2018 Croquet News Volume 1

CroquetNews Grand Prix Winner

Randy Cardo

The Official Magazine of the United States Croquet Association | 2018 Volume 1

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CroquetNews

Features

United by Croquet Stories

courtside

2018 Volume 1

12 | 2018 USCA Club Directory 18 | Lighting a Croquet Court 22 | 2018 USCA Club Teams 26 | 2018 Collegiate Nationals 28 | 2018 AC Laws Nationals 30 | 2017 GC Nationals 31 | 2017 GC Club Teams 33 | 2018 Florida GC Regional 34 | Club Profile: Mission Hills Croquet Club 36 | Member Profile: Randy Cardo

Departments 03 | Courtside with Sara Low 05 | The Clubhouse 08 | New Membership 38 | Let’s Talk Tactics: Hoop 2 40 | The Inbox 43 | Events Calendar

Credits On The Cover: USCA Player of the Year Randy Cardo.

Photo by Bev Cardo.

Publisher: Dylan Goodwin | uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com

We received many letters thanks to the Winter 2018 issue of Croquet News.

History of the USCA sparked comments from readers who took pleasure in learning about our past, reliving the early days and growth of the organization and adding stories or facts that we did not cover. Isn’t it wonderful that croquet can be enjoyed on the courts as well as from an armchair?

The USCA story brings out my own.

My first lesson in American Six Wicket Croquet took place in Central Park.

Green grass, white clothing, the four colored balls placed just so. There was a stillness on the New York Croquet Club lawn that muffled the sound and activity being played in the park outside the club gates.

Two courts were set: The one for my lesson with gleaming wickets pounded into the ground; tall, heavy mallets of the sport standing nearby and colorful flags in each corner – blue, red, black, yellow.

I was excited. Introduced to an indoor wicket shoot during the previous winter, I had waited weeks for the season to open so croquet lessons could begin. As I took in the sights and sensation, my eyes were drawn to the other court. Set differently and yet the same: green grass, six steel wickets, but all the corner flags were black. My instructor, the President of the New York Croquet Club, Michael Charrier, had set the court this way, the only time in the club’s history, in honor of Jack Osborn, the man responsible for bringing modern croquet to America and for founding the United States Croquet Association. A historic occasion in croquet, this was the day that Jack Osborn had died.

Editor: Julie Jantzer-Ward

Even if I hadn’t been taken by the sport, its many rules and complex strategy, I fell in love with croquet first for its traditions and then the beautiful experience of honoring the man who had made the game possible for us.

Art Director: Brandy Ferguson

Forty years ago, Jack Osborn and a group of people who became legends gave us a game and an organization.

Contributors: Joyce Baillargeon, Micah Beck, Cheryl Bromley, Bev Cardo, Randy Cardo, Chris Clarke, Bob Kroeger, Sara Low, Carlton H. Maybee, Leo Nikora, John C. Osborn, Jennifer Othen, Ursula Peck, Eric Sawyer, Jeff Soo, Rich Watson, Linda Vavra, Terry Vavra

Today the organization has grown to include three other games of croquet, the sport is played at all levels of competition and we are looking forward to 40 new years of history. Croquet News made note of all this and encouraged its readers to add their own experiences.

Inquiries

Keep the stories coming and please, continue to create more.

Sara Low

USCA President | president@uscroquet.com

Please submit all inquiries and stories to uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com.

Text should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file and photos need to be FULL resolution (300 dpi). All content may be edited for length and photos will be adjusted appropriately. Croquet News is produced three times per year and is distributed as a benefit to USCA membership. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the expressed permission of the publisher. Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USCA.

© 2018 United States Croquet Association

croquetamerica.com | 3

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TheClubhouse insider news from the united states croquet association

A WELL-DESERVED RETIREMENT

On January 31, 2018, Shereen Hayes retired from her position as USCA Executive Manager. Hayes had been with the USCA since 1995 after starting as a bookkeeper with the organization. Over her 22 years, she worked with seven USCA presidents and was integral in managing the finances, reporting and staff for the organization. In recognition of her contribution, she was inducted into the US Croquet Hall of Fame in 2015.

USCA Management Committee ________________________ President Sara Low president@uscroquet.com First Vice President Damon Bidencope damonbidencope@bidencope.com Second Vice President Don Oakley inquiries@oakleywoods.com Treasurer Steve Mossbrook steve.mossbrook@cerento.com Secretary Carla Rueck cprueck@aol.com United States Croquet Association (USCA) 700 Florida Mango Road West Palm Beach, FL 33406 Tel. (561) 478-0760 Fax (561) 686-5507 Email: usca@msn.com Website: www.croquetamerica.com ________________________ REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS Florida Gene Raymond (919) 612-3366 generaymond1@gmail.com

WHO AM I?

I took up rowing in high school. Maybe that’s why I’m so good at swinging sticks?

I majored in zoology in college, so when I’m at your party or tournament, and say, “What a zoo,” I give an entirely new meaning to that phrase.

After I left college, I rocked a fab ponytail. Remember, I like zoos (get it: ponytail?). To add some adventure, I also took up hang gliding and rock climbing.

But I needed more thrills and adventures, so I took up croquet!

Remember, I like swinging sticks.

I’ve won many national titles, and I’ve travelled internationally with my croquet stick. One of my favorites was taking a game off Robert Fulford on my 40th birthday!

But I’m just as proud when I take a beautiful photograph in nature. So, while I may come to your tournament, and will probably win it, you should be more flattered if you find yourself in one of my artistic pics!

Can you guess, Who Am I? See answer on page 42.

Mid-Atlantic Timothy Rapuano (201) 887-0787 in9inches@gmail.com Midwest Russell S. Dilley (317) 903-6852 rs.dilley@comcast.net Northeast Patricia Spratt (860) 227-7297 psprattct@aol.com Southeast Macey White (804) 832-2824 maceywhite@gmail.com Western Jim Hanks (707) 696-9153 jamesjhanks@gmail.com ________________________ USCA STAFF Tournament Services Jennifer Othen tournament@uscroquet.com Membership Coordinator Ursula Peck membership@uscroquet.com Bookkeeper Janice Arroyo admin@uscroquet.com www.CroquetAmerica.com croquetamerica.com | 5

TheClubhouse insider news from the united states croquet association

2018 TEAM USA SOLOMON ROSTER

The Solomon Trophy test series between Great Britain and the US is one of the premier croquet competitions in the world. This year’s edition will take place at the Surbiton Club in London, England, August 7-10, 2018. The USCA Selection Committee has announced the six-player team that will represent the US. The 2018 team is Ben Rothman (Calif.), Matthew Essick (N.C.), Stephen Morgan (Vir.), Danny Huneycutt (N.C.), Stuart Lawrence (N.Y.) and Sherif Abdelwahab (R.I.). Alternates are Peter Bach (1st), Jim Bast (2nd), Macey White (3rd) and Simon Jenkins (4th).

The Solomon Trophy is named for English croquet legend John Solomon, and the first test in the series occurred in 1985 as part of the USCA Challenge Cup Series. It quickly evolved to become a dedicated series between the US and Great Britain and 1988 was the first year that today’s actual trophy was awarded. Great Britain leads the series 21-2 and, after a pair of US victories in 2009 and 2011, Great Britain is on a four-test winning streak. The series is held every year except during years that the MacRobertson Shield is contested.

Prior to the event, the Surbiton Club will host the annual Championship of Surrey, August 4-6, 2018, providing an ideal warmup for the Solomon Trophy test.

EMAIL BLASTS As a club benefit, the USCA will send out one email blast per club per calendar year to help promote your USCA sanctioned tournament. Please send the file as a Microsoft WORD document or a jpeg (photo) file — we cannot send any attachments or pdf files. Any additional email blasts will be $55.00 each.

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USCA ANNOUNCES CHAMPION’S PURSE The Championship Flight winner of each American Rules (Six Wicket) Regional will receive a purse of $200 to be used to offset entry fees in the next National Championship in that discipline: American (US), Association Croquet (AC) and Golf Croquet (GC).

The money (purse) granted from this program is generated by donations. A donor has come forward to sponsor the US Six Wicket Regionals for 2018.

For this year, the USCA is offering Champions’ Purses for the winners of the US Six Wicket Regionals, and the USCA is looking for donors to sponsor the AC and GC Champions’ Purses.

The Champion’s Purse will be administered through the USCA office. The purse will be subtracted from the National Championship entry fee for the Champion’s Purse winner. The purse is not cumulative. Only one purse may be won by one individual in each discipline (US, AC, GC) per year.

The purse is not transferable to another person or another discipline and if not used will be returned to the fund for distribution to a Champion’s Purse winner in the next year.

The Champion’s Purse program is intended to promote the sport of croquet in the USA by increasing participation in the USCA Regional Tournaments. This program is the brainchild of Chris Barley and he has seeded the fund with an initial donation of $2000 in support of the US Six Wicket Champion’s Purse. If successful in 2018, the USCA will look at continuing the program for future years.

NEW RVPs IN FLORIDA AND MIDWEST Regional Vice President elections for Florida and the Midwest were concluded in March. In Florida, Gene Raymond from Venice, Fla., takes over for outgoing RVP Ron Huxtable and in the Midwest, Russ Dilley from Fishers, Ind., takes the place of Matt Griffith.

USCA INSTRUCTOR AND REFEREE CERTIFICATION PROGRAMS

Becoming a USCA Certified Instructor or Referee is a great way to get more involved in the croquet world and increase one’s expertise in the sport of croquet. Referees are essential to the USCA and help resolve questions during play about rules. Instructors are needed to help train and develop players. The USCA certifies referees and instructors as Class 1 (National Level), Class 2 (Regional Level) or Class 3 (Club Level) for each type of game (American, Association Croquet or Golf Croquet). Individuals interested in becoming an instructor or referee should contact the USCA office at USCA@msn.com. The USCA website includes a list of all instructors and referees. You can access these lists through the “Members Only” portal. As a new feature, you can search for referees by state, type or name. Please contact the office if you see any errors or omissions.

HIGHLANDS SHOOTOUT II Fresh off our highly successful “Highlands Shootout,” Highlands Falls Country Club is proud and excited to offer another spectacular croquet event to our membership and the surrounding communities. The “Highlands Shootout II” will be a competitive golf croquet tournament between top Egyptian players and top American players.

Mohammad Kamal of Pasadena, Calif., was instrumental in the invitation to the Egyptian players from the Highlands Falls Country Club and the United States. Amir Ramsis Naguib, President of the World Croquet Federation as well as the Egyptian Croquet Federation, will accompany a team of the top four Egyptian players. The top American players include Jeff Soo, Sherif Abdelwahab, David Maloof and Matthew Essick. Play will include both singles and doubles. Soo will be the tournament director, and Damon Bidencope will be the moderator for the event.

