Phyllis Court start season at prestigious tournament

PHYLLIS Court Croquet Club’s season starts earlier than usual today (Friday) when the club’s A team become the first overseas invitees at the prestigious Copa Giralda tournament at the Real Club Pineda, Seville, Spain.

For the three-day 16-team tournament, Phyllis Court is captained by Rick Lilley for the first time and bolstered by the additional experience of Ian Norris and Roger Goldring, while the improving Michael Marcel has been called up for a first-team debut.

Speaking of the forthcoming tournament this week, Lilley said: “It is hard to over-emphasise the honour that has been bestowed on Phyllis Court with this invitation, for Real Club Pineda is clearly a very prestigious club. The present king’s grandfather used to belong, and somewhere over 60 years ago, a golf competition was started in his name, Copa Giralda de Golf.

“The premise for the competition was to invite the best golfers from other prestigious clubs around Spain.

“Some years later, the Cope Giralda de Bridge was started, with a similar theme, and now in its fourth year, the Copa Giralda de Croquet, with invitations extended only to those clubs with a royal or very close connection and relationship to the host club.

“The decision to invite Phyllis Court came as a direct consequence of Real Club Pineda’s experience at the Henley club last May when they visited for a heat of the European Clubs League. No team from outside Spain has ever been invited to the Copa Giralda before.”

Already having started their personal croquet seasons, Phyllis Court croquet president Frances Colman and former chairman Chris Roberts have been playing in tournaments in South Africa.

Colman scored a last-minute game win over Sue Longcroft in the Western Cape Association Croquet tournament last week but was pushed into second place in her class event after a three-way tie was decided on net hoops.

Roberts won 50 per cent of his class games, and he and Colman had to relinquish their handicap doubles title when they narrowly missed the cut for the semi-finals.