The Victorian Gateball Championships were held over the weekend of 29-30 April at the Victorian Croquet Centre at Cairnlea. The weather co-operated with mainly clear skies and moderate temperatures

The event had a strong family atmosphere with youngsters from multiple teams attending and watching – and even competing in the case of the Crooks from South Australia.
The Teams Event was held on Saturday with six full teams and representatives from three states. Kew made the early running going undefeated across their first four games. But Kew couldn’t hold off a rampaging Canberra team in the final game of the round robin. Canberra’s immaculate play earning them a massive 17-8 win and enough to tip the final results their way. Canberra placing first with 4 wins, 1 loss and +27 points ahead of Kew with 4 wins, 1 loss and +23 points. BrunswYK placed third.
Victorian gateball lost a pioneer last year, with the passing of John Bradley. He was a member of the first ever Victorian Championship winning team (Essendon in 2000) and was instrumental in teaching many of the current players how the game should be played. This year, the pairs event was renamed the John Bradley Trophy, in his honour.
Thirteen pairs competed across two blocks. Glen Whitehead & Hillary White made short work of Block A, winning 6 games from 6 and with +51 points. Last year’s Winners, Bryan Johnson & Gilon Smith placed second in the block with 4 wins, 2 losses, and +15 points.
In Block B the perennial contenders (and multiple previous winners) Alec & Maxine Maclachlan managed to place second in the block behind the makeshift, but dominant pairing, of Chas Quinn & Greg Deakin. Chas & Greg won the block with 4 wins and 1 loss using an ultra-aggressive style that left many opponents pole-axed within the first 10 minutes of play. (Your correspondent was down 15-5 after about 12 minutes…)
Both Alex & Maxine and Chas & Greg won their respective semi-finals, leaving an all Block B grand final.
Some uncharacteristic early errors left Chas & Greg struggling and Alec Maclachlan’s cool captaincy never let them back into the game. Alec & Maxine running out winners and taking the inaugural John Bradley Pairs Trophy.
Congratulations to all who participated, but especially Canberra as teams champion and Alec & Maxine as deserving winners of the John Bradley Trophy.