PASSAGES Conrad Ahrens The Chattooga Club

Lloyd Bowers, Jr. At Large Member

William Harbach Palm Beach Croquet Club, HOF

Barry C. Kay At Large Member

Charles Lazarus National Croquet Club, HOF

Bill McClanahan Highlands Strikers Croquet Club

An added feature to the shootout this year will be a ProAm, which is being organized

by Michael Albert of the Cedar Creek Croquet Club. This will pair players of different clubs on the plateau with the top American and Egyptian players for an afternoon doubles tournament. Some of the proceeds from this event will go to defray travel expenses of the American GC team to next year’s GC Worlds in New Zealand. Any player wishing to participate in the exciting and chance-of-a-lifetime event should contact Michael Albert for details Mark your calendars! If you don’t live on the plateau, this is a good time to come to the mountains of North Carolina and experience a great venue for croquet. Make your reservations for lodging well in advance. For more information, please contact: Onifer Wilmoth, Highlands Falls Country Club. Phone: 828.487.4130 * Fax: 828.526.4792

Visit croquetamerica.com for more news. croquetamerica.com | 7

newmembership NEW CLUBS Bonita Bay Club – Bonita Springs, Florida Vero Beach Country Club – Vero Beach, Florida Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club – Cashiers, North Carolina Bishop Gadsden – Charleston, South Carolina

NEW MEMBERS CALIFORNIA

Chula Vista – At Large Member

Brian Lozano Rancho Mirage – Mission Hills Croquet Club

Bob Apple Carol Ballesty Sandy Mossbrook Carol Neistein Richard Neri Kurt Schulzman

FLORIDA

Atlantic Beach – Fleet Landing Croquet Club

Duane St. John Belleair – Belleair Country Club Croquet

JoAnna Andriola Bette Crown Molly Lea Jackie Orr Bonnie Ruggles Patricia Smith Jan Watrous Jim Watrous Penny Young Boca Grande – Gasparilla Inn Mallet Club

Candice Hooper Skip Russo Nancy White Celebration – Celebration Croquet Association

Jacksonville – The Florida Yacht Club

Vero Beach – The Windsor Club

Highlands – Cullasaja Club

Mike Shad Freddie Walker David Walker

Debbie Bochte Justin Kidd West Palm Beach – At Large Member

Elva Brady Thomas Brady David Hicks Fran Hicks Dennis Howard Sandy Howard Martha Reilly Mike Reilly Suzy Tamplin James Tamplin, Jr.

Naples – The Club Pelican Bay

John Lind Mary McCarthy North Palm Beach – At Large Member

Barbara McInerney Palm Beach – At Large Member

Eileen Small Jeffrey Small Palm Beach – The Beach Club

Terry Cassidy Mary Cassidy Anthony Sessa Donna Sessa

Don Chapoton Mary Jo Chapoton Hypoluxo – At Large Member

Yoko Hollis

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Anne Paulk-Rush Michael Rush Highlands – Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Inc.

Debra Dyal James Dyal

Alex Muradian

Judy Molitor

Palm Coast – Grand Haven Croquet Club

Galesville – West River Wickets

Judy Onorati

OHIO

Nancy Beneducci James Boyd Harvey Glastein Dana Silliman Dorothy Silliman Palm Coast – Hammock Dunes Croquet Association

MASSACHUSETTS

Chestnut Hill – At Large Member

Robert Grinberg Debbie Lewis

Cincinnati – At Large Member

Rick Vogel

OKLAHOMA

Nichols Hills – Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club

NEW JERSEY

Dale Jordan Shelly Williams Thomas Williams

Geraldine Venino Richard Venino

RHODE ISLAND

Ponte Vedra Beach – At Large Member

NEW YORK

Nancy Brickley

Georgia Carroll Joseph Carroll

Ranne Warner

BJ Carlson Suzzane Deroche Denise Jenkins Phyllis Phillips Connie Wolfson

Spring Lake – Green Gables Croquet Club

New York – At Large Member

Ponte Vedra Beach – The Plantation of Ponte Vedra

North Babylon – At Large Member

David Taylor Nancy Taylor

Quogue – At Large Member

Ponte Vedra Beach – Ponte Vedra Croquet Club

Lisa Griggs Nona McGinnis

Hobe Sound – Jupiter Island Club

MARYLAND

Highlands – Highlands Falls Croquet Association

Robert Foley

Gulfstream – At Large Member

Anne Laumont

Sonia Alexandra Mary Churchill Pam Heyer Alan Jones Vickey Naranjo Kat Robertson Diane Wendin

Lake Toxaway – Lake Toxaway Mallet Club

Carol Gilliar George Gilliar Lynne Mandeville Ed Pahler David Phillips Patti Phillips Fred Tallent Patty Toce Rich Toce Ron Von Behren

Hobe Sound – At Large Member

West Palm Beach – National Croquet Club

Annapolis – St. Johns College

Palm Beach – The Everglades Club Inc.

Ellen Foley

Marna Fullerton

David Beccia Jessica Beccia Deirdre Beckett Amy McGowan Michael Tyler

Stuart – At Large Member

Susan Helton Lloyd Simon University Park – University Park Country Club

Kevin Flaherty Lynda Confessore Ralph Confessore Theresa Summer Connie Walsh

NORTH CAROLINA

Asheville – At Large Member

Dan Hinchliffe Asheville – Deerfield Croquet Club

Ginger Clark Robert Clark

Melinda Tempe

Venice – Sarasota County Croquet Club

F. James Hodges

Vero Beach – John’s Island Croquet Club

Rosalen Cline Martha Wright Vero Beach – The Moorings Club

Susan Tillman Vero Beach – Vero Beach Country Club

Shane Wright

Cashiers – Cedar Creek Club Cashiers – The Country Club of Sapphire Valley

Mark Kucharski Cashiers – Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club

Robert Duckett William Venneri

Newport – Newport Croquet Club

SOUTH CAROLINA

Aiken – Green Boundary Croquet Club

Kathleen Brown Scott Brown Bluffton – Sun City Croquet Club

John Armbruster Charleston – At Large Member

Claude Kemper Wendy Kemper Dottie Pagliaro Lynn Pagliaro Charleston – Bishop Gadsden

Claire Allen James Allen Donna Hethington Lou Hethington Darrell Lund Dorothy Schafer Robert Schafer Okatie – At Large Member

Nina Davis Tega Cay – Tega Cay Croquet Club

Kay Misik Michael Misik

VERMONT

Dorset – Dorset Field Club

Dave Berard Patrick McGuire

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NEW ZEALAND’S CHAPMAN IS AC WORLD CHAMP New Zealand’s Paddy Chapman found a way back from down 2-1 to claim his first WCF Association Croquet World Championship with a 26tp-19, 0-26tp, 0-26tp, 26tp-11, 26tp-9 victory over USCA member Reg Bamford (South Africa). The finals were held at Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club in Wellington, New Zealand, and concluded an event that ran from February 3-11, 2018. It was Chapman’s second appearance in the Final after he made it in 2013 but lost to Robert Fletcher. Bamford made his fifth appearance and is now 4-1 in AC World finals play.

Thanks to John-Paul Moberly and Christian Carter, the majority of the Final was live-streamed for AC fans across the world. Despite Wi-Fi challenges, the viewership reached just over 90 at one point in the day.

From the US player perspective, Stephen Morgan missed the knockout but did his damage in the plate as he won the Final 26-1, 26tp-0 over England’s Alain Giraud.

Paddy Chapman is presented with the Wimbledon Cup. Photo by Jeff Soo.

Only David Maloof and Stuart Lawrence made it to the main knockout.

Maloof found Paddy Chapman in round two and fell to the eventual champ 21-1, 0-26tp, 21-26. This was a repeat of the 2016 AC World final eight matchup, where Maloof prevailed 3-1.

Lawrence exited after a 21-26, 9 26 loss to New Zealand’s Aiken Hakes, but went on to play well enough to make the Finals in the bowl, losing there 15-26, 1-26 to England’s Jonathan Powe. Full event results: https://croquetscores.com/2018/ ac/wcf-world-championship

Stephen Morgan won the 2018 AC World Plate.

Photo by Chris Clarke

US PARTICIPANTS/TOURNAMENT RECORD Stephen Morgan (14-7)

Jeff Soo (9-6)

Sherif Abdelwahab (11-8)

Paul Bennett (7-6)

Stuart Lawrence (10-8)

Jim Bast (4-9)

David Maloof (9-4)

Simon Jenkins (3-10)

croquetamerica.com | 9

theclubhouse

2017 USCA ANNUAL AWARD WINNERS Most Valuable Player Beverley Cardo International Support Michael Orgill Jr. Player of the Year Blake Fields Club of the Year Mission Hills Croquet Club (see profile on page 34)

Collegiate Club of the Year Penn State University Most Improved Player Conner Helms Player of the Year Randy Cardo (see profile on page 36) Most Improved Sr. Player Gene Raymond

Rookie of the Year Brian Hovis

Teddy Prentis Award Robert Kroeger Outstanding Support of Croquet Hal Denton Certificate of Appreciation Ryan Thompson Certificate of Appreciation Highland Falls Country Club Outstanding Croquet Professional Sherif Abdelwahab Financial Support Hope Harmon Spectator of the Year Sherry Lankford Grand Prix Woman Winner Jackie Jones Family of the Year Fields Family President’s Award Leo Nikora Regional Vice President Timothy Rapuano Club President Macey White Michael Strauss Award Venice Gondolier Sun

2017 USCA President’s Award winner Leo Nikora

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2017 PEYTON BALLENGER WINNER Mary Rodeberg won the 2017 Peyton Ballenger Award as the female player who finished with the best singles record in Championship Flight at the 2017 USCA National American Rules Championship held November 5-11, 2017, at the Mission Hills Croquet Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

theclubhouse

2017 GRAND PRIX RESULTS

Randy Cardo took the top spot in 2017 Grand Prix and with that comes the honor of being USCA Player of the Year. Cardo is the 15th player to claim a GP title. Included in this year’s standings we’ve re-introduced the controversial Top 10 lists for players scoring the highest in the handicap ranges for the additional USCA flights. They breakdown as Championship B (3-5 handicap), First Flight (6-9), Second Flight (10-13) and Third Flight (14-20).

