LOCAL croquet players took on some of the world's best in what has been a successful international croquet tournament in North Yorkshire.

It may look like a chance to relax in a deckchair and enjoy some Pimms, but an international sporting contest has been fought out on the pleasant lawns of the Ripon Spa Hotel over the past few days.

The Yorkshire International Open Golf Croquet Championship finished on Thursday (August 13), after attracting competitors from across the UK and overseas.

Ripon Croquet Club is celebrating 21 years of hosting the global tournament and this year enjoyed a particularly notable contest when home-grown players took on some of the world’s leading croquet players.

This year’s contest featured several Egyptian players ranked in the world’s top 20, including a world champion, Salah Hassan.

But Mr Hassan was beaten by a North Yorkshire player, Ted Flexman, a member of Ripon Croquet Club for nine years.

The tournament was won by Amr El Eberie from Egypt, with Chris Sheen from Colchester the only English player to reach the semi-finals. In fifth place was Ripon croquet coach Samantha Thompson.

Another player to do well was Chris Wood, from Belsay Hall cricket club near Morpeth, who has only been coached by Ripon croquet coach Samantha Thompson for half a season.

Liz Clayton, spokeswoman for the tournament said: “Some of the Egyptian players hit the balls at over 50mph. Range Rover, who sponsor the event, have cars parked around the edge of the lawn. Luckily nobody so far has dented one.

“Considering we had lousy weather in July, everything has really come together; the lawns have been beautiful and the weather has been good.”

On August 25, Ripon Spa Hotel Croquet Club will be hosting the very first international gateball tournament in Britain. Gateball was first played in Japan in 1946 and is a form of five-a-side croquet with just three hoops and shorter games.

Teams of five and a non-playing captain who controls the tactics, score a point for hitting each ball through the gate and two points for hitting a goal post.

Gateball has become very popular in the Far East, with around two million devotees in Japan.

The British Open Gateball Championship will take place at the club between Tuesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 27. Taking part will be teams from Japan, Australia and Switzerland, plus two European teams.

As with all the croquet tournaments held at the club spectators are welcome and entry is free.

For further information visit; www.riponspacroquet.com