Canterbury pair take national golf croquet title in Havelock North

Podium finishers in the Croquet NZ Golf Croquet Championships doubles competitions. Photo / Supplied

The first part of the national Golf Croquet Championships at the Heretaunga Croquet Club in Havelock North wrapped up on Tuesday evening with Canterbury pair Joshua Winter and Levi Franks taking the doubles title.

They finished top of 14 entries, with Paul Kaiser (Manawatu Wanganui) and Robbie Spooner (Wellington) coming second and another Canterbury pair in Duncan Dixon and Vienna Van Hees Wyck coming third.

Vienna van Heeswyck and her partner Duncan Dixon finished third overall. Photo / Paul Taylor

Winter successfully defended his title from the 2020 doubles nationals which he won with a different partner.

Canterbury also triumphed in the Bowl competition, with twins Miles and James Duggan winning over runners-up Dennis Bulloch and Nicholas Flood (both Manawatu Wanganui), and third placed John Christie (Thames Valley) and Nelson Morrow (Auckland).

There was some silverware for the hosting Hawke's Bay club too, with Heretaunga pair Tony Stephens and Thomas Monteith claiming the Plate over runners-up Jessica and Brian Bullen, a father-daughter pair from Wellington, and Nicola Clement and Leila Martin (South Taranaki) who came third.

Hawke's Bay pair Thomas Monteith, left, and Tony Stephens won the Plate competition. Photo / Paul Taylor

Half of the 28 total players in the doubles event are under 21 years of age.

One matchup saw a pair with a combined age of 98 take on a pair with a combined age of just 34.

The singles competition with 27 entries started on Wednesday and continues through until Sunday.