GRAND PRIX OVERALL TOP 100 # Player Handicap 01 Cardo, Randy -2.50 02 Morgan, Stephen -2.50 03 Huneycutt, Danny -4.00 04 Abdelwahab, Sherif -3.00 05 Soo, Jeff -3.50 06 Ekstrom, David -1.50 07 Lawrence, Stuart -2.50 08 White, Macey W. -1.50 09 Sullivan, Richard -1.00 10 Jones, Jackie -2.00 11 Cumming, Brian -3.50 12 Gibbons, Michael -1.00 13 McCoy, David -0.50 14 Chilton, Bob -1.00 15 Cottle, Alan -2.00 16 Bennett, Paul T. -2.50 17 Grimsley, Doug -3.00 18 Taylor, Mike -1.50 19 Rapuano, Timothy -1.50 20 Griffith, Matthew -1.00 21 Bitting, Kenneth (Tim) -1.00 22 Lamm, Rich -2.50 23 Patmore, Chris -2.00 24 Todorovich, Michael -1.50 25 Knuth Walsh, Sandra 2.50 26 Sheely, Richard -1.50 27 Irwin, Colin -2.00 28 Wright, Jim 0.00 29 Pailas, Daniel W. 2.00 30 Sudderberg, Lynda P. 2.00 31 Bach, Peter 1.00 32 Ruby, Britt -2.00 33 Jenkins, Simon 0.00 34 Isaacs, David 0.00 35 Worrell, Bob -0.50 36 Maloof, David -2.50 37 Helms, Conner L. 2.00 38 Settlemyre, Norris -1.50 39 Jackson, Stewart -2.00 40 Cooper, Thomas -0.50 41 Collie, David 1.50 42 Schiller, Richard 0.00 43 Curtis, Richard G. -2.00 44 Osborn, John C. -2.50 45 Butts, Jim -0.50 46 Rugart, Jodie -0.50 47 Just, Peter -1.50 48 Trimmer, Pete C. 1.00 49 Watson, Zack 0.00 50 Yoder, Joe -0.50

Points 29430 25842 23150 22330 21082 18118 16101 15580 14515 14190 13692 13270 12800 11446 11370 11062 10660 10660 10560 10427 10201 9682 9640 9542 9261 9150 8710 8682 8441 8372 8360 7962 7900 7870 7810 7800 7681 7611 7500 7481 7440 7030 7020 6900 6451 6321 6150 6150 6030 5952

# Player Handicap Points 51 Huxtable, Linda -0.50 5901 52 Davies, Wayne 0.00 5341 53 Dixon, Donna 0.00 4895 54 Olsen, Arthur 3.00 4756 55 Peterson, Hans -0.50 4755 56 Spradling, Scott 0.50 4701 57 Erwin, Jim -0.50 4680 58 Essick, Matthew -1.00 4500 59 Jones, Fred W. -1.50 4478 60 Trower, William B. 3.00 4441 61 Bennett, J. Gary 1.00 4380 62 Grassbaugh, Stephen 3.50 4372 63 Knott, John -1.00 4350 64 Raymond, Gene 2.50 4336 65 Darnell, Rick 3.00 4298 66 Mitchell Jr., Johnny -1.00 4200 67 Van Tassell, Robert -2.00 4100 68 Rinaman, William C. 0.50 3910 69 Lassiter, Rodney 0.50 3904 70 Blamire, John 0.00 3900 71 Landry, Rick 0.50 3850 72 Rugart, Conrad 1.00 3820 73 Barley, Chris 3.50 3745 74 Stuart, Preston 1.50 3741 75 Young III, John -1.50 3740 76 Dilley, Russell S. 3.50 3475 77 Fields, Mark 2.50 3421 78 Albert, Michael 4.50 3386 79 Huxtable, Ron 0.00 3350 80 Cochran, George -2.00 3340 81 Chaney, Calvert 2.50 3281 82 Hartmann, Bill 0.50 3270 83 Watson, Richard 2.00 3230 84 Hunter, John -0.50 3200 85 Hansley, Kevin 4.50 3019 86 Rothman, Ben -4.50 3000 87 Wassink, Derek -3.00 2805 88 Hughes, Jay 0.00 2795 89 Morgan, Robert S. -0.50 2795 90 Hughes, Tom 0.00 2790 91 Charles, Ralph 2.50 2631 92 Smith, Matt B. -1.50 2610 93 Hayworth, Horace W. -0.50 2600 94 Bergen, Christophe M. 1.00 2575 95 Spoonhour, James M. -0.50 2575 96 Cherry, Bob -1.50 2555 97 Curington, John 1.00 2550 98 Rodeberg, Mary 1.50 2536 99 Donohue, John 3.50 2460 100 Scalpone, Steve -0.50 2450

GRAND PRIX: CHAMPIONSHIP B TOP 10 # Player Handicap Points 01 Olsen, Arthur 3.00 4756 02 Trower, William B. 3.00 4441 03 Grassbaugh, Stephen 3.50 4372 04 Darnell, Rick 3.00 4298 05 Barley, Chris 3.50 3745 06 Dilley, Russell S. 3.50 3475 07 Albert, Michael 4.50 3386 08 Hansley, Kevin 4.50 3019 09 Donohue, John 3.50 2460 10 Johnson, Oakley 3.00 2352

GRAND PRIX: FIRST FLIGHT TOP 10 # Player Handicap Points 01 Morrison, Jeff 6.00 1882 02 Kamal, Mohammad 6.00 1792 03 Branthover, Jeanne 6.00 1628 04 Millican, Deborah 6.00 1376 05 Ekstrom, Martie 6.00 1370 06 Boger, Richard 6.00 1190 07 Cardo, Beverley 6.00 1101 08 Spradling, Suzanne 6.00 1072 09 Denton, Hal 7.00 1018 10 Hoffman, William 6.00 1014

GRAND PRIX: SECOND FLIGHT TOP 10 # Player Handicap Points 01 Olson, George B. 10.00 356 02 Orleans, Sam 10.00 308 03 Horigan, Robin 10.00 293 04 Richardson, John D. 10.00 255 05 Langley, Maggie 12.00 255 06 Stevens, Arlene 10.00 245 07 Leoncavallo, Karen S. 10.00 208 08 Karel, Martin 10.00 200 09 Kukla, Anne 11.00 194 10 Karel, Karin 10.00 176

GRAND PRIX: THIRD FLIGHT TOP 10 # Player Handicap Points 01 Flowers, Gil 20.00 1336 02 Carlin, Peter 20.00 450 03 Bromley, Cheryl 20.00 277 04 O’Brien, Joanie 14.00 210 05 Morford, Marylin 14.00 191 06 Richardson, John D 16.00 180 07 Howatt, Terry 20.00 140 08 Fields, Blake 20.00 134 09 Hanks, Tim 20.00 105 10 Stovall, Brett 19.00 96

croquetamerica.com | 11

2018 USCA CLUB DIRECTORY Most croquet players agree that the big key to getting players destined for croquet into the game is getting them on a court.

And from that perspective, croquet clubs are the sport’s most valuable asset. From the USCA perspective, our role is to promote that connection. Therefore, we are pleased to present the USCA Club Directory in this edition of Croquet News to give new players a handy reference in finding a club or district president to get started in the sport. For our veteran members, this guide may provide ideas for new destinations on your next croquet trip.

Of course, this directory also appears on the USCA website, so for the clubs not included, we certainly recommend you contact the USCA about sanctioning your club. You will be online right away and front and center for players looking for a club in your area.

CLUB | COURTS | WEBSITE | PHONE ALABAMA

District President: Arthur Bagby | arthurbagby@gmail.com LOXLEY Steelwood Croquet Association | 1 | (251) 964-5308

ST. HELENA Meadowood Mallet Club | 4 | (800) 458-8080 THOUSAND OAKS Sherwood Club | (805) 496-3036

BOCA RATON Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club | 2 Full | (561) 395-2100 Boca Raton Croquet Club | 1 Full BOKEELIA Useppa Island Croquet Club | 2 Full 6 Wkt. 30x60 9 | www.useppa.com | (239) 283-1061

MT. BROOK Mountain Brook Croquet Club | 1 Full size | (205) 967-3301

COLORADO

ALASKA

District President: Gary L. Anderson | strykredge@msn.com

DENVER Denver Country Club | www.denvercc.net | (303) 862-3471

ARIZONA

Denver Croquet Club | 1 Full, Lighted | www.denvercroquetclub.org | (303) 520-9023

CELEBRATION Celebration Croquet Association | 1 ½ | (407) 970-3103

PHOENIX Arizona Croquet Club | 1 Full | www.azcroquet.org | (480) 943-5493

CONNECTICUT

DELAND Stetson University | www.stetson.edu | (386) 822-7182

District President: Paul Bennett | kd7kdo@yahoo.com

SCOTTSDALE Mountain Mallets | 2 40x50 | www.desertmountaingolfcroquet.com | (480) 656-4643

CALIFORNIA

District President: Ron Eccles | rontseg@gmail.com

District President: John Hoffman | jhh16c@verizon.net GREENWICH Greenwich Croquet Club | 5 | (914) 582-9488 HAMDEN Special Olympics Connecticut | www.soct.org | (203) 230-1201

Northern DP: Mike Orgill | morgill@sonic.net Southern DP: Jim Butts | jbutts@dc.rr.com

HARTFORD Elizabeth Park Croquet Club | 2, ¾ | (860) 608-1222

OAKLAND Oakland Croquet Club | 1 Regulation | www.croquetworld.com|occ.asp

DELAWARE

PASADENA Pasadena Croquet Club | 2 Regulation | www.pasadenacroquetclub.org | (626) 579-9165

WILMINGTON Delaware Croquet Club | 4 Full | (302) 633-4024

RANCHO MIRAGE Mission Hills Croquet Club | 7 Full | www.missionhills.com | (307) 851-6455

District President: Karin Karel | mlkarel@gmail.com

Wilmington Country Club | 3 | (610) 388-6577

FLORIDA

ROHNERT PARK Sonoma Croquet Club | 2 full size | (707) 585-7819

Central DP: Gary Anderson | gmaretired@gmail.com Northeast DP: Gene Raymond | generaymond1@gmail.com Southeast DP: Derek Wassink | dwassink1@yahoo.com Western DP: Gary Anderson | gmaretired@gmail.com

ROSEVILLE Sun City Roseville Croquet | 1 105 x 84 feet | (916) 774-3880

ATLANTIC BEACH Fleet Landing Croquet Club | 1 60 x 90 | (904) 247-6501

SAN FRANCISCO San Francisco Croquet Club | 2 Full | www.croquetworld.com|sfcc.asp

BELLEAIR Belleair Country Club | 1 105 x 84 feet | www.belleaircc.com | (727) 461-7171 BOCA GRANDE Gasparilla Inn Mallet Club | 3 | (941) 964-2201

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BONITA SPRINGS Bonita Bay Club | 2 85’ x 55’ | (239) 495-0200

