COLCHESTER Croquet Club’s Robert Fulford was a clear winner at the East Anglian Golf Croquet Championship.

Fulford beat the top-ranked British women’s player, Rachel Rowe, in the semi-final held at Colchester Croquet Club in Lexden.

He then beat England squad player Tobi Savage, from Ramsgate, Kent, in the final.

The final was of contrasting styles - Fulford used his stylish playing skills in a rather relaxed manner, while Savage displayed a much more aggressive style.

He included a long, almost mesmeric, addressing of the ball followed by a number of long hard-hitting and largely accurate shots.

The upshot of the tense final was characterised by many long clearance shots of ten yards and more.

Fulford won 7-5 and 7-3, to carry off the Amy Lee Trophy.

The strong entry list for the competition featured a number of highly-ranked players who battled it out over two days on some of the best playing surfaces in the country.

There were many close tussles reflecting that the game had altered slightly as matches became longer, due to the competitors becoming used to the fast playing surface.