EALING Croquet Club secretary Alain Giraud is safely through to the last 32 of the World Croquet Championship.
Giraud was one of two players from the Ealing outfit to enter the preliminary round of the tournament held chiefly at the Surbiton Croquet Club in London.
Nigel Polhill, who came close in the qualifying competition for the last four places up for grabs, agonisingly missed the cut at the weekend.
The preliminary stage involved 80 players from more than 20 countries across the globe.
Despite the quality on show, Giraud had no problem navigating the multi-national field, storming through to the main draw of the competition.
The top four from each of eight leagues went through to round one of the main tournament on Tuesday and Giraud could not have been handed a much tougher draw for his opening game.
He was drawn against the young Australian Robert Fletcher, ranked number two in the world, and the favourite showed his class early on, taking a seven-hoop lead after Giraud had hit just a single shot.
Giraud performed admirably despite their 70-place difference in the rankings, but the Aussie soon moved into a 1-0 lead, showcasing some of his exceptional hitting.
The second game was far closer, with both players showing some nerves and offering opportunities for the other.
Giraud had his chances to send the tie to a third and deciding game, but eventually succumbed to his higher ranked opponent, losing 2-0 in what was a best of three format.
But all is not lost for Giraud as he now goes forward into a second knockout competition, with both tournaments’ finals on Sunday August 18.