DELRAY BEACH St. Andrews Club | 1 Full | (561) 243-0557 HILLSBORO BEACH Hillsboro Club, The | 1 Reg | www.hillsboroclub.org | (954) 941-2220 HOBE SOUND Jupiter Island Club | 1 | (772) 546-7848 JACKSONVILLE Florida Yacht Club, The | 2 183x115 | www.thefloridayachtclub.org | (904) 387-1653 Timuquana Country Club | www.timuquana.net | (904) 388-2664 KEY LARGO Ocean Reef Club | 2, ¾ courts | (305) 367-6583 LAKE WALES Edward W. Bok Academy | 1 | www.bokacademy.org | (863) 638-1010 Mountain Lake Croquet | (863) 676-3494 LAKE WORTH Special Olympics PBCty Croquet Club | www.sopbc.com | (561) 966-7019 MIAMI BEACH Indian Creek Country Club | 1 Full | (305) 866-5751 NAPLES Audubon Croquet Association | 2 Full, ¾ | www.audubonccofnaples.com | (239) 566-9800 Naples Croquet Club of Florida | 2 105 x 84 feet | (239) 207-2735

CLUB | COURTS | WEBSITE | PHONE ORLANDO Winter Park Croquet Club | 1 | www.winterparkcroquetclub.org | (407) 788-0565

PONTE VEDRA BEACH Plantation of Ponte Vedra, | www.theplantationpvb.com | (904) 543-7537

VERO BEACH John’s Island Croquet Club | 2 full size | www.johnsislandclub.org | (772) 231-1700

Country Club of Orlando | www.countrycluboforlando.com | (407) 849-0990

Ponte Vedra Croquet Club | 7 full and ¾ | www.pontevedracroquetclub.com | (904) 273-0806

Moorings Club, The | www.themooringsclub.com | (772) 469-3603

OSPREY Oaks Club, The | 1 90% full size | (941) 966-2161

STUART Yacht & Country Club, Inc., | 4 105’ x 84’ | www.yccstuart.org | (772) 287-3736

Riomar Country Club | 1 Reg | www.riomarcountryclub.com | (772) 231-6426

PALM BEACH Palm Beach Croquet Club | 2, ¾ | (561) 346-1404

Sailfish Point | 1 75 x 55 | www.sailfishpoint.com | (772) 225-1000

Beach Club, The | 3 Full | www.tbcpb.com/members/croquet.php | (561) 842-4874

Mariner Sands Country Club | 4 84 X 54 ft | (914) 772-8378

Everglades Club, Inc., The | 1 90 x 65 | (561) 655-7810 PALM BEACH GARDENS Croquet Club at PGA | 5 Full | (561) 249-2583 Devonshire at PGA National | 2 | (561) 227-2446 PALM COAST Hammock Dunes Croquet Association | 2 Regulation | www.hammockdunesclub.com/hammock-dunes-club | (386) 446-4655 Grand Haven Croquet Club | 3 40’ x 80’ | www.ghcroquetclub.com | (386) 246-0089

THE VILLAGES Villages Croquet Club, The | 2 62’ x 105’ | (561) 889-2844 UNIVERSITY PARK University Park Country Club | 1 80 X 100 | www.universitypark-fl.com | (941) 355-3888 VENICE Sarasota County Croquet Club | 6 105 x 84 feet | www.sarasotacountycroquet.com | (941) 882-0840

Vero Beach Country Club | 2 | www.vbcountryclub.com | (772) 567-3320 Windsor Club, The | 1 non-regulation | www.windsorflorida.com | (772) 388-8472 VIERA Indian River Colony Club | 1 80x50 | www.colonyclub.com | (321) 255-6051 VILLAGE OF GOLF Country Club of Florida, The | 1 | (561) 732-9771 WEIRSDALE Grand Oaks, The | (352) 750-5500 WELLINGTON International Polo Club Palm Beach | 1 | www.internationalpoloclub.com/croquet.htm | (561) 795-7228 Palm Beach Polo Golf & Country Club | 4 Full | (561) 798-7405

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croquetamerica.com | 13

2018 USCA CLUB DIRECTORY WEST PALM BEACH Palm Beach Atlantic | www.pbasailfish.com

Kansas City Croquet Club

National Croquet Club | 12 Full Size | www.nationalcroquetclub.wildapricot.org | (561) 478-2300

Email: kccroquetclub@gmail.com Site: www.kccroquet.com Phone: 913-636-7231

WINTER PARK Interlachen Country Club | 2 | www.interlachenccfl.com | (407) 657-0850

Join us in the KC metro area for weekly intro croquet sessions April-September ... and congratulations on 40 years to the USCA!

GEORGIA

District President: Macey White | maceywhite@gmail.com CARROLLTON Carroll County Croquet Players | (770) 832-6272 JEKYLL ISLAND Jekyll Island Croquet Club | (912) 635-3357 SKY VALLEY Sky Valley Club, Inc. | 1 105x84 | (706) 746-5302

HAWAII

District President: Bruno Amby | bruno_amby@yahoo.com

IDAHO

District President: Xandy Carter | xandy@ctcweb.net MCCALL McCall Croquet Club | 4 40’x52’

ILLINOIS

District President: Jeff Lee | jeffreypmlee@sbcglobal.net CHICAGO Chicago Croquet Club | 2 Full | www.chicagocroquetclub.com | (773) 631-2422 MANHATTAN Prairie Lights Croquet Club | 1 105x84 | www.prairielights-croquet.org | (815) 478-4172

INDIANA

District President: Russell Dilley | rs.dilley@comcast.net FISHERS Hawthorns Golf and Country Club | 1 64x100’ | www.hawthornscountryclub.com | (317) 854-9100 LOGANSPORT Heartland Croquet Club | 1 105 x 84 feet | (574) 722-3449

IOWA

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com

KANSAS

District President: Dylan Goodwin | croquetnetwork@gmail.com LEAWOOD Kansas City Croquet Club | kccroquet.com | (913) 636-7231

LOUISIANA

District President: George Cochran | gt_cochran@yahoo.com BATON ROUGE Red Stick Croquet Club | (225) 926-0428

District President: Rodney Calver | calvers@comcast.net ANNAPOLIS St. Johns College | (347) 204-2545 GALESVILLE West River Wickets | 3 2xFull & 1x¾ | www.westriverwickets.com | (410) 867-0434 ROYAL OAK United States Naval Academy | (410) 745-5470

SHREVEPORT Cajun Croquet Club | (318) 865-4848

SPARKS Sparks Elementary School | 5 ½ | www.sparkses.bcps.org | (410) 887-7900

MASSACHUSETTS

MAINE

District President: Bob Kroeger | Bobkroeger@aol.com

District President: Patricia Spratt | psprattct@aol.com

ACTON Naples Croquet Club | (978) 263-6152

ELLSWORTH Woodlawn Croquet Program | 1 105 x 84 feet | (207) 667-8671

BEDFORD Carleton-Willard Village | (617) 275-8700 CAMBRIDGE Harvard College | 2 110m x 75m | www.college.harvard.edu | (617) 495-1000 EAST SANDWICH Sandwich Croquet Club | 4 80x100;40x50;40x50 | www.sandwichcroquet.com | (508) 648-6244 EDGARTOWN Edgartown Croquet Club | 1 Full | (508) 627-8729 LENOX Lenox Croquet Club | 4 1 Full, 3 ¾ | www.lenoxcroquet.com | (413) 443-4957 MARION Marion Mallet Club Inc. | 2 half size | www.bobcroquet.com/Marion/marion.htm | (508) 678-4787 NANTUCKET Westmoor Club, The | 1 1 x ¾ | www.thewestmoorclub.com | (508) 228-9494 WESTON Weston Racquet Club | (781) 890-4285

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MARYLAND

FRENCHBORO Frenchboro School | (207) 334-2944 ISLE AU HAUT Isle Au Haut School House | (207) 335-2521 ISLESBORO Islesboro School | (207) 734-2251 ISLESFORD Islesford | (207) 244-7377 MATINICUS ISLAND Matinicus Elementary | (207) 366-3695 MONHEGAN Monhegan Island School | (207) 594-5895 NORTH HAVEN North Haven Community | (207) 867-4707 ROCKPORT Riley School, The | (207) 596-6405

CLUB | COURTS | WEBSITE | PHONE SORRENTO Sorrento V.I.A. Croquet Club | 1 60’ x 90’ | (301) 926-9778 SWAN’S ISLAND Swan’s Island School | (207) 526-4300 VINALHAVEN Vinalhaven School | (207) 863-4664

MICHIGAN

District President: David Theiste | d.theiste@comcast.net CHELSEA Waterloo Croquet Club | 2 72x90 | www.waterloocroquetclub.com | (734) 475-9730 COMSTOCK PARK Heatherwood Hills Croquet Club | 2 full and ½ | (616) 784-4438

MINNESOTA

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com BRAINERD Madden Brother’s, Inc. | (218) 829-2811

MONTANA

District President: Xandy Carter | xandy@ctcweb.net

BROOKLYN Brooklyn Croquet and Hunt Club| 0 | www.brooklyncroquet.org | (917) 312-2173

NEBRASKA

BUFFALO Buffalo Croquet Club | 4 full | (716) 697-4111

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com

NEVADA

District President: Ron Eccles | rontseg@gmail.com

NEW HAMPSHIRE

District President: Jim McLaughlin | jim.mclaughlin@comcast.net RYE Strawbery Banke Croquet Club | 1 64 x 85 | (603) 433-5382

NEW JERSEY

District President: Thomas Cooper | tcooper@thecoopergroup.com

EDINA City of Lakes Croquet Club | 2 Full 105 x 84 feet | (952) 974-1286

HAMBURG Crystal Springs Resort | www.crystalgolfresort.com/play/croquet | (855) 977-6473

MISSOURI

KENVIL Roxbury Croquet Club | (862) 432-1964

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com PARKVILLE Kactus Creek Croquet Club | 1 Full | www.kactuscreek.com | (816) 891-6762 ST. LOUIS Bellerive Croquet Club | (314) 434-4400 WARRENSBURG University Central Missouri | 4 50x80 | www.ucmo.edu/future.cfm | (660) 909-4747

MISSISSIPPI

District President: Mark Fields | mfields5@gmail.com DIAMONDHEAD Diamondhead Country Club | 2 50x100 | (228) 225-1900 JACKSON Highlands Mallet Club | 1 Full | (601) 949-3103 Pocahontas Mallet Club | 2 | (601) 672-7423 Country Club of Jackson, | 1 | www.ccjackson.com | (601) 956-1411 LONG BEACH Long Beach Yacht Club | 2 50x100 | www.longbeachyachtclub.com | (228) 868-8279

