2nd Egyptian Open Golf Croquet Championship - Cairo - 1-6 October 2006
Mark McInerney, Evan Newell and Simon Williams ‘represented’ Ireland in this, although only Evan produced results that one would care to claim as representative! Mark and Simon each came last in their respective blocks. The event was well-run, and deemed a success by all. We visitors – also from England, South Africa and the U.S.A. – were very well looked after by our host Amir Ramsis (shokran giddan to him, and to Hanni and Joseph from Mass Travel), and were honoured to meet his wife, the elusive Mona, at a lunch at their impressive new home, prepared and served by Mona, Hoha and Kareem.
All play took place after dark, as this was during Ramadan. The Egyptian balls, aparantly, were to blame for all the foreign mallets breaking during the week, but I have brought back a stock of robust Egyptian mallet heads (full weight) to guard against this in the future.
The usually frenzied rush of Cairo was damped a little by Ramadan, and lunch was available only in the big hotels; and with the nights taken up with croquet, there was little ‘going native’. Evan and Linda have continued their stay in Aswan, to be followed by a cruise on Lake Nasser.
Ahmed el Mahdi was a new and popular Champion, defeating Mohammad Nasr in an exciting five-game final. The best of the visitors was John Spiers, a newcomer from England, who reached the quarter-final, as did Reg Bamford.
Simon Williams