Croquet Communiqué
AGM and Prize-giving
On Saturday, 2nd November 2019, the AGM, Prize-giving and tea took place in the Fountain and Garden Rooms of the Clubhouse. Possibly the best-attended meeting was enjoyed by all, with three quarters of the section present.
Prizes were presented by Douglas Gurney, and the Chairman, Peter Honey, and the Captain, Mike Pattison, gave their Annual Reports and questions taken from the floor.
Whether it was the Prize-giving, Chairman’s and Captain’s Reports or the sandwiches and cake, we will never know, and we were delighted so many came for the afternoon. See pictures below.
The Retiring Chairman, Peter Honey, presented this doggerel:
Farewell
Becoming your chairman was never my aim
There was no one else so Chair I became
The burdens of high office have taken their toll
But I convinced myself it was good for my soul
To be honest it’s been a small price to pay
For running the committee and having my say
And sorting people when they stepped out of line
And fixing the minutes so they read just fine
And delegating things I didn’t want to do
And calming people when they got in a stew.
However plain sailing it hasn’t always been
Being chairman means that as soon as you’re seen
People bend your ear and tend to complain
‘The lawns get puddles in the rain’
‘More milk and biscuits should be bought’
‘People are using our toilet when they didn’t ought’
‘The lawns aren’t level and they are scuffed’
‘The hoops are too tight and I am stuffed’
I had to learn to put grumbles aside
It was either that or I’d have to hide.
Mistakes I admit there have been a few
Too many to mention to the likes of you!
We did our best to sort things out
Of that you cannot surely doubt
Some decisions have been a bit fraught
But the fairest solution we always sought
‘It’s poor governance’ some complained
But focused and steadfast we remained
Both the committee and Roehampton staff
Have worked really hard on your behalf.
The most challenging time I expect you can guess
Was when with our lawns they tried to mess
We all campaigned to get minds changed
And the Club’s master plan was rearranged
So lawns 3 and 4 are here to stay
To which we all say a loud hurray
And now lawns 1 and 2 have splendid lights
We can play matches on winter nights
The challenge however is to increase our number
And before that’s done we cannot slumber.
And now it’s time for me to exit
Freeing up time to fret about Brexit
Thanks for putting up with me
I’ve enjoyed myself as you can see
But after three years I’ve done my whack
And now it’s time for a change of tack
Back to playing croquet without distractions
Oblivious to gripes and interactions.
Peter Honey
November 2019
Floodlit Golf Croquet Matches
– Thursday 14th November at 5pm, Roehampton v. Dulwich
– Thursday 28th November, Roehampton v. Cheam, (time TBC)