MANTOLOKING Mantoloking Yacht Club | (732) 892-6281 MONROE TOWNSHIP Rossmoor Croquet Club | 1 105 x 84 feet | (609) 409-7837 RUMSON Rumson Country Club | 1 full | www.rumsoncc.org | (732) 842-2518 SOMERSET Rutgers Preparatory School | 2 105 x 84 feet | (732) 545-5600 SPRING LAKE Green Gables Croquet Club | 3 Full | www.GreenGablesCroquetClub.com | (201) 394-5435 WEST LONG BRANCH Monmouth University | 3 | (732) 263-5187

NEW MEXICO

District President: Paul Bennett | kd7kdo@yahoo.com

NEW YORK

CAMILLUS West Hill Golf & Croquet Club | 2 55 x 110 | www.westhillgolfcourse.com | (315) 672-8677 LOCUST VALLEY Piping Rock Club | 2 Full | (516) 470-9681 Creek Club, The | 1 | (516) 676-1405 NEW PALTZ State University of NY at New Paltz | (516) 708-3623 NEW YORK New York Croquet Club | 2 ¾ courts | www.newyorkcroquetclub.com | (646) 642-6601 ROCHSTER Rochester Croquet Club | 3 | www.gandtathletics.info/sports/croquet | (585) 474-3753 SARATOGA SPRINGS AIM 4 Saratoga Croquet Club | (518) 587-3208 SOUTHAMPTON Meadow Club of Southampton | 2 Full | (631) 283-0425 SPRINGFIELD CENTER Cary Mede Croquet Club | (251) 751-0035 TUXEDO PARK Pine Court | 1 90x60 | (914) 351-2547 WESTHAMPTON BEACH Westhampton Mallet Club |2 full, ¾ | (917) 514-9663

NORTH CAROLINA

Eastern DP: Mike Taylor | mrtaylor1022@gmail.com Western DP: Michael Albert | mycopres@aol.com ASHEVILLE Deerfield Croquet Club | 1 71x93 | www.deerfieldcroquetcclub.org | (828) 254-9667 BALD HEAD ISLAND Bald Head Island Croquet | 3 full | www.bhiclub.net | (910) 200-4511 BLACK MOUNTAIN Black Mountain Croquet Club | 2 1 full, 1 half | (828) 669-2281 BLOWING ROCK Blowing Rock Country Club | 1 Reg | www.blowingrockcountryclub.com | (828) 295-3171

Central DP: Francis Palasieski | francispalasieski@gmail.com Western DP: Russell Brown | Rnb@aol.com

CASHIERS Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club | 1 | www.mountaintopgolfclub.com | (828) 743-4736

BLOOMING GROVE Blooming Grove Croquet Club | 1 | (845) 651-1197

Chattooga Club, The | 2 Full | www.chattoogaclub.com | (828) 743-3640

BRIDGEHAMPTON Bridgehampton Club | 1 Full | (631) 537-7399

Country Club of Sapphire Valley | 1 85x110 | www.ccsapphirevalley.org | (828) 743-2462 Cedar Creek Club | 1 105 x 84 feet | www.cedarcreekracquetclub.com | (828) 743-9380

croquetamerica.com | 15

2018 USCA CLUB DIRECTORY CHAPEL HILL Carolina Meadows Croquet Club | (919) 942-2411 DURHAM Stoneridge Croquet Club | 1 100x80 | (919) 419-3165 HIGHLANDS Highlands Strikers Croquet Club | 1 | (828) 526-2181 Cullasaja Club | 1 Full | www.cullasajaclub.org | (828) 526-3531 Highlands Falls Croquet Association | 2 | www.clubhfcc.com | (828) 526-4118 Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Inc. | 1 90x140ft. | www.wildcatcliffscountryclub.com | (828) 526-2165 LAKE TOXAWAY Lake Toxaway Mallet Club | 2, ¾ | www.laketoxawaycc.co | (828) 862-8207 LEXINGTON Meadows Mallet Club | 2 regulation | (336) 760-8376 LINVILLE Eseeola Croquet Club | 1 Full | (828) 733-4311 Grandfather Golf & Country Club | 2 105 x 84 feet, 40x50 | (828) 898-4531 Linville Ridge Croquet Club | 2 Full | (828) 898-5151 PINEHURST Pinehurst Croquet Club | 3 Full | www.pinehurst.com/activites/lawn-sports | (910) 638-8401 PITTSBORO Fearrington Swim & Croquet Club | 1 Regular | (919) 533-6247 SAPPHIRE Burlingame Country Club | www.burlingameccwnc.com/web/pages/northstar | (828) 966-9200

NORTH DAKOTA

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com FARGO Fargo South High School | 1 40 yd x 80 yd | (701) 446-2000

OHIO

District President: Jennifer Joseph | jandjoseph@aol.com NEW ALBANY New Albany Country Club | www.nacc.com | (614) 488-0890

OREGON

District President: Steve Scalpone | sjs@europa.com ASHLAND Classic Croquet Club | 1 100x60 | (541) 488-3031

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com

PENNSYLVANIA

TENNESSEE

District President: John Goldener | john@goldener.net

District President: Macey White | maceywhite@gmail.com

GREENSBURG Westmoreland Croquet Club | 2 Regulation | www.westmorelandcroquetclub.org | (724) 836-1000

MEMPHIS University Club of Memphis | 1 84’x101’ | www.ucmem.com | (901) 722-3700

HAVERFORD Merion Cricket Club | 2 Full, ¼ | www.merioncricket.com | (610) 642-5800

NASHVILLE Cottonwood Bocce & Croquet Club | 1 Regulation | (615) 790-2872

UNIVERSITY PARK Penn State University | (814) 865-9202

TEXAS

RHODE ISLAND

District President: Jane Shanley, | jane.n.shanley@gmail.com NEWPORT Newport Croquet Club | (401) 841-8776 International Tennis Hall of Fame | 1 ¾ | www.tennisfame.com | (401) 846-0642 WATCH HILL Ocean House Mallet Club | 2 ¾ | www.oceanhouseri.com | (401) 596-9344 WEEKAPAUG Weekapaug Tennis & Croquet Club | 1 100’x120’

SOUTH CAROLINA

District President: Rich Watson | RichWatson6@gmail.com AIKEN Green Boundary Croquet Club | 1 Regulation | www.greenboundaryclub.com | (803) 649-2549 BLUFFTON Sun City Croquet Club | 3 Full size | (203) 530-5830 CHARLESTON Bishop Gadsden | 1 | www.bishopgadsden.org | (904) 553-1519 Daniel Island Golf Club, LLC | 1 150 X 120 | (843) 971-3555 Yeamans Hall Club | 2 50’ x 85’ | www.yeamanshallclub.com

District President: Pat Garner | garnp9@aol.com

DATAW ISLAND Croquet Club of Dataw Island | 2 Full | www.dataw.org | (843) 694-1148

BARTLESVILLE Oklahoma Wesleyan University | (918) 335-6200

HILTON HEAD Wexford Croquet Club | (843) 842-2269

BROKEN ARROW Tulsa Croquet Club | 1 105 x 52 ½ | www.TulsaCroquetClub.org | (918) 258-5656

LANDRUM Southern Rovers Mallet | 1 Full | (864) 877-9511

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SOUTH DAKOTA

PORTLAND Portland Croquet Club | (503) 310-3222

OKLAHOMA

NICHOLS HILLS Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club | 2 Full | www.okcgcc.com | (405) 848-5611

TEGA CAY Tega Cay Croquet Club | 2, ½ | www.tegacaycroquet.com | (803) 820-0200

OKATIE Spring Island Croquet Club | 1 Full | www.springisland.com | (843) 987-2003

District President: John Brown | Johnobrown76@gmail.com HEATH Dallas Croquet Association | 2 ¾ | www.dallascroquet.com | (214) 415-1511 HOUSTON Bayou Club of Houston | 2 70x90 | (713) 686-4000 Houston Croquet Association | 2 105 x 84 feet | www.houstoncroquet.com | (832) 465-4880

UTAH

District President: Ron Eccles | rontseg@gmail.com

VIRGINIA

District President: Bo Prillaman | rovertini@gmail.com HARTFIELD Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | 8 full | (804) 776-9861 HIGHLAND SPRINGS Confederate Hills Croquet Club | 1 83 x 68 ft. | (804) 272-5923 REDART Middle Peninsula Croquet Club | 4 Regular | (703) 887-7236 RICHMOND Country Club of Virginia | 1 ¾ | (804) 282-6851 TIMBERVILLE North Mountain Croquet&Tennis Club | 2 105x84 | (540) 470-2468

CLUB | COURTS | WEBSITE | PHONE VERMONT

WISCONSIN

DORSET Dorset Field Club | 1 50x62 | www.dorsetfieldclub.com | (802) 867-4002

ARBOR VITAE Swift Creek Croquet Club | 1, ¾ | (262) 378-0215

District President: Shulman Ephraim | ephhelen@aol.com

District President: Deborah Millican | Deborahmillican@gmail.com

ST. CATHARINES, ONTARIO Royal St. Catharines Croquet Club | 2 Full | (905) 685-6939 STONEY CREEK, ONTARIO Northern Lights Croquet Club | 1 Full | (905) 643-4545

MARLBORO Marlboro College | www.marlboro.edu | (802) 579-8238

MILWAUKEE Milwaukee Country Club | 2 | (414) 362-5200

TORONTO, ONTARIO North Toronto Lawn Croquet Club | 2 Full | (416) 483-8229

WOODSTOCK Croquet Club of Vermont | 2 ½ and ¾ | members.valley. net/croquetvermont | (603) 359-3123

WHITEFISH BAY Milwaukee Croquet Club | 2, ¾ | (414) 964-7047

WESTMOUNT, QUEBEC Westmount Croquet Club | 2 Full | (514) 989-5532

WYOMING

COLUMBIA

WASHINGTON

District President: Gary L. Anderson | strykredge@msn.com BREMERTON Puget Sound Croquet Club | www.pugetsoundcroquet.com | (360) 373-1795 SEATTLE Woodland Park Lawn Bowling Club | 2 std bowling green

WEST VIRGINIA

District President: Ron Eccles | rontseg@gmail.com

BERMUDA

District President: John Young III | theyoungs@northrock.bm SOMERSET BRIDGE Croquet Club of Bermuda | (441) 238-7308

CANADA

District President: Whickey Knight | mwk304@gmail.com

Eastern DP: Dave Lewis | dalcroquet@sympatico.ca Western DP: Brian Wasylyk | brianw53@shaw.ca MONTREAL, QUEBEC Mount Royal Country Club, Inc. | 2 Full | (514) 745-2115

BOGOTA, D.C. Croquet House | 2 | www.croquethouse.club

MEXICO

District President: Paul Bennett | kd7kdo@yahoo.com

WEST INDIES

District President: Flavia Logie | flogie@yahoo.com CHRISTIANSTED Tennis Club of St. Croix | 2 ST. CROIX Bombay Mallet & Wicket Croquet Club | 1 Full | (340) 692-7717

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LIGHTING a Croquet Court

By Carlton H. Mabee

As the summer solstice wanes into equinox and winter solstice, croquet buffs around the world yearn for longer playing time. With the average daylight length in warmer winter climates being only 10.5 hours, employed individuals would be restricted to playing on weekend or vacation days. The waking hours between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. need not, and should not, go wasted as valuable playtime. Fortunately, many lighting options now exist.

