Kyabram local Trevor Bassett emerged victorious from the NSW Croquet Men’s Championship, ending a nine-year drought of wins.
The tournament, held from Friday, May 17 to Sunday, May 19 at the Cooks River Croquet Club in Tempe NSW, found themselves with the Kyabram local in their midst.
Entering the event, Bassett aimed not only to add another championship trophy to his collection but also to achieve the milestone of 1000 triple peels.
The objective of a triple peel is to “peel” the opposition’s ball all the way around the lawn, before pegging your ball through the last three hoops and thus winning the match.
Only four people in the world had achieved 1000 triple peels in their career so far, and Trevor was determined to be the fifth.
Despite a bit of drizzle on Saturday, it was perfect condition on the green for Bassett to pursue his goal.
“Going into the event I needed eight more triples – but, I hadn’t done eight triples in a tournament in over five years,” Bassett said.
“I used to do it regularly 20 years ago, but nowadays, I’m lucky if I get a couple,” he said.
On the first two days, Bassett achieved three out of four triple peels, sparking his belief that he could reach his goal.
“I started to think I could make it a reality, but Sunday was also the grand final, so there was a bit more pressure,” he said.
When the grand final rolled around, you could say that Bassett knocked it out the park.
He not only won the grand final, securing his fifth championship trophy, but also achieved his 1000th triple peel, becoming the fifth person in the world to do so.
“I’ve been getting messages from people I’ve played with from all around the world, and from people I haven't spoken to in six months to two years - so, yeah there’s been a pour of support,” he said.
It was the fourth time that Bassett had won the NSW Men’s Singles Championship - the last being 2015 – and Bassett said it was a “relief to break the drought.”
Bassett will continue his rise back in croquet when he travels to Adelaide in July for a tournament.
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