Six croquet clubs from across the East Midlands competed in Ashby’s annual Dixon Shield tournament for teams of three, sponsored by Dixon Engineering Ltd of Swadlincote. This competition often results in a close finish, and this year was no exception with Ashby narrowly emerging as winners in a tight contest.
In the first stage of the competition, the Ashby team of Colin Carr, Christine Mounfield and John Picken finished top of their block after 8 wins and a draw from their 12 singles games. They were followed by Leicester on 7 wins and Derby with two wins and a draw.
Meanwhile, the other block was topped by Bakewell with 7 wins, just ahead of Long Eaton with 6 wins and a draw. Nottingham finished with 4 wins and a draw.
In the final session, each team faced the team finishing in the equivalent position in the opposite block. Ashby won 3-2 (with one draw) against Bakewell, giving Ashby 11 wins and 2 draws overall.
Leicester, despite a late rally, finished the day just behind Ashby on 11 wins and a draw, which secured the Dixon Shield trophy for the home team for the third consecutive year by the narrowest of margins.
The concurrent individual competition for the Dixon Cup was equally close. Ashby’s captain John Picken started well with four emphatic wins, However he failed to maintain his form in the latter stages and in the end had to settle for fourth place after a narrow 4-5 defeat in a crucial final-round game to closest rival Tim Spray of Bakewell.
Tim Spray finished unbeaten with 5 wins and a draw to claim the Dixon Cup. Incidentally, he is the third Tim in a row to win the cup, following victories for Tim King in 2024 and Tim Ash in 2025.
Ashby’s Christine Mounfield performed well throughout and finished as runner-up with 5 wins, followed by Owen Pugh (Leicester) in third place on hoop difference.
Dixon Shield results
1st Ashby (11 wins, 2 draws)
2nd Leicester (11 wins, 1 draw)
3rd Nottingham (9 wins, 1 draw; hoop diff +4)
4th Bakewell (8 wins, 3 draws; hoop diff -11)
5th Long Eaton (7 wins, 2 draws)
6th Derby (3 wins, 1 draw)
Dixon Cup results (top 5)
1st Tim Spray, Bakewell (5 wins, 1 draw)
2nd Christine Mounfield, Ashby (5 wins, hoop diff +18)
3rd Owen Pugh, Leicester (5 wins, hoop diff +11)
4th John Picken, Ashby (4 wins, 1 draw, hoop diff +18)
5th Celia Billau, Nottingham (4 wins, 1 draw, hoop diff +9)
Report from Richard Sanville manager of the tournament
The winning Ashby team of Colin Carr, Chris Mounfield and John Picken