18 | croquetamerica.com

Three lighted courts at the National Croquet Center, West Palm Beach, Fla., with four poles and lamps per court.

LIGHTING GOALS Intensity To determine the correct amount of croquet court-level light, I checked what other sports required. The Light Levels chart (see Resources) shows recommendations for sports with the classes connoting the amount of spectator seating (Class I, 5000 or more; Class IV, none with spectators standing or bringing their own chairs).

While researching a lighting project for the National Croquet Center, Croquet Foundation of America board member Harold Denton compared frequented lighted areas, such as indoor dressage barns, and—as concerning the light levels for croquet play—he told me, “this seems about right.” He then found the foot-candle value for all the venues and came to his conclusions to what would work for croquet: 22-24 FC at grade, or grass level.

As it turns out, Adam McGee of Associated Eye Care in Kennebunk, Maine, came up with essentially the same value (25 FC) when I asked him about an appropriate lighting intensity for croquet for a more elderly player with at least beginning vision problems. Denton and I tried to figure the average age of a croquet player. About 60 seemed right to me, but Denton thought that was on the young side. Nevertheless, the average, older croquet player will need more light. Professional lighting engineers design commonly visited areas for the average population, about a 50-year-old person. The Light Levels chart shows golf tees and greens at 5 FC; a case where hitting and following a white, stationary ball needs little light. Croquet balls, on the other hand are colored and more difficult to tell apart— especially blue and black in lower light situations. Add to that some vision problems and the FC needs rise. croquetamerica.com | 19

Uniformity

Light Fixtures

This metric is the difference of the maximum and minimum illumination between any two points on the court surface. In football played for a television broadcast,* for instance, the illumination toward any camera from any point on the field can differ no more than 1.4 to 1 FC, from a horizontal or vertical direction and anything in between. Strict rules like these make it much easier for an audience to view the game, whether from a television or in person. Croquet does not require this much uniformity, but it is a good goal for which to strive—particularly for folks with vision issues. In croquet, besides seeing what you are hitting at the level of your feet, without too much shadowing, you must be able consistently to see a distant target such as a ball, hoop or boundary. On a croquet greensward, it might be easier to achieve high caliber uniformity because croquet operates on a single plane; two dimensions only.

In today’s world of lights, the LED has taken center stage and prices have come down drastically. You will still pay more for the initial cost, but maintenance and energy costs plummet in the long term, so you will save money. HID (high-intensity discharge) lamps will give you a lower start-up cost, but require more maintenance and operating costs. A representative at Light Poles Plus estimated that eight LED lamps, suitable for lighting a full-sized croquet court, would save between $5000 to $6000 over 10 years.

Color Shift Different kinds of light sources tend to shift the color of objects illuminated. For most, this is not an issue as our eyes adapt readily.

It may be a consideration if the surface foot-candle value is low and there are underlying vision pathologies.

Light Pollution The key considerations when determining the right level of light for your court include who your neighbors are, where they’re located and, of course, complying with any city codes. Most towns have an “Outdoor Light Ordinance,” and for example, the essence of the ordinance in my town of Kennebunkport, Maine, is Article 2.2, Control of Glare-Luminaire Design Factors, and is summarized here: A. Any luminaire with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than 1800 lumens and all flood or spot luminaires with a lamp or lamps rated at more than 900 lumens shall not emit any direct light above a horizontal plane through the lowest direct lightemitting part of the luminaire.

Installing Lights Once the lights designed for the court are chosen, they should be mounted and wired before the poles are set. Most engineered plans will have two or more lights on a pole and, therefore, a bracket must be attached. A bracket will be specified to accommodate the wind loads for your area. Wires are fed through the pole into the hollow aluminum bracket and then connected to the light fixture.

A light, such as the Shoebox LED Light Fixture or Architectural Tru-Sport HID Fixture (metal halide), is attached to the bracket tenon using an adjustable slip-fitter, or some other similar device.

This gives the installer an exacting angle reference for positioning at the engineered specification.

Poles To support croquet lighting fixtures, poles made of steel, aluminum or fiberglass are available. They can be straight or tapered and anchored or buried. Every town has a building code ordinance that may address the installation of poles, so be sure to check with your own town code enforcement officers. Sports lighting companies often need to address maximum possible winds. At the NCC, the pole design

B. Any luminaire with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than 1800 lumens and all flood or spot luminaires with a lamp or lamps rated at a total of more than 900 lumens shall be mounted at a height equal to or less than the value 3 + (D/3) where D is the distance in feet to the nearest property boundary.

The maximum height of the luminaire may not exceed 25 feet.

Your ordinance should be shared with the designers of your system so that local codes are met and your neighbors cannot legitimately complain, except perhaps at a hearing.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

Once the light level required at grade is decided, the process of building can begin. If you need help in planning, many companies specializing in sports lighting can help. These companies provide engineering for the placement and height of poles, the type of light fixtures you might want (along with sales), light fixture placements, data on the initial costs, costs of operation and drawings of the electrical wiring. Some companies provide planning, sales and installation contracting, while others provide planning and sales of materials, but not installation.

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One of Six LEDs at Kactus Creek Croquet Club in Parkville, Mo.

needed to survive wind speeds of up to 170 mph. In Ellsworth and Kennebunkport, Maine, 100 mph is the design speed.

The simplest pole setup is the direct burial, which can be handled with manual labor. Trenches for wires and holes for poles can be dug by hand. The NCC used direct burial poles and set the poles and wires with the grounds keeping crew. Driving a cement truck anywhere near a greensward is not recommended.

Setting Poles The current trend is direct burial with aluminum or fiberglass composite poles. They are lightweight (a 20-foot, above-ground pole has four feet beneath the ground or 24 feet overall) and easy for several people to maneuver. The holes can be excavated with a post-hole digger or a tractor with an auger. The wires can be laid and buried either using UF cable or Romex with conduit. Conduit needs to be connected properly to the pole. The turf can be laid aside and a trench dug by hand or a trench maker can be rented. The poles can be prewired and the lamps attached to brackets and connected to power before they are lifted into position.

The lamp’s position and aiming angles will be specified by the lighting company with a deviation allowance built in for inconsistencies in pole settings. The whole assembly could weigh only 150 pounds (per Light Poles Plus), manageable with several people. Once the pole is set into the hole, the pole is plumbed and rotated into position and is back-filled with the excavated dirt, if deemed suitable, and tamped down.

If wanting attached poles, a significant amount of extra work will be required to pour concrete into the hole or form and to carefully place retention bolts before the cement sets. A conduit allowing the passage of wires through the cement to the center of the pole also must be placed. If this project is post-court construction, getting cement to the site could be problematic and would likely necessitate wheelbarrows or a portable cement mixer. After the foundations are produced, pole placement becomes tricky and will most likely require a crane or a gin pole for support while it is placed onto the retaining bolts.

Wire and Accessories All poles available for croquet lighting are fitted with underground, or bottom openings, to feed electrical cable through the center of the pole to the top or with above-ground openings for access from conduit, usually through a concrete footing. Poles will also come with an opening at the 18-inch-above-ground mark for adding junction boxes or simply to help feed cable through to the top. Most choose to supply power underground. Cable can be buried directly (UF cable—specially designed for underground) or standard Romex cable can be fed through conduit, the most common and cheapest being PVC (but it should be buried at 18 inches). All connections below ground should be waterproofed.

Sometimes it is best to choose more flexible cable that has stranded copper to allow for easier feeding through and around corners.

The main switch for the system should originate from the clubhouse or home. If that is not possible, a locked switch box should be mounted on one of the light poles or on a separate, short pole. All lamps are wired in parallel and should be mounted on their brackets, aimed and connected to power before the poles are set in place.

DIY OR OUTSOURCING

Several options are available to consider for the actual installation of your lighting project. The costs for each option should be

Electrical: A Little Algebra For a standard croquet court that has 8 lamps on 4 poles, if the lamps are LED and 250 watts apiece and the voltage is 220, then the Amperage needed is roughly 9.0; I(Impedance or Amps) = P(Watts) ÷ V(Volts) A more accurate representative equation allows for the power factor of the light in use for AC single phase. For instance, a Heritage Series 240 W, 16-inch Shoebox light fixture has a power factor of > 0.9, so for 220 volts calculate the following: I(Impedance or Amps) =P (Watts) ÷ PF(Power Factor) × V(Volts) I = 1920 ÷ (0.9 × 220) = 9.6969(Amps) or at 115 volts I = 1920 ÷( 0.9 × 115) = 18.5507(Amps) For an LED setup at 220 volts, the power requirements are rather low and the wiring requirements simple, using 14 AWG copper wire*, unless there are long runs, which would require heavier wire. If you choose to use an HID lamp, the amperage should be multiplied by a factor of four, and the wire should increase to 8 AWG copper (with a significant increase in cost). *Wire Size Calculator, Paige Irrigation and Lighting Division, Fresno, CA. www.paigewire.com/pumpWireCalc. aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

weighed and that should also include combining self-work and contracted work for both efficiency and cost savings. Consider the following as you start your project: 1. Lighting companies – can provide front-to-back, turnkey installations. More expensive, but less fuss.

2. Local contractors – services can be bid out. a. Electricians, especially those specializing in underground installations. b. Pole setters, such as power companies, excavation contractors or a general contractor. c. Advice of your town’s Code Enforcement Officer 3. Do the work oneself, which would save money.

Resources Daylight Duration Tool: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/Dur_OneYear.php Light Levels Chart: www.lithonia.com/micro_webs/sportslighting/lightlevels/default.asp Full Article Download: Original 24-page document by Carlton H. Mabee that includes details on pole setting, chart examples, resources, illustrations and much more. http://croquetworld.com/News/Lighting_a_Croquet_Court_Ver.docx

Citations *Ian Ashdown, “Sports Lighting Regulations,” All Things Lighting; Relevance in Illumination Engineering (blog), April 29, 2016, http://agi32.com/blog/tag/sports-lighting/. **Town of Kennebunkport Land Use Ordinance, Kennebunkport, Maine, Revised November 8, 2016. croquetamerica.com | 21

2018 USCA Club Team Championships March 9-18, 2018 | West Palm Beach, Florida

Club Teams

Offers A Singles Twist

By John C. Osborn

W

hether you came to comprehend or conquer, events and activities were again abundant this year during what the USCA often refers to as Croquet Week. Spanning beyond the conventional definition of a week, schools were offered in multiple flavors, including traditional Six Wicket American Croquet, Golf Croquet and the always-popular Tournament Prep School. The Golf Croquet Tournament began the competitive portion of play and the club teams finished things off with both excitement and suspense.

