook CC.

At an introductory session in the clubhouse, participants brainstormed the characteristics of an effective captain. These were then grouped into two aspects: the Team skills and Thinking skills required to captain a successful Gateball team. These were to be the focus of the course.
 
Participants then headed outside for practical sessions, exploring the different stages of a game of Gateball and strategic play for each stage.
 
 
 
To illustrate Stage One, the platform building stage, two activities were undertaken. One, called ‘Blitzkrieg’, involved players, after passing Gate 1, shooting for Gate 2. Consequences were discussed,  before moving onto an activity identifying alternative standard plays, for example the “Gate 2 side strategy”.  (All these were identified from old World Gateball Union manuals!)
 
The concepts of ‘Thinking Numerically’ and ‘Controlling Space’ were introduced and then  ‘Space Controllers’, such as slides, bridges and attack balls, were discussed and then put into practice through mini games played on quarter courts. The mini games were devised specifically to challenge players to see opportunities to attack their opposition.
 
Finally, the group looked at the End Game. Two scenarios were used. The time pressure was horrific – in one scenario there were a couple of minutes left, no balls were on the court, other than one sitting on the goal pole. “Referees” were used and had to caution players about waiting until they were called before playing. Tension was high! As with each stage of the game,  the group considered the necessary team or people skills and the thinking skills required to successfully captain. 
 
Star of the show was, we believe, the youngest ever participant in a Gateball event, newly arrived  daughter of one of the course participants. At only a few weeks old, her presence was celebrated! 
 
 
Gateball Australia has appointed a High Performance Manager for Gateball and has offered support for a Captain Development Program in May this year to be held in Queensland. This session at Strathfield complements that initiative by providing a course for beginner captains. 
 
John Park, Level 3 Gateball Coach

Toronto Introduce Gateball to Port Macquarie & Thanks to Maggi Williams

Introduction to Gateball On Saturday 16 July most of the 27 members present had their first encounter with gateball. Four members of the Toronto Club, Marion Davies, HelenChalmers, Ruth Mulvaney and Jenny Willsher, introduced us to the game.
Gateball is a mallet sport that is very different from the games of croquet that we know.

It is a team game that can be played by four or more players.
With two courts set up we were gradually taken through the skills and the development of the game.

After a sausage sizzle, cooked by Peter Drinkwater and Tony Earle, a 3 player team and then a five player team game was played. We really appreciate the help of the members of the Toronto club. They are also a Club Hub and, with the help of the money from Croquet NSW, we strive to improve the enjoyment and skills of our players and encourage new members to this game that we love.

We were able to buy a Gateball set and pay for Marion’s accommodation from the $5,000 that we have already received from Croquet
NSW.

Thank you very much to Tim, our Club Hub coordinator, for arranging the day. At the next committee meeting we will work out our way forward with the introduction of
this game.

More pictures are available here:

 
Apologies to Toronto and Port Macquarie for the rather late posting of this story. A few communication glitches!
 
FINALLY: Thanks to Maggi Williams for all the posting she has done for us for a number of years. Maggi played in the Blue Mountains and Lithgow and when she retired from the game, she offered to keep posting stories for us. She probably did this for about 7 years! Maggi’s participation in the game will be remembered not only for her willingness to take on roles but also her encouragement and support for local disability groups. For many years, she was the driving force behind fortnightly sessions for local disability support groups. 
 
Thanks Maggi

 

SCC Invitational Gateball Teams Challenge

The atmosphere at this inaugural Invitational Challenge on 14th May was electric and positive, especially as the sun shone during all of the games. It lifted our spirits after a week of mounting anxiety over the weather.

Strathfield Council employee, Ryan, charged with maintenance of our lawns, did a brilliant job to get the lawn ready, in ways above and beyond the call of duty. Petula Shun was chief organiser, ably assisted by Ann Shaddick and Ruth Bridger. On the day itself, all players participated fully in their playing and refereeing duties, and enabled the day to proceed without a hitch.

In all, there were five Gateball teams, Strathfield, Newcastle, Hazelbrook, Canberra and Toronto. It was the largest gateball gathering to have ever taken place at Strathfield CC.

Notably, this was the first time we had fielded a GB Team made up solely of Strathfield members, without forming a composite team with players from other clubs. At this evolutionary stage of our GB game code in Australia, while we may not be able to field a full team of our own, it is still possible to join another club’s team even at state or interstate level. For example, at the recent National GB Championship in Runaway Bay, Queensland, Petula Shun played for Canberra CC, and Ruth Bridger played for Southport Stripes. Their host clubs were so welcoming and happy to share their knowledge. This resulted in bonds being strengthened between our clubs. What invaluable experiences they brought back to their home club.

The SCC Invitational Gateball Teams Challenge was held to thank those clubs who in very recent years, have continued to support SCC’s Sunday gateball sessions. We will, of course, remain indebted to those other croquet clubs, Eastwood, Epping, Lithgow and Jamberoo, who helped our fledgling SCC gateballers, gain valuable experience as part of the Epstars Team. The clubs invited on Sunday helped carry on that tradition of support to SCC.

Play between teams was very close, and games were heavily fought. As we all know, there is that time in a game when suddenly the opposition runs away with the game. Nevertheless in many games it could have gone either way.

Toronto was the eventual winning team, and it was a well-deserved win.

Many of our recent participants in the club’s first foray into GC Division 3 Pennants volunteered as members of our catering team. It was good to see that inter-game code collaboration. What a splendid display of food was on offer.

The event marks another special occasion in our club’s proud sporting history by not just keeping a newish game code alive, but helping it thrive. To see new players from elsewhere better able to help develop gateball at their own club is also a welcome development.

Thank you all.

Ruth Bridger
On behalf of Strathfield Croquet Club