The Latest News
From our Secretary - John Hannah

CYD Croquet Club News

 

 Weekly News No 8……17/5/2026

 

The bad news is the weather is not so good and last Wednesday’s Round Robin had to be postponed until Wednesday 27th May. The new notice is up on the noticeboard for signing up again please.

The good news is that we have switched the Border Trophy Club day on Thursday 4th June against Tattenhall to a home match at CYD with the return at Tattenhall on Tuesday September 29th.  The notice seeking  our team of a dozen players, in this level play golf doubles contest will be chosen from those wanting to play, but we will have to choose our strongest possible team available on the day. The notice seeking  players will be on the noticeboard this Sunday morning.

 

The very good news is that we have received five returned quotations from our tender list for the Croquet Community pavilion. We are currently asking the leading contenders for more logistical information and to breakdown their costs into identifiable elements of the build before making a final choice, but we may have to delay some of the ‘bells and whistles’ we want in the final project. We expect to make a final decision within the next week or so.

 

We have accepted a request from the local Phoenix Club for a Group visit on the evening of Thursday 11th June.

 

You will very soon see a new metal shed erected on the pathway alongside the Queen’s Road boundary. This will take the hoop/ball trolleys and club mallets when the contractor takes over the old clubhouse. You will also see sections of the fence alongside the paved path alongside our garden area being removed in anticipation of moving the green metal shed. The fence will disappear completely as part of the project.

 

The draws have been made for our club handicapping Golf long and short lawn knockout singles competitions and can be viewed here: 

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    Please check that your entries are included ASAP.  There are 4/5 blank places available in each competition.  If there is something wrong, or you are not down on the two lists to play, but you now want to, let me know by Monday afternoon as the  competitions go live on Tuesday 19th May when these sheets will be posted on the clubhouse noticeboards. Remember that once the contractor starts, we lose the clubhouse and noticeboard and we must rely on updating information on the website. You will have to send me the scores of your matches by email for me to update the progress on the two competitions.

 

Cheers   John Sec

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Weekly News No 7 ... 10/5/2026

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Weekly New No 6... 5/5/2026

 

Hi there CYD Croquet Club members.

 

Last week was full of nice weather and large gatherings of  'us lot' at the club AGM and playing on the lawns. 

 

 Please take a look (especially if you were unable to attend) 

at the following

 

1)  The Draft AGM minutes approved for distribution by the Chairman for presentation at next year's AGM inApril 2027!   

2)  The Chairman's report of last year's activities; thanks to specific helpers; update on the Community Pavilion project etc  

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Both the be found on the AGM Agenda page :

 

 

The next event is the Round Robin on 13th May. The last time I looked at the list there were still a few places to fill in. If you can't play a full day, we may be able to fit you in for just the morning or afternoon, so let me know if that would work for you? Let's hope for super weather like we had for the Duke's Trophy last week  see:- The Dukes Trophy

 

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Weekly New No 5... 26/4/2026

 

There has been just one written question for Chairman Roy to answer at the AGM on  Wednesday 29th April.

Please be sat down ready to start the meeting in Room 1 of the Community Centre at 1.55 pm

 

All the documents for the AGM are available for download on the Agenda

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Upcoming Competitions

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The Club Dukes Trophy Competition (see:  The Dukes Trophy 2025)  takes place this week on Thursday 30th April. There is a £3.00 entry fee taken on the day. All players to be ready at 9.45 please for a 10.00 am start.

 Please advise Roy Haley asap  if you are not able to attend."   Tel : 01492 546797.  royandbetty@hotmail.co.uk

 

"Lists are now on the notice board for our two handicapped Golf singles competitions,

Long Lawn President's and Short lawn Chairman's Cups.

Anyone having a good day, with a bit of luck, can win these competitions with the Advantage handicapping system in play! There is a £3.00 entry fee for both which you should pay by Bacs or cash in the envelope clubhouse system as you sign the listed forms.

The lists will be taken down on 13th May, (Round Robin Day),

the draw will be later that week, with Preliminary and First rounds posted by Wednesday 20th May for playing before June 39th".

 

Regards and best wishes ; let the sun keep shining...........................John Sec.

 

 

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Weekly News No. 4- 19th April 2026  (Edited)

 

​​The finalised Croquet Club Community Pavilion design has now gone out to tender to the requisite number of interested, competent contractors. Responses are expected by mid May and building commencement by the chosen company ASAP thereafter.

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Cheers    John Sec

 

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Weekly News No. 3- 2026

 

Hi there CYD Croqueters -   We now have 50 playing members who have paid their annual fee so far…..But…..Where are the other 20 who intend joining?

 

You must be paid up to attend the AGM at the Community Centre Room 1 at 1.50 pm on Wednesday 29th April!!??

 

We promised the membership at last year's AGM that we would bring forward a new Constitution for the club since ours was old fashioned and unwieldy.

The history of our constitution started when our founding members some 13 years ago, who mostly came from Llanfairfechan Croquet Club, simply adopted a similar document to that in place at Llanfairfechan, with name changes 'to protect the innocent'?? Since then it has basically been expanded by myself adding lots of stuff to do with policies which shouldn't really sit in a constitution but we had nowhere else suitable for them to live.

We are very fortunate to have some members far more experienced in these quasi legal matters than me, Alison and Roy, and I am delighted to give you all a copy of the new constitution which we will put to membership for adoption at the AGM.

Alison has been responsible for the drafting, aided and abetted by Roy and my old cobbled version of a constitution.