It is interesting to note the Golf Croquet Tournament has no bearings on the club teams’ results, and maybe it should, but this stand-alone event always brings a quality field, usually serving as a great practice vehicle for those continuing to the main event. Only a couple of those playing did continue, and, while this may have been odd in nature, it did create for a more enthusiastic event.

The format was quite simple with block play leading to a single elimination ladder, the Finals match being a best-of-three slugfest. David McCoy, as expected, grabbed one of the two byes after the blocks, but his progress was quickly halted when Stephen Jackson, having already removed John Warlick (10-6) from the quarterfinals, continued to roll onward with a very exciting 10-9 victory in this semifinal. On the other side of the draw, steady Sandra Knuth Walsh got past Terry Howatt (10-7) in the quarterfinals, but fell short (9-10) in her match against Dylan Goodwin, the other bye in the playoffs.

For the Final, Jackson probably showed more animation than anyone I have ever

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met. He might curse beneath his breath, but it may well be the loudest silence ever uttered. And while most of this might work to inspire him, there was no getting past the solid play that Goodwin had exhibited all weekend. The match lasted two games, with Goodwin proving to be the true champion with impressive 7-3, 7-0 scores, numbers that accented his solid play throughout. Applause also goes out to David Paukovich, capturing First Flight with a nail-biting victory (10-9) of his club member, Edmund Giancola.

After a day of rest from the other activities, the Club Team Championships began in a fashion previously unseen. After decades of being held as a strictly doubles event, Wednesday saw the first matches of singles, an experimental addition offered to promote entry and add an interesting twist to the club teams concept. To make matters more interesting, those competing could choose to play with official tracking (handicap) points counted or not. And while this addition did drop the doubles competition by a day, it made the overall finish of the individual clubs more intriguing.

Overall, seven clubs were in the running for the Lyons Trophy, a trophy awarded to the club with the best overall and cumulative finish. Not meaning to confuse the issue, but three divisions within this event exist, an individual club falling into a bracket determined by the number of teams/players sent. Any club could win the Lyons Trophy, but there is power with numbers, and these numbers set up an interesting showdown, come Sunday, between the Beach Club and the National Croquet Club.

Play within the event broke down into three flights of both singles and doubles. Games were timed at one hour and 15 minutes and the standard format of block play leading to a single elimination ladder prevailed. The lawns played extremely fast and six rounds of play were held each day. The weather, overall, was great. What didn’t make sense was, well, Rick Landry. Having mowed Thursday (day 2) morning, for some reason yet to be explained, Landry, the NCC Professional, decided to take a casual and social event and turn it into a little shop of horrible hoops. All day long mallets were thrust into the air as ball after ball after ball refused to find the width to complete its way through a wicket. Set. Reset. Repeat.

And I am certain we have all had these dreams…now being played out in the fields of nightmares! Oh, the horror!

By day three, play was back to normal, and by late in day four, the playoffs had been set. The Beach Club and the NCC were neck and neck in the search for the Lyons Trophy, and perhaps the first sign of trouble for the Beach Club came when, after a

Carla Rueck, Danny Huneycutt, Jodie Rugart, Sara Low

Carla Rueck, Diane Sadowski, Anne Licursi, Sara Low

Carla Rueck, Sherif Abdelwahab, Sara Low

Gerry McCauley

Carla Rueck, Dick Boger, Jeff Morrison, Sara Low

Jane Helms

See final results on page 24 Penny Ferraro

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CLUB TEAMS FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT SINGLES

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT DOUBLES

01. Sherif Abdelwahab Palm Beach Polo

01. Danny Huneycutt-Jodie Rugart

Beach Club

02. Scott Spradling

Oklahoma

02. Sherif Abdelwahab-Sandy Walsh

Palm Beach Polo & CC

03. Conner Helms

Oklahoma

03. Randy Cardo-Stewart Jackson

Beach Club

03. Randy Cardo

Beach Club

03. David Ekstrom-Bob Chilton

NCC

05. Danny Huneycutt

Beach Club

05. Bob Van Tassell-Dick Sullivan

NCC NCC

05. Bob Van Tassell

NCC

05. Pat Colt-Bob Yount

05. Dick Sullivan

NCC

05. Scott Spradling-Suzanne Spradling

05. David Ekstrom

NCC

08. Bill Trower-David Spivey

09. Bob Chilton

NCC

09. David Isaacs-Carla Rueck

NYCC

10. David Isaacs

NYCC

09. David McCoy-Hal Denton

NCC

10. Kevin Hansley 10. Pat Colt 10. Sandra Knuth Walsh

Westhampton NCC PBP&CC

14. David McCoy

NCC

14. Bill Trower

NCC

NCC

FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Richard Boger-Jeff Morrison 02. Kevin Hansley-Vickie Johnston

NCC Westhampton

03. Stephen Warner-Richard Carlson

Beach Club

03. Conner Helms-Jane Helms

Oklahoma

05. Beverly Cardo-Jeanne Branthover

FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Dick Boger

NCC

05. Gerry McCauley-Martie Ekstrom

02. David Spivey

NCC

07. Josie Jackson-Ellen Hall

03. Jeff Morrison

NCC

08. Lucille Maresca-Bernie Pattie

03. Jeanne Branthover

Oklahoma

Beach Club

Beach Club NCC Beach Club Bombay

SECOND FLIGHT DOUBLES

05. Martie Ekstrom

NCC

01. Diane Sadowski-Anne Licursi

05. Vickie Johnson

NCC

02. Carl Archiniaco-Joseph Warren

Oklahoma

05. Gerry McCauley

NCC

03. Thomas Tribby-Jeanette Tribby

Beach Club

05. Dick Carlson

NCC

03. Lynn LeBlanc-Jeff Lawlor

09. Thomas Tribby

Beach Club

09. Penny Ferraro

Westhampton

11. Carla Rueck 11. Suzanne Spradling

NYCC Oklahoma

01. Arlene Stevens

NCC

02. Missy Chilton

NCC

03. Sheila McCauley

Bombay

05. Bobby Duryea-Lovejoy Duryea

Beach Club

05. Sheila McCauley-Freear Pollard

Westhampton

07. Penny Ferraro-Missy Chilton

Westhampton

07. Mary Shields-Sam Orleans 07. Robin Sweet-Mary Robb

SECOND FLIGHT

03. Lovejoy Duryea

Westhampton

Beach Club Westhampton

NCC Bombay

10. Arlene Stevens-Eugenia Wilkie

NCC

GOLF CROQUET FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

07. Dick Brackett

FIRST FLIGHT

05. Carl Archiniaco

Oklahoma

01. Dylan Goodwin

07. Dick Boger

01. David Paukovich

05. Jane Helms

Oklahoma

02. Stephen Jackson

07. Hal Denton

02. Edmund Giancola

03. David McCoy

07. Jeff Morrison

03. James Boyd 04. Michelle Wiggins

05. Bobbie Duryea 05. Lynn LeBlanc

Beach Club Bombay

03. Sandra Knuth Walsh

11. Gil Flower

Beach Club

05. Terry Howatt

12. Adrienne Lucke

09. Freear Pollard

Westhampton

05. John Warlick

11. Sam Hansley

NCC

09. Jeanette Tribby

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less-than-stellar block performance, Sherif Abdelwahab was scheduled to play in the first round of the singles playoffs against the favorite Danny Huneycutt (-4 Beach Club).

Play did not go well for Huneycutt (3-26), but did go very well for the Oklahoma crew! Abdelwahab (-3 Palm Beach Polo) would up winning the Championship Flight Singles over an inspired Scott Spradling (.5 Oklahoma). Connor Helms (2 Oklahoma) and Randy Cardo (-2.5 Beach Club) would tie for third.

The National Croquet Center continued to dominate First Flight, with Dick Boger (4.5 NCC) and David Spivey (3.5 NCC) taking the top two spots. Arlene Stevens (10 NCC) defeated Missy Chilton (8 Westhampton) for Second Flight honors. Please note that while the singles results were not of the same value as those finishing well in the doubles, the points that were allotted did prove to have a significant effect on the final totals.

By Sunday afternoon, with the Doubles Finals now underway, the die had pretty

much been cast for the Lyons Trophy. In Championship Flight, Danny HuneycuttJodie Rugart (Beach Club) looked the best (20-10) over defending Champions Sherif Abdelwahab-Sandra Knuth Walsh (Palm Beach Polo). Dick Boger-Jeff Morrison (NCC) snuck by (15-14) Kevin Hansley-Vickie Johnston (Westhampton) in what was an important match. Diane Sadowski-Anne Licursi (Westhampton) took another important match over (18-17) Carl Archiniaco-Joseph Warren (Oklahoma) to capture Second Flight.

While both the First and Second Flight matches may have had no bearing upon the Lyons Trophy, they did have a great deal to do with the Divisional Titles.

Overall, the National Croquet Center held onto the Lyons Trophy—but barely.

Westhampton, oh so barely, withstood the Oklahoma charge in Division Two. And it is good to see the Palm Beach Polo & Country Club taking Division Three, since most of the best club team battles were

John C.Osborn with Dylan Goodwin

Sandra Knuth Walsh

held upon their courts. It is not my place to say whether the addition of singles was a positive or not and I have heard from both sides of that fence. But I will say that a great time was had by all, as it always is during the Club Team Championships. Both the NCC staff and the USCA staff worked hard to make these events special, as they do each year, and it showed.

Finally, if there was anything missing this year, it had nothing to do with the sound of a coin flipped onto a lawn. Or a sigh expressed just loud enough to understand.

Or the crash of balls confronting one another or a curse to which everyone could relate. Not even a clock announcing the end of play. We had all of that. No, it had everything to do with the story you never did or will never hear again from Ted Prentis. It had everything to do with the bottle of rum not tossed and the smile not offered by Les Kelley. Those were the empty sounds and sights missing. And the reasons to be there again next year.

Stephen Jackson and John C. Osborn

David Paukovich

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USCA Collegiate National Tournament April 21-22, 2018 | Haverford, Pennsylvania

Naval Academy, St. John’s College

Battle for

Victories

By Micah Beck

in Collegiate Tourney

T

he 2018 USCA Collegiate National Tournament was again graciously hosted by the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, Penn. Each year, both a Golf Croquet (GC) and an American Rules Six Wicket Croquet tournament take place. Twenty-four teams from five colleges participated in the two tournaments this year with good competition in each.

