Club competitions and tournaments
Please see the Club noticeboard for details of matches in these internal Club competitions:
The Crayke Cup – The Fraser Ross Trophy
The Scarcroft Shield – The High Bisquers Mallet
The Level Play Trophy – The Club Doubles
The Julian Tonks Trophy – The Cromiard Plate
The Twenty20 Challenge
The Crayke Cup competition was established in 1988 when the Club was formed. The final is played on Finals Day. If for any reason a finalist cannot be present, s/he forfeits the place in favour of the defeated semi-finalist, and so on. This is a short lawn, 14-point, full bisque, knockout competition open to all Club members. The games have no time limit.
The Fraser Ross Trophy was established in 1991. It is a full lawn, 26 point, handicap competition played from the Burnett’s variable base*. Games are limited to 3 hours. The final is played on Finals Day. If for any reason a finalist cannot be present, s/he forfeits the place in favour of the defeated semi-finalist, and so on. * Add the two handicaps together and divide by 4. Round down to the nearest half bisque.
The Scarcroft Shield League is an 18 point full lawn handicap league. Bisques will be the difference between the 18 point handicap of the two players. The time limit is 2 hours. The final is played on Finals Day. The 18 points are achieved by starting off with all clips on hoop 1. As soon as one of your balls runs hoop 1 you transfer your other clip to hoop 3 back.
The High Bisquers Mallet is a special competition for new players starting out in croquet. It is a 14-point short lawn league, open to players in their first year of the game. Early games can be played with guidance on hand to answer any queries; the final is normally played on Finals Day and is a highlight of the afternoon.
The Level Play Trophy or Club Championship Cup is the senior Club award. It is a 26 point, full lawn competition, played as a league, without bisques, and following Advanced Rules. Players may, as they choose, agree a time limit before each game or play without a time limit.
The Club Doubles is a light-hearted one-day competition introduced in 1999 in which partners are drawn at random on the day. Club Doubles games are 14-point short lawn and the accent throught is on enjoyment and sociability.
The Julian Tonks Trophy, introduced in 2014, provides a short lawn league competition and offers a ‘next step’ on from the High Bisquers Mallet. It is a 14 point, short lawn, full bisque competition open to Club members with a short lawn handicap of 6 or more. The final is normally played on Finals Day.
The Cromiard Plate, first contested in 2017, provides a welcome opportunity to play full lawn croquet with full lawn rules, but in the shorter 18-point format. The Cromiard Plate is open to players with higher handicaps and the final is normally held on Finals Day.
Finally, The Twenty20 Challenge, the Club’s newest trophy introduced in 2020, is all about participation and enjoyment: simply play friendly Association Croquet games against twenty or more different opponents during the season and get to share the Twenty20 Challenge Cup for the appropriate number of weeks with other winners. Full lawn or short lawn, win or lose, all friendly games count!