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​​We still have some more work to do in committee to sort out where we put our working policies, but they also need to be modernised and held on the website.

The Constitution will be permanently held on our website for any viewer to see and you can download and print the proposed -  from this news release, by highlighting the whole constitution and printing it off yourselves or downloading it from the word document link at the top of the page. 

This new constitution will be put to the AGM on April 29th, where we need a 2/3 majority of paid-up members present to adopt same.

Then over the next few months we can ensure all our policies and procedures are reviewed by the Committee and fit for purpose as we move into a new and exciting chapter of the Club, building our new Community pavilion. The policies and procedures are the responsibility of our Committee and do not need AGM approval.

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THE SHERATON CUP

If you haven’t already heard, Helen Walker won the ‘Sheraton Cup’ beating me on the Golden Hoop in her semi-final and Jeff in the final! She was behind me for the first 11 hoops before drawing level at 6-6 before she played her ‘Coup de grass!’ and it was unlucky 13 ‘poor moi!’  She followed that victory by leading Jeff a merry dance teasing him to draw level at 6-6 before sticking a dagger in the back of his hoop 13!!! I totally blame Jeff for giving her extra lessons and coaching.

The grandstand erupted in tears of joy whilst Chairman Roy invited host Michael Smee who with great pleasure crowned Helen the worthy winner and presented her with the trophy!!

Take a look at the photos and Jeff's version of events:- see  -  Sheraton Cup

 

SOCIAL SUNDAY

Do we have a volunteer for next Sunday afternoon’s golf doubles drop-in?

 

LISTS ON THE NOTICE BOARDS

Lists for players in the Dukes Trophy on 30th April and the First Round Robin on 13th May are currently on the notice boards. First come, first served for playing slots.

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Easter Sunday 5th April 2026

 

​Please pay your membership fee if you haven’t done so already!

Membership fees are due on or after Wednesday 1st April as well! 2026 Membership Fees:-Membership fees are due in early April, (not before for Bacs payments) and must be paid before the AGM which is in the CYD Community Centre on Wednesday April 29th. The 2026 playing fees agreed by your management committee are £110 for club members to be registered with Croq E; £100 for members paying their Croq E fee through another club (eg Llanfairfechan); £70 for Country members including their Croq E registration or £60 for Country members already paying their Croq E fee elsewhere. Young players of school age, college students and those who seek assistance with the fees, should raise the matter with a committee member

.Payment can be made in cash using our envelope and post-box system in the club house or preferably electronically by Bacs, to Craig Y Don Croquet Club; dated 1st April 2026; HSBC account number 31747339; sort code 40-30-07. Please make sure you write your name and amount you are paying on the outside of the envelope and your name plus the reference CYD Croq. in the Bacs reference system.

If you are paying by cash please post the envelope in the club post-box from now.

 

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Monday and Tuesday Training Mornings 

As happened last year, those members who wish to learn and/or improve their skill at Association Croquet, should attend the lawn on Monday mornings by 10.30 am, when Association croquet has the priority for the morning session. I will be taking a group on Tuesday mornings of new members and existing, who wish to follow an eight-week induction on how our club was formed, how it is run, health and safety versus perceived risks etc and basic golf skills. Basic golf skills will include playing with secondary balls, playing on the long lawn and Advantage handicapping for competitive club games. I will be taking a maximum of eight trainees, those with least experience. If you want to take part, please let me now by email in advance, johmhannah@gmail.com (The spelling of john as johm is deliberate!) This will start at 10.00 am this coming Tuesday weather permitting. Two long lawns will be laid out. To begin with, one is likely to be spare, so other club members can come and play golf doubles on a long lawn, but I may ask them to take a novice or two into their game to offer some tips, tricks and coaching!

 

As you know we are not taking part in a league this year, so the whole lawn is divided into two long lawns which make four short (1/2 sized) lawns. There is no overlap, so the lawns are slightly smaller than last year. There is a strip of lawn alongside the garden area which can be divided by eye in half providing two even smaller lawns for shooting and jump shot practice and are perfectly adequate for fun games of croquet. We have three sets of push in hoops hanging on the rafters of the clubhouse that you can use for that purpose!

 

We have a number of functions coming at us fast. Put your name down ASAP if you want to play in the open events. These are:-

 

Next Thursday 9th April, The semi-finals and final of the Sheraton Cup for winter croquet. Taking place at ‘Sheraton’, Craigside. Gathering at 10.00 am for a 10.30 am start. Refreshments are being provided. (No charge for this event)

 

This is the required notice given to you members of the club’s 2026 AGM (see draft agenda at the end of this news article) at 1.45 pm on Wednesday 29th April in room 1 of the CYD Community Centre. Refreshments will be available from the croquet clubhouse after the AGM at circa 3.30 pm. (no charge for this event)

 

Next day, Thursday 30th April. The Dukes Trophy.

A Singles, Level Play (no handicaps), One Ball, Golf Croquet, Short Lawn, Knockout Competition - with a plate prize for those knocked out in the first round. (See The Dukes Trophy 2025) All members are invited to sign up and take part on a ‘First come, First served’ basis. Cost to enter £3.00. The list to enter will be going on the notice boards at 12 noon on Tuesday 7th April.

Wednesday 13th May brings the first of our two ‘Round Robin’ competitions. Take a look at last year’s success on

-Round Robin-21st-may-2025 Cost to enter £3.00. The list to enter will be going on the notice boards by 2.00 pm on Thursday 9th April.

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