Gateball Triples at Southport Croquet Club, 23rd April, 2017

The annual competition was held successfully with fine weather and fast courts. Seven teams participated this year which was one less than last year. This was because of the CAQ Golf Singles Championship was held on that date after being postponed because of  the aftereffects of the cyclone. So, several potential participants were unable to attend- Bruce McAlister, CAQ Director, Gaye Pitman and Elaine and Brian Rubock all of whom had been signed up for the golf tournament.

All the competitors

All the competitors

The competition is always a one day event so careful planning ensured that all of the round robin events were completed before 5:00p.m. It was a close finish with two teams achieving five wins but it was Southport’s “The Three Amigos” who won again this year. Amanda, Lee and Christopher Wentworth defeated the “Can Do” team in the last game of the day with enough gates scored to achieve a better net difference. The “Can Do” team also from Southport was Julia Vickers, Beryl Phillips, Trudy Cummins and Keith McLeod. Congratulations to these two teams for a close- fought tussle. Third place went to Broadbeach. Another Southport team came fourth so it is obvious that home court advantage was a help to the local teams. Thanks to all teams that competed (Broadbeach, Ipswich with 2 teams, Redcliffe Roses) as it was played in a very friendly atmosphere. Great food was supplied to all the players by the excellent efforts of our members and co-ordinated by Kerry Lamerton.

The Three Amigos-Christopher, Amanda and Lee Wentworth- won the competition

The Three Amigos-Christopher, Amanda and Lee Wentworth- won the competition

Second place went to the "Can Do" team- Julia Vickers, Keith McLeod, Trudy Cummins and Beryl Phillips

Second place went to the “Can Do” team- Julia Vickers, Keith McLeod, Trudy Cummins and Beryl Phillips

Lunch was cooked on the BBQ by Kerry Lamerton and Lee Godfrey

Lunch was cooked on the BBQ by Kerry Lamerton and Lee Godfrey

Geoff Morris in action

Geoff Morris in action

Scoring is an important job done by Margaret and Eunice in this photo.

Scoring is an important job done by Margaret and Eunice in this photo.

Newcastle Gateball Fun Weekend

Newcastle Gateball Fun Weekend was held 1st and 2nd of April. Players from Jamberoo, Lithgow, EDSACC, Sydney and our own club participated. Teams were mixed on experience so that every team had an experienced captain as well as novice players.

Saturday was team play and Sunday was doubles with a different partner for each of the 6 games. Thank you to Penny and Margaret for refereeing most of the games.

As it was April Fools day the teams were named Jesters, Riddlers,Jokers and Clowns. A round robin was played and each team played each other twice. During the line-ups the teams were entertained with lots of jokes…Why was everyone so tired on 1 April – they had just completed a March of 31 days. A fun time was had by all.

All results can be found on gateballscores.com Team winners by 1 point were the Jokers (Kerrie, John S, Arthur, Maggi & Sandra) with 4 wins and 15 nett points. Runners-up were the Riddlers (Judy, Helen, Philippa, John P & Chris) with 4 wins and 14 nett points.

Individual doubles on Sunday were self-refereed – no problems occurred resulting in another good day. John P was the overall winner being undefeated. Lynne was the runner-up with 5 wins and Encouragement Award went to John S.

Thank you to all players and helpers – you all helped make a wonderful fun weekend.

On Monday 3 April a coaching endorsement day was held – Gateball now has 6 more qualified Foundation Coaches (Level 1) – Penny Park, Judy Squelch, Helen Chalmers, Lynne Thomas, Philippa Rose and Kerrie Sutherland. John Park, already a level 1 coach, can now train other gateball coaches.

Gateball Puzzle #1

Gateball.com.au is trialing a monthly gateball puzzle for readers to put their captaincy skills to the test.

The puzzle will present a scenario in the format below. The court shows the balls current position on the court including outballs (1 and 9 in the example below) and balls that have hit the goal pole (6). The match details include which balls have been through gate 1 (5,2,4), gate 2 (1,8,10), gate 3 (3,7,9) and have hit the goal pole (6). Match details also specify the next stroker (5), time remaining (1:30) and the current score (12-11).

Readers should leave a reply in the comments outlining what they would do on the next shot given the game scenario set out. There is no right answer however a consensus may emerge.

Gateball Puzzle #1:
5 to play. Score is 12-11 with 1:30 remaining in the match.
What should 5 do on it’s first shot?

April 2017
Click on the picture to zoom in.

If you would like to submit your own puzzle (perhaps based on an actual match situation) please send a puzzle picture to info@gateball.com.au. You can create a puzzle picture using the software available at: http://www.gateball.asia/court-app-en.

 

McIlwraith Challenge Cup, 2017

The QLD Gateball intraclub competitions were off  to a very good start with the first tournament being held at McIlwraith Croquet Club in Brisbane on 8th and 9th April. The dates were somewhat later than usual and only just avoided the sort of rainfall that we have experienced in previous years. However, only just!

One week prior to the tournament, the south eastern part of Queensland suffered very strong winds and extremely heavy rainfall from the ex-Tropical Cyclone Debbie. The fields were covered with water and there was water a foot deep through the lower level of the the clubhouse. An amazing amount of work by club members cleared the mess and prepared the court with very clear markings. The courts were very green, somewhat slower than normal but in very good condition. Great work, McIlwraith members!

There were 9 teams competing altogether which is a good for the sport. It was a very dedicated pair of players ( Cheryl and Steven Kele) who travelled all the way from Rockhampton to compete even though their city was being flooded in many areas. Several composite teams were formed and this was a successful arrangement for all concerned. In addition, two teams representing the local club of McIlwraith and two teams from Southport were competing.

All of the games were played on time with an hour between the games. So many games were closely contested with decisions on winners made only on a countback. By Sunday morning games there were three teams vying for the Challenge Cup. It wasn’t until the final game that the placings were finalised. Third place went to Toowoomba. Second place went to McIlwraith Blue Macs. The winning team was the Southport Red team. It was the third time in a  row that Southport has won the McIlwraith Challenge. (see results on gateballscores.com)

Winning team was Southport Red

Winning team was Southport Red

Blue Macs came 2nd

Blue Macs came second

 

Sparking a ball

Sparking a ball

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Photos showing teams and referees in action

Photos showing teams and referees in action