The Riotous Oldies

It’s 1030 pm. This, you understand is New Zealand 10.30 pm. All self respecting 60+s are in bed and asleep. I’m in a motel unit with three croquet ladies. The next but one unit is occupied by another 4 croquet ladies. This is the Veterans Tournament (The Vets) so all are over 60 and anyone in their 60s is probably on the young side. But these are fit people able to play for 8 and 9 hours a day on their feet concentrating and walking many many kilometres during the day.

And in the evening they ‘relax’. A small libation may be taken…..many times. A large libation or two as well perhaps.

So picture the scene. A group of six or so, an hour after everyone’s usual bedtime sitting in a smart motel unit making enough noise to keep the rest of the smart motel awake. Croquet person turns up from another motel. It’s his first ever croquet tournament tomorrow. He’s forgotten his handicap card (golfers will understand). He’s come to see what he should do. As if anyone can sort the problem at this hour of the evening. But... he’s taken a sleeping tablet and is half asleep already. It’s decided that he should be taken back to his motel. He’s a teetotal, good-living retired methodist minister and he’s being shepherded down the hight street by an extremely ‘happy’ gang of veteran ladies (some in their night attire). 

Who says the over-sixties are dull. 

Oh and by the way I retained my Veterans'  Association Croquet Handicap Singles title. So I'm happy too.

(From A Hebridean in New Zealand, November 2013)

Bring a Plate

Until I read Lee's recent post I'd forgotten how unusual the expression 'Bring a plate' must sound when one first arrives in Australia or New Zealand (and perhaps other places of which I am unaware). It is the usual practice when going to a party or when an organisation such as a croquet club is having a function or tournament for guests or members of the host club to 'bring a plate' of food.

It became my standard offering to make a cheesecake. Why? Because the first time that I can recall doing it was for a croquet tournament the club of which I was a member was holding. That must have been in about 2007 and it led to the following incident.

When I came into the clubhouse from a game I was met by a lady from a visiting club who, loudly and in front of all present, asked if I was Graham. That is my name so I decided on an honest approach and admitted as much. "Then marry me!" That, I have to admit totally threw me. I looked around at all the amused faces hoping for help. Of course none came. My obvious perplexedness (I'm sure there's no such word but I'm equally sure that you'll understand what I mean) caused her to ask if I was the maker of 'the cheesecake'. I confirmed that I was. So she repeated her offer of marriage. She was wearing a wedding ring but as she was obviously older than I she could have been a widow. Anyway I took a gamble and said that I didn't think her husband would approve. "Bugger him!" was her response.

At this point I should explain that the term "bugger" is not regarded as a swear word in New Zealand and I doubt very much that many people even know its legal meaning. It is often used by ladies of a certain age without as much as a batted eyelid.

A couple of years ago I was at a tournament and the said lady was talking to a friend. I said 'Hello' as I joined the group and she looked at me and said "Do I know you?" My friend told her that she had once proposed marriage to me. She didn't bat an eyelid; looked me straight in the face and asked if I had accepted. "No." I replied. "Your loss." she retorted and carried on with the conversation.

Of such memories is life's rich tapestry made.

Mount Maunganui Croquet Torrnament

Mount Maunganui is an extinct volcanic cone from which the town at its base takes its name. Of course, like many names in New Zealand, it's not quite that simple but for the purposes of this post that explanation will suffice.

I'm here for a three day croquet tournament: doubles on Friday and singles on Saturday/Sunday. It's held at the Mount Maunganui Cosmopolitan Club known as Club Mount Maunganui which is a very large club with bars and restaurants and community indoor and outdoor sporting faciities. They were a very common phenomenon in New Zealand along with the RSA (Returned Services Association) clubs but appear to be steadily closing down due to lack of patronage.

However the Club here in Mount Munganui is a womderful new building with tremendous facilites including 3 bowling greens, 6 international standard croquet lawns and a petanque court.

Yesterday was the Handicap Doubles Tournament. Judy (a friend and former croquet doubles partner) and I came runners up in our block which, given the fact that I hadn't played croqut for nearly two years, we regarded as a pretty good achievement.

Today was the first day of the singles and in the Open Championship I only had one loss and that was on the last hoop after I'd made a stupid mistake. So at the end of the first day I am leading the championship table. I have posted it here because it may be the last time I'm in this position and might like to look back on this day in the future!

Whatever happens tomorrow I'll be able to look back on today as a wonderful day playing a game I love, playing it in the sun on wonderful lawns with delightful company. Life can be PDG!

