Doubles delight as Sharkey and Glenys Ryan claim a dominant victory in paired event

Despite the scorching weather in Geraldton, a croquet power couple claimed a dominant win in the club’s doubles tournament over the weekend. With temperatures soaring well north of 40C, the Geraldton Croquet Club moved to early start times across the weekend. But that didn’t stop one couple from running hot as Sharkey and Glenys Ryan surged to a big victory. Pairs were made up based on combined handicaps being 12-plus in order to make for an even competition but the Ryans were the class of the field. After a close 7-5 loss to the usually dominant pairing of Paul Christmass and Cheryl Samborski, the Ryans went on to win their next six games in a row. Their path to victory was all but confirmed before their final game after Christmass and Samborski fell twice in what was an inconsistent weekend for the champion pair. The Ryans finished two wins clear of the next best and with a fantastic plus-16 net hoops. Christmass and Samborski held on for second despite a loss in their final game with four wins from seven after their plus-7 hoops, with Paul Dodson and Mary Van de Wyngaard completing the podium with four wins and plus-2 hoops. Jeanette Featherby and Tony Temby also had four wins but finished on an even 0 net hoops to just miss out on a podium finish.