Eastern Shore Croquet Club

THE 2026 HI-LO DOUBLES

The 2026 AC Hi-Lo Doubles event was held at Eastern Shore Croquet Club over the three days 14 – 16 August 2026. Ten teams entered and due to this number of competitors, the event was split into two blocks of five with the two Block winners facing off in the Final.

The competition was played in variable weather conditions with Friday being somewhat cold and wet, followed up by two beautiful days over the weekend.

The winner of Block A was the local team of Clair and Geoff Tomlin who finished off their final game in sensational style to knock off fellow locals Noel Davies and Jeff Suffolk on golden hoop. The Block B winners were Carol Hangian from Sandy Bay and John Lee-Archer from Devonport. They went through undefeated, beating Liz Madden from Sandy Bay and John Hutchison from Eastern Shore.

The Final was a hard-fought battle with the Hanigan / Lee- Archer team seemingly in control for a good part of the game and appearing to be the likely winners. However, the Tomlin combination never gave up and came home with a late flurry which had the spectators on their feet. However, the early deficit proved too much and Carol and John came out on top 9 – 7. They were indeed worthy winners, being unbeaten over their five games. Their standard of roqueting was outstanding and was probably the difference between the two teams in the end.

Congratulations go out to all players for a really interesting and competitive event, played in great spirit and it confirmed there are some “newbies” to the AC format who have real ability and have a bright future in the game.

Special thanks go out to Ian Smith who managed the event (assisted in part by Daryl Jacobs) and Lizzie Bassett (with help from Bob Beattie) who did a sterling job in refereeing over the three days. As usual, the catering volunteers from the Eastern Shore Club did a marvellous job in keeping everyone nourished and our sincere thanks go to those ladies for a job well done.

We now look forward to the 2027 event.

These two members of the Club, David Higgs (left) and Geoff Tomlin just celebrated a very important birthday (one day apart in fact). They asked that their exact age not be revealed and out of respect we will not do that. However, the two numbers 50 plus 30 may provide a clue.

Congratulations to you both and we hope there are many more to come.

AC EIRE CUP 2026
The 2026 Eire Cup has just concluded in Perth. The winner was once again NSW who won a closely contested final match against Victoria 11 games to 9. The result came down to the very last game and NSW came out on top. Both teams were unbeaten entering the final match. Despite finishing second, Victoria had an incredible overall net hoop count of 903 across the five matches, confirming that when they won, they won big.
The Tasmanian team had mixed success and finished 5th overall after winning their final match 13 games to 7 against the home team Western Australia. Well done Tasmania!!
Our very own John Hutchison sustained a calf muscle injury in the third match against South Australia and had to withdraw from the balance of the competition. John was obviously very disappointed as he was just starting to hit his straps. A local WA player, Basil Ladyman, was called up as a reserve and played out the rest of the matches in place of John.

2026 AC TASMANIAN MENS SINGLES
The AC Tasmanian Men’s Singles Open was held over the three days 4 – 6 January 2026. Hosted by the Eastern Shore Croquet Club and played in warm and pleasant weather conditions, the event was evenly contested for the main part. However, in the end, it was Tim Parker from the Kingston Club who regained his best form and emerged a clear winner, going through the eight matches undefeated and with a net hoop count of 118. Runner up was John Lee-Archer from the Devonport Club with six wins and a net hoop count of 40.
Congratulations Tim on a great win.

Congratulations to Ian and Ann Murray (Sandy Bay ) winners of Croquet Tasmania’s GC Advantage Doubles with fellow Sandy Bay husband & wife team Liz and Shane Madden as runners up.

AC BRONZE MEDAL
The 2025 Association Croquet Bronze Medal was played over the three days 28 – 30 November at the New Town Croquet Club. In mostly fine conditions and on slick and true greens, the competition was hard fought with some games going beyond five hours, testing the endurance of some players. The winner was not known until right at the end of the final match and eventually it was Noel Davies from the Eastern Shore Club who came out on top and being undefeated. Ian Bassett from New Town was runner up. As the winner, Noel will represent Tasmania at the AC Gold Medal playoff to be held in Perth, Western Australia in April 2026.
Congratulations Noel and good luck in the national final.

Pictured below: Noel Davies, Ian Smith (Tournament Manager) and Ian Bassett

GOLF CROQUET PENNANT
The Spring Golf Croquet Pennant season has just concluded. The Eastern Shore Division 2 team had an outstanding season and came out on top. Indeed, under the astute captaincy of Greg Jones, the team won all its matches and was simply a class above the opposition.
The team pictured below:
Elaine Anderson, David Higgs, Greg Jones (Captain), Rose Jones, Annabelle Geddes, and Thea Arthur (absent)
Well done and congratulations.

🎄 Pre-Christmas Sale – Association Croquet Rule Books! 🎄

For the month of November, grab your AC Rule Book for just $2.50 + postage & handling!
Available editions:
AC A6
AC A5
AC A5 with Commentary

📧 To order, email: [email protected]

Stock is limited – don’t miss out!