Normality

I had rather intended this stay in New Zealand to be a combination of catching up with The Family and my friends both here in Hawkes Bay and elsewhere in the country; a safari with Pauline via seeing Gareth in Auckland (he flew the same route as I did and arrived yesterday); some croquet with a tournament in Tauranga; and then do all sorts of things that I haven't done as a tourist because I was only a tourist for a relatively short while back in 2005. Living in a place and being a tourist are entirely different things. One may experience more as a tourist in terms of quantity but for quality of experience nothing beats living in a place.

However with the alterations in the arrangements next week because Pauline had to go to Australia I have suddenly just picked up where I left off nearly two years ago. I cannot believe that I've been away that long. Sitting chatting to people today at croquet it was as if I'd just been away for my usual six months. There were however lots of new people and it was a bit odd not knowing everyone and not being known by many.

Playing croquet after two years absence from the game was strange. Almost everything was second nature but in reality my games today consisted of general mediocrity interspersed with flashes of sheer incompetence. However after having run a hoop from about 20 yards to win a game one stranger did tell me that I showed promise for a newcomer.  Hmmm.

Arriving in New Zealand now is the most slick operation I've ever encountered at an airport. I was off the plane and out of the terminal in somewhere around 15 minutes: everything is automated. The downside? No cheery border control officer to wish you an enjoyable stay. Then what is for me always one of the most emotional of moments: leaving the International Terminal and stepping into the heat of a sunny day (in 11 years I have never arrived on a wet day) and walking to the Domestic Terminal. Why I didn't take a photo of the tree-lined beautiful parts of that walk to show you I have no idea. 

Then the flight to Napier which is the same flying time as my first flight of the journey from Stornoway to Glasgow:

An Unexpected Afternoon

We walked back to the Kelvingrove Museum and Art Gallery in Glasgow from lunch in a Rioja a tapas bar that had been recommended to us and which lived up to the recommendation.  As we were passing the bowling greens which had been used for the Commonwealth Games and which used to be the home of the Glasgow Croquet Club I saw one of the members whom I know playing but with no opponent.  I went over for a chat and discovered that there was a likelihood that the Club would return to these lawns.  I ended up playing for a few hours.  I discovered that I can still play!  The backdrop for the lawns is the spectacular Kelvingrove building. 

An Afternoon's Croquet

CJ's had a bad night last night and today he's had a bad day too and hasn't surfaced.  Jo had to get some work done.  So I decided to see if I could have a game of croquet.  Chester has a croquet club.  So I managed to get a game of Association Croquet. I discovered that one of the members was someone who used to play at the Marewa Croquet Club where I am a member in Napier in New Zealand.  It's a very small world and we had quite a lot to chat about.  I had a game with another member and although at the beginning it looked as though I had lost any capacity to hit a ball straight that soon remedied itself.  I lost the game but not badly and had a really enjoyable afternoon.  They were a really great bunch and now that I've found it I shall play some more on future visits.

I should also mention that it was a beautiful afternoon with the temperature around 23℃: the warmest since I left Lewis.   This evening it's clouded over and I suspect we are in for a cool and wet night.

The four lawns are superb (and very fast) and can be converted to 8 half-size lawns for social golf croquet.

A Grump

I'm afraid I have to apologise to the Thankful Fairies and the Keeper of the Glad Games today.  I was a Grump.  I'm not often a Grump.  Leastways I don't think I am.  Although there are occasions....  Today was one of them.  It was the Scottish Golf Croquet Open Championship Tournament.  Sounds grander than it is.  Last year I came second.  That was probably more of an achievement than the previous year when I won.  Although I would say that when I won it was the day after I finished my radiotherapy treatment.  Had the tournament been the day before or the day after I would not have been capable of playing.  It's a funny old world.  Anyway, as usual, I digress and am rambling.

Today started really well.  The sun shone.  It was almost bordering upon warm.  I was playing really well.  Then the clouds came.  The wind went cold.  The rain started.  Heavily.  My play deteriorated.  Then I had to wait , wet and cold, for about 90 minutes for my next game.  By the time I was back on the lawn I was cold, wet and stiff and my wrist was bandaged and sore.  I was a real Grump.  I lost my next game 0:7.   I was even grumpier.

Then the rain stopped.  It got a bit warmer.  It was early evening by this time and I had one more game.  One game away from some spag bol and a glass of wine.  I won.  It was the deciding game to take me into the last four tomorrow.  The competition is fierce.  I shall be playing one of the UK's top 20:  best of 3 at 0930.  

I'd better have an early night tonight.

The Second Day: Result

Well the tournament ended today.  I had a thoroughly enjoyable couple of days ending up runner-up.  The winner of the Scottish Golf Croquet Opens Championship this year was James Hopgood.  Ranked 200 in the world out of 2000 (against my 537 at the moment – I was, I think 267 at my best) he defeated me 7:3 and 7:4 and I, if not at my best, was not playing badly!

