Aldershot Traction Bowls and Croquet Club ended its first season with a croquet tournament.

Twenty members competed in a doubles competition organised into two leagues, followed by a knockout competition among the four leading pairs.

Players were awarded extra turns according to their skill level so every player had an equal chance of winning.

Both leagues were fiercely contested and the skill, strategy and tactics of the game were in evidence.

The first league was three-way tie, resolved by hoop difference, and the second league was won by the highest hoop scorers and the lowest hoop scorers.

Both pairs from the first league were eliminated in the semi-finals, leaving Elaine Mason and Bob Blightman and Diana and Brian Small, the highest and lowest scorers, to compete in the final.

The first pair to run seven hoops would win the final.

Diana and Brian Small, the weaker pair, had four extra turns but went into an early commanding lead 5-1 over Mason and Blightman, only using one of them.

It looked like an easy win for them but Mason and Blightman fought back to 5-5, and then took the lead 6-5.

Blightman then executed a tricky jump shot to win the match 7-5 and win the tournament.

Aldershot Traction Bowls and Croquet Club now has nearly 80 members.

Anyone who is interested in joining the club before next season, which will begin in April 2025, can register their interest at https://aldershottractionbowlscroquet.uk/ for further details.