We farewelled Colin Menzies on Saturday 18 September in glorious weather, after a fine morning's croquet, with cake, pizza, presents, and a great (but Covid-compliant) gathering of his KMCC friends.

As President Mary Stevens said, the club owes Colin an inestimable debt of gratitude for his two and a half years of unstinting effort and time in helping with everything from resetting all the hoops to coaching our players. And this is not forgetting his dedication to the game itself, which saw him sweep the board with wins in local and regional competitions, putting Kelburn firmly on the map for champion-level croquet.

Colin's return to Australia, with his wife Marita, will leave a huge hole in our club, and we hope we see him again some time.

The club gave Colin a commemorative frame photo of himself with a giant table-load of silver trophies won over last summer season, and a piece of Hoglund Glass as a souvenir of New Zealand.

In return, Colin gave us what may be his final words of wisdom for aspring croquet players. As always, they are worth reading and heeding. 

In his two and a half years of playing croquet here, Colin played a lot of AHS Card Games, reducing his initial handicap of 10 to 2 by winning 85 out of 112 singles games, and 25 out of 37 doubles games. He urges other players, no matter what their strengths or styles, to get out of their comfort zones and go sharpen up their game by playing in competitions.

"Also, it's a good way to meet people."

My parting tips on how to improve your game, by Colin Menzies 18 September 2021

Article added: Tuesday 21 September 2021