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Isle of Wight: Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s annual centenary cup competition

Sim and Willett star in Centenary Cup

Friday, July 18, 2008
Sim and Willett star in Centenary Cup
John Sim in the Centenary Cup.
Sport/CroquetTHERE was plenty of local interest in Ryde Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club’s annual centenary cup competition, held last weekend.
Five Island players pitted their wits against 11 mainland competitors, who travelled from across the country to be at this prestigious tournament, which also counted as a qualifying round for the Ascot Cup, the national golf croquet championship.
The Island’s best success came courtesy of John Sim, who reached the semi-finals of the competition, and came fourth overall.
And there was more success in the plate competition, when defending plate champion Dave Willett beat Richard Brooks, of Southwick, 7-3 in the final, having overcome Freda Vitty of Auckland, and Ryde player Pam Sim in the earlier rounds.
The format for the competition was two blocks of eight players, playing each other in two 13-loop games to make seven rounds in total.
Despite changeable weather, five rounds were completed on day one, with the remaining two rounds and knock-out rounds played the next day.
John Sim showed tremendous form by beating Keith Webb 10-8 in the quarter-finals, but was defeated by eventual champion Ray Mounfield, from Ashby, in the semi-finals.
John went on to play Nelson Morrow, of Hurlingham, in the third/fourth place playoff and narrowly lost 7-6.
Other Ryde participants were Richard Harris and Robin Thornton.