Croquet Communique
Mike Pattison
Very sadly, just before Christmas, Mike Pattison, our Captain, died in hospital after a long illness. Mike was a wonderful supporter and friend to so many of us and to the croquet section as a whole. Click here to read Mike’s obituary The section is thriving with great attendance at the various roll ups, internal competitions and with a steady flow of new members such that the section’s membership stands at 300. When Janine and I started to play croquet, Mike was full of encouragement and support and it is thanks to him that I have such a love for and interest in the game. It is, therefore, a special honour to have been appointed the new Captain here at Roehampton Club. Mike did such a lot and contributed so much that it will be a very hard act to follow. Nevertheless, I will do my very best to continue to support and encourage all forms of croquet both at the Club and outside it, to help everyone play to the very best of their abilities and to enjoy a wonderful game in a friendly and supportive atmosphere.
The Mike Pattison Cup
I am particularly pleased that in recognition of Mike’s huge contribution to the croquet section over the last decade, the Club have announced, in his honour, the Mike Pattison Cup which will be awarded to the winner of a new Croquet England A series GC tournament to be hosted annually at Roehampton Club in May. I hope that many of us will compete in the competition in his honour:
In recognition of Mike’s huge contribution to the croquet section over the last decade, the Club is proud to announce in his honour – The Mike Pattison Cup – which will be awarded to the winner of a new external GC A Series tournament to be hosted at Roehampton Club. One of the last decisions Mike approved was the hosting of this new event. We are therefore delighted that this tournament will now have a trophy named the Mike Pattison Cup.
This competition forms part of the Croquet England National A Series events held around the country for players with a D grade of less than 2000 (handicaps 0-3). This will be held at Roehampton Club on 20-21 May 2026 during the summer tournament week. This will attract a strong field and will be a great spectator event, being one level beneath the Championship Level. This was the level Mike aspired to play, and we believe this is a fitting tribute to our inspirational Captain and most enthusiastic supporter.
We encourage Roehampton Club Members within this handicap range to enter through the Croquet England website when the fixtures calendar goes live in February. Allocation will be done by D grade. We look forward to hosting and watching this exciting new tournament as a great tribute to Mike and all he has done for our croquet section and Roehampton Club.
Charlotte Oades
Croquet Chair
Lawn closures and the weather
Mike was very keen to include pictures of players and events in his updates but recently, these would have shown frozen lawns, torrents of rain falling and flooded lawns. Sadly, this has resulted in the need to close all our lawns for long periods to avoid serious damage to the deep roots of the grass. Chris Hughes, the Head Groundsman, has done an excellent job of explaining to everyone the issues with this sort of weather and the need to protect the lawns. All our members have been very understanding and patient with the closures for which we are very grateful. As well as the short-term closures due to the weather, we continue with the lawn maintenance rotation and we thank everyone for supporting the grounds staff in their efforts to give us the best lawns in the country.
Winter competitions
As we enter the new year and begin playing again, I would like to encourage people to not only enter but play in the two rainbow competitions. Both have got off to a good start, particularly the new One Ball rainbow but we want to see as many games played as possible and a grand shoot out at the end of the winter to determine the winners. Remember that neither now affects your handicap so are ideal ways to start playing competitively ready for the summer.
Coaching
Our coaching programme will begin its second phase in March and April and a reminder of what is available will be issued shortly. In the meantime, we are continuing with our coached GC games which have proved very popular.
Committee appointments
As well as Charlotte and I taking on new roles in the section as Chair and Captain, I am delighted to welcome Libby Dand as a new member of the Committee. Libby has previously held positions on both the Bridge Committee as well as the Roehampton Club Board of Directors and brings a wealth of hospitality and finance experience to our committee. The Committee is currently working on a strategic plan to shape what we plan to do in the future and we look forward to sharing this with everyone in due course.
Once again, I am grateful for the honour of being appointed Captain and I wish you all the very best for the New Year.