Jamieson Walker presenting the Walker Cup to James Hopgood

To round off the day one of my dearest friends (who, 35 years ago was the originator of the boring old fart comment and more recently rescued me with home truths) came over from the Edinburgh side of the country and we met in town and went to Café Hula for dinner.  If you are in Glasgow and going for a companionable meal before the theatre or any time really then it’s in Hope Street opposite The Pavillion Theatre.

The First Day

We played 9 games yesterday!  That's a lot of games.  You expect 6 or even 7 but I can't recall playing 9 in a tournament before.  It was really good though and, apart from being a bit tired last night and stiff this morning.  I'm raring to go this morning.  We start at 1000 today and only have 5 or 6 games.   This means we'll finish early which is great because a friend, David, with whom I'm going to France later in August is coming over from the Edinburgh side of the country to meet for a meal and catch-up.

I was satisfied with my play yesterday too and the field is much better than last year.  I'm joint top at the moment but I have two very very good players to play today.  But it’s started raining so it might be less pleasant playing today.

Fourteen Games

I had a text last evening to tell me that there will be 14 games of croquet over the weekend.  Oh dear.  That’s a lot of physical and mental effort.  I could be tired and a tad sore by the end of it.  I haven’t played for three months!  Wish me luck…… Please.  I’ll need it just to stay upright.  But I can’t wait.  We start in 70 minutes!

Zoe Won Too

You may recall from A Hebridean in New Zealand that my Golf Croquet Doubles Partner in New Zealand is Zoe. Zoe is exceptionally talented (and young) and will, I hope, one day have the time and good fortune to make the New Zealand Junior or Ladies Team. Whilst I was playing in the Scottish Golf Croquet Tournament Zoe was playing in the Marewa Winter Tournament and won her Section. I am just so proud of that girl.

After I'd congratulated her I received an email saying that as it was her first singles tournament win she now knew that it was not just Tony (the New Zealand number 1) and I doing all the work in the doubles tournaments we'd won with her as a partner.

My response was immediate and to the point. I'd never suggested it was and...etc etc. Zoe's response was equally immediate and was "It was actually a joke but I knew you'd reply with something like that anyway. You like explaining things with lots of big words and compliments. So thank you."

Bummer. I've got to this age and am completely transparent to a teenager. OK perhaps just to this very special teenager. But nevertheless........ Ah well at least when we are playing as partners I never have to explain what we need each other to do. She just knows. The problem is that when, in singles games we are playing as opponents, she also knows what I'm going to do. Life can be so complicated.

A Day's Croquet in Glasgow

Earlier in the week I played Croquet at the Glasgow Croquet Club and was persuaded to play in the Scottish Golf Croquet Championship which took place today in Glasgow. I was very trepidatious about playing because I was warned by the staff at the Hospital that I would continue to cook after my treatment ended on Thursday and might feel bad for several weeks before I started to recover. Another problem was that I kept feeling as though my innards were falling out when I stood and one has to stand and walk around for up to 8 hours in a croquet tournament day. But I felt good so decided that I would play. And I am so glad that I did.

Today I continued to feel good and although it was raining when I set off ifrom the flat to the Courts it cleared up and didn't start again in earnest until the final deciding match was being played between me and the current holder and presenter of the Trophy, Jamieson Walker from Edinburgh. He had played in the World Championships in Hawkes Bay a few years ago.

Although the number of entrants was small the quality was high and the games were interesting and challenging. It was an immensely enjoyable day. It was helped in my case by the fact that I won the tournament.

On the same weekend as this was taking place the Club I play for in New Zealand was holding its Annual Winter Tournament. Would you believe that the weather was warmer in Napier on this winter weekend than it was in Glasgow in the middle of summer!

Jamieson Walker the current holder of the title and presenter of the Cup making his speech

and presenting me with the trophy.

and me replying.

Bill Spalding from the Glasgow Club who had just returned from representing Scotland in an Association match in Jersey and who was instrumental in me playing today. He uses an Australian mallet and has a stance representative of many in the Glasgow Club

Looks Like It's Lost

It's now 5 days since I stepped off the plane in Stornoway. I cannot believe it. I still haven't sorted myself out since I arrived. However all this is not really a problem. What is a problem is that the airlines between them - Virgin Atlantic and BMI - somewhere between San Francisco and Glasgow lost my precious croquet mallet. After 5 days and no success I am losing confidence that they will find it. Quels dommages.

The Kawaka Ranges

I had an email from Jayne in Napier this morning. This is the view from her back garden (using zoom, of course) of the Kawaka Ranges. That and the news that despite the cold 34 people turned up for croquet yesterday. It's all making me feel quite homesick.

I've just realised that this is the first time I've ever mentioned croquet in the Eagleton Notes. I bet that it won't be the last time.