Historical Notes on Club Competition
Trophies
Many of the club
trophies have been redesignated over
the years for various reasons.
The lists of names above give the
winners of the particular class of
competition rather than the names
shown on each trophy.
In particular, the “A”, “B” and “C”
Class trophies have a common linkage
in that they were all purchased by the
club in 1913 and stored in the vaults
of Barclays Bank, Altrincham, from
1939 until 1976, when it was
discovered that the A Class trophy was
missing, and with it the only record
of prior winners. In
consequence, the old B and C Class
trophies were promoted, and the winner
of the A Class event now holds what
was originally the B Class trophy,
while B Class winners hold the
original C Class trophy.
The trophies still carry the names of
their original holders so that each
carries part of the engraved record of
two competitions. For the sake
of historical record, the winners of
the Class are listed on the various
winners pages. Inspection of the
trophies will show the curious at
which point the transfer was made.
A Class Club Championship Open
B Class
C Class - The Allen Bowl was
presented to the club as a replacement
C Class trophy in 1979 by Mr.
Christopher Hudson (then President,
and member 1973 to date), and drew on
his wife’s maiden name for its
title. From all the above it can
be deduced that the names of the C
Class winners prior to 1979 will be
found on the trophy now held by
winners of the B Class.
D Class
The E Class cup was presented
to the club in 1991 to allow players
of all abilities to enjoy competitive
croquet.
The Silver Box, a silver
cigarette box, was given for handicap
play by Miss N. Ford-Smith in 1930, a
member from 1913 to 1967 (the longest
serving member). She was elected
a member of the club committee from
1915 to 1949, during which time she
was the secretary of the club from
1919 to 1946.
The Gladys Johnson Cup , for
handicap doubles, was presented to the
club in 1966 by the family of Miss
Gladys Johnson as a memorial after her
death, together with a legacy of
£40. Miss Johnson had been a
member of the club from 1914 until her
death in 1966. It was originally
competed for as a doubles prize during
an American Tournament and it became
the club handicap doubles trophy in
1971.
The Short Croquet Tankard was
presented by the club to officially
recognise the development of the small
lawn game. In 2013, in memory of Professor John
Larmouth who died in the summer, Carol
Larmouth has donated to the club a
fine plated cup to be presented to
future Short Croquet winners. The cup
will be known as the John Larmouth
Short Croquet Trophy, and is
engraved as such. The names of winners
since 2000 have already been engraved
on the plinth.
The Fotiadi Novices Silver
Challenge Bowl was given by Mrs.
Alexandra Fotiadi, who was a member
from 1939 until her death in
1990. President of the club from
1972 to 1981, she was for many years
one of the best women players in the
country. Her generosity to the
club over the years in donating cash
sums for various projects, provided
the springboard for its re-generation
in the late 1970s. The term
“Novices” has changed over the years,
ranging as high as handicap 10, but
since the 1990’s covering only
newcomers in their first season.
The Wild Trophies were given
for club competitions in 1989 by Mr.
Colin Wild, who has been a member
since 1983. They were among many
won by Mr. Wild in his days as a
competitive car rally and racing
driver “before the war”.
The Faulkener Cup was
purchased for the winner of the
Championship of the North of England
from a gift by Mrs. Faulkener in
memory of her late husband Ronald
(member 1963-78). At his best he had
been selected to play in the Surrey
Cup (now the Spencer-Ell trophy) and
was the last winner of the old
Northern Championship in 1956 before
its revival at Bowdon in 1971.
The Tollemache Plate was
purchased in 1982 for the 'winner' of
the plate (3rd place) in the Northern
Championships. Its name commemorates
our link with Lord Tollemache who had
been a member from 1920-40. A famous
croquet player in his day, he
entertained royalty to croquet at his
home in Peckforton Castle and wrote a
substantial treatise on the style and
tactics of the game.
The Pidcock Mallets were made by
Prof. Alan Pidcock (member since
1990), maker of the popular Manor
House mallets, and presented for
Handicap Doubles in the Northern
Championship week.
The Millenium Candlesticks were
given in 2000/01 by the Honorary Club
Secretary Mr. Martin Granger Brown
(member 1969-73 and and since 1981) as
a trophy for the Northern Open
Doubles, the only Club competition he
had ever won!
The Peterson Cup was given by
Mrs. Heather Peterson (1984-97) as a
challenge trophy for the June Advanced
weekend.
The Reed Cup was given in 1922
by Mr. and Mrs. H A Reed (members
1914-29) for the Open A Class singles
in the Club's main tournament.
Between 1981-90 this splendid
trophy marked the handicap singles at
the Northern week and from 1992 the
May handicap weekend.
The Lines Trophies were
given in 2002 by Mrs. Ailsa Lines
for the new club 14-point
competitions inaugurated in that
year. A member since 1993 and a past
winner of the CA Ladies' Steel and
Barlow Bowls, Mrs. Lines became the
highest ranked UK player in 2002.
The Colin Wild Plate was given
in 2015 by Mr.s Elizabeth Wild in memory
of Colin Wild, a club member since 1983,
for the new club Silver Plate
competition for first round losers of
the Silver Box competition. Colin was a
well liked and respected member of the
club who won a number of club
competitions including: B Class, C
Class, Handicap Doubles and
Novices Trophy.
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