In the GC tournament, 19 games were won by only one or two points, and it featured the return of the defending champions from last year’s tournament, Peter Pendergrass and Zachary Adams from Oklahoma Wesleyan University. Enough courts were available, providing time for a 16-team playoff on Sunday, and every school had at least one team in the bracket, so everyone had a chance.

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) teams both swept block play and thus sat atop the standings, taking on the challengers. Both of those teams remained in the semifinals and one (Chase Stewart and Nathan Arellano) moved on to the final match to face the third-place seed from the day before: Mack McGowen from St. John’s College. McGowen put up a good fight, but ultimately fell 7-4, giving the first-place trophies to Stewart/Arellano and to the USNA. In the third-place match, Oklahoma Wesleyan team Nathaniel Sanborn and Thomas Logan won a nail biter 7-6 against the other Navy team of Gabriel Weigelt and Steven Roberts.

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COLLEGIATE GOLF CROQUET BY INDIVIDUAL TEAMS: 01: Chase Stewart/Nathan Arellano (USNA) 02: Mack McGowen (St. John’s College) 03: Nathaniel Sanborn/Thomas Logan (Oklahoma Wesleyan University) 04: Gabriel Weigelt/Steven Roberts (USNA) 05: Jake Shenot/Ryan Kirkoff (Penn State University) 05: Jacob Green/Kiley Green (OWU) 05: John Jane III/Alex Muradian (SJC) 05: Brendan Tanner/Jacob Poulin (SUNY New Paltz)

COLLEGIATE GOLF CROQUET BY COLLEGE: 01: United States Naval Academy 02: St. John’s College 03: Oklahoma Wesleyan University 04: Penn State University 04: State University of New York at New Paltz

The American Rules Six Wicket tournament was contested by two schools that had just played each other the prior weekend in the 36th Annapolis Cup, which is best-of-five nine wicket matches. St. John’s College won game five in the waning light against its old rival: The United States Naval Academy. Thus, Navy was keen on revenge and played well, taking two of the top five spots in the playoffs, but they ran into a buzz saw named Tom Balding, a St. John’s sophomore out of New York. Balding and his partner, Sean Miller, were 3-0 +48 after block play on Saturday, having won 26-5, 26-5, 22-16.

They continued their streak in the playoffs winning the Elite Eight round 24-5 and the Final Four round 26-6 to face the Imperial Wicket of St. John’s, Shane Hettler and his partner Robin

Lancaster. In an early attempt at a two-ball run, Balding clanked off of 2 and gave up the run to the patiently waiting predator Hettler, who picked up the break and ran 11 hoops to the peg.

However, that may have been the fatal play as Balding, after some positioning and small gains for both sides, fearlessly attacked on the line to pick up a four-ball break, run it to peg, peg out Hettler and set up the two-on-one match, which Miller adeptly took home for a 26-17 victory (and a stellar weekend line of 6-0 +96).

COLLEGIATE AMERICAN RULES SIX WICKET

BY INDIVIDUAL TEAMS: 01: Tom Balding/Sean Miller (SJC) 02: Shane Hettler/Robin Lancaster (SJC) 03: Jacob Priester (USNA) 03: Jared Bassman/Charlie Carpenter (SJC) 05: Anderson Camp/Kahse Mandarino (USNA) 05: Joel Austin/Jacob Baldus (USNA) 05: Val Pehrson/Alex Kwilinski (SJC)

Tom Balding and Sean Miller. Photo provided by Balding.

05: Tyler Snyder (SJC)

COLLEGIATE AMERICAN RULES SIX-WICKET BY COLLEGE: 01: Saint John’s College 02: United States Naval Academy

The tournament directors, Justin Berbig and Micah Beck (graduates of SUNY New Paltz and St. John’s College, respectively, and both former players in this great tournament), would like to thank Lee Hanna for the work she has done over the past … no-one-knows-quite-how-many-years to support,

encourage and teach croquet played in colleges around the country. Without her, this tournament would not have survived to reach this point and many of us would not have gone on to keep playing croquet after graduation. We were very sorry to miss her this year. We hope that we will see her again next year!

And, as always, we would like to extend a great big “Thank you!” to Whitney Thain and the Merion Cricket Club for hosting us again this year. It is a great privilege to be allowed to use the beautiful space.

NATIONAL CROQUET CENTER PRO SHOP

Wickets Deadness Boards Dawson Balls Sunshiny Balls Pegs Flags Clips & MALLETS Galore

Visit our Pro Shop Website for All Your Equipment Needs www.nationalcroquetcenterproshop.com

2 | croquetamerica.com

croquetamerica.com | 27

USCA Association Laws National Championship February 18-24, 2018 | Rancho Mirage, California

19

Soo Claims National Title T

he 2018 USCA Association Laws National Championship was held at Mission Hills Croquet Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., February 18-24, 2018. Or at least that was the way it was intended. Due to some court issues and longer games, the championship on Saturday, February 24, ran off schedule and had to extend to February 25 to see Jeff Soo claim his 19th USCA national title with a 26qp-9, 26tp-3 over Rich Lamm.

Much of the doubles was streamed live by Russ Dilley and AC fans were treated to Sherif Abdelwahab working a tricky opponent triple peel in game two against Brian Cumming and Rich Lamm to set up partner Dan Pailas.

Pailas was able to get a three-ball break going in the two-on-one phase, but an untimely breakdown left it open for Lamm to finish 26-1, 26otp-23 (A) for the doubles championship.

Lee Jorde took the First Flight singles title with a 17-9 victory over Sandra Knuth Walsh.

Wayne Davies(TD) with Jeff Soo.

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CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT SINGLES

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT DOUBLES

FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES

01. Jeff Soo

01. Brian Cumming/Rich Lamm

01. Lee Jorde

02. Rich Lamm

02 Sherif Abdelwahab/Dan Pailas

02. Sandra Knuth Walsh

03. Wayne Davies

03 Paul Bennett/Macey White

03. Donna Dixon

03. Doug Grimsley

03 Ian Harshman/Stuart Lawrence

04. Nick Gray

05. Paul Bennett

05 Jim Butts/Leo Nikora

05. Blake Fields

05. Brian Cumming

05 Peter Bach/Wayne Davies

05. Steve Mossbrook

05. Macey White

05 Doug Grimsley/Charlie Smith

07. Mary Rodeberg

05. Stuart Lawrence

05 Jeff Soo/Eileen Soo

07. Patrick Dugan

09. Rich Curtis

09. Tracey Roche

09. Charlie Smith

09. Bob Morford

09. Dan Pailas 09. Steve Scalpone

FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES

09. Sherif Abdelwahab 09. Peter Bach 09. Tim Hanks

01. Steve Mossbrook/Cameron Evans

09. Ian Harshman

02 Blake Fields/Mary Rodeberg

17. Rory Kelly

03 Nick Gray/Sandra Knuth Walsh

17. Rick Sheely 17. Russell Dilley 17. Jim Butts 17. Leo Nikora 17. Jim Hanks

Brian Cumming, Rich Lamm and Steve Mossbrook

03 Patrick Dugan/Lee Jorde Sandra Knuth Walsh, Lee Jorde and Steve Mossbrook

Full results: https://croquetscores.com/2018/ac/us-nationals

Sherif Abdelwahab, Steve Mossbrook, Dan Pailas

Lee Jorde, Steve Mossbrook

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USCA National Golf Croquet Championship December 12-16, 2017 | Rancho Mirage, California

Abdelwahab Victorious Against Soo

By Wayne Davies

A

great event is now done and dusted, culminating with a wonderful lunch whilst watching the singles finals that were being played on lawns two and three. Sherif Abdelwahab’s hard and straight hitting in the end proved to be the match-winning obstacle that Jeff Soo couldn’t quite overcome, although he did manage to win the second game 7-2. At the same time, another enthralling match between Blake Fields and Bill Fraser was being played. A ytoung Fields showed his metal with some long-hoop shots and brought home the bacon! Special thanks go to all those who did so much behind the scenes to make this such a great event!

Championship Singles

First Flight Singles

01. Sherif Abdelwahab

01. Blake Fields

02. Jeff Soo

02. Bill Fraser

03. Stephen Morgan

03. Cameron Evans

03. Matt Griffith

03. Ellie Griffith

05. Mohammad Kamal

05. Tracey Roche

05. Paul Bennett

05. Nick Gray

05. Jim Wright

05. Kory Teoman

05. Gil Flowers

05. Patrick Dugan

09. Danial Pailas

09. Neil Burton

10. Brian Cumming

10. Karen Albert

11. Eric Sawyer (WD)

11. Welles Farago

12. Rich Lamm

12. Kenneth Slaughter

13. Jim Butts 14. Eileen Soo 15. Steve Mossbrook 16. Hal Denton 17. Stephen Jackson Full Results: https://croquetscores.com/2017/ gc/us-nationals

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Second Flight Singles 01. Brian Lozano 02. John Shanholt (WD) 03. Rick Zazueta 03. Betty Teoman 05. Larry Bullard 06. Karen Bullard 07. Gail Kern 08. David Lupia Championship Doubles 01. Sherif Abdelwahab/ Stephen Morgan 02. Jeff Soo/ Brian Cumming 03. Mohammad Kamal/ Michael Albert 03. Rich Lamm/ Jim Wright 05. Stephen Jackson/ Gil Flowers 05. Jim Butts/ Marilyn Morford 05. Wayne Davies/ Daniel Pailas 05. Paul Bennett/ Matt Griffith 05. Eric Sawyer/ Eileen Soo 05. Steve Mossbrook/ Hal Denton

First Flight Doubles 01. Blake Fields/ Justin Fields 02. Nick Gray/ Cameron Evans 03. Patrick Dugan/ Bill Fraser 03. Karen Albert/ Ellie Griffith 05. Diana Bell/ Kim Herrlinger 05. Neil Burton/ Kenneth Slaughter Second Flight Doubles 01. Welles Farago/ Susan Stiff 02. Betty Teoman/ Kory Teoman 03. David Cartwright/ Susan Wall 03. Karen Bullard/ Larry Bullard 03. Brian Lozano/ Rick Zazueta 03. Gail Kern/ John Shanholt

USCA Golf Croquet Club Teams Championship December 1-3, 2017 | West Palm Beach, Florida

Florida Yacht Club

CLUB STANDINGS 01. The Florida Yacht Club

14

02. The Croquet Club of Sapphire Valley

6

03. The National Croquet Club

4

04. The Kactus Creek Croquet Club

2.5

04. The Milwaukee Croquet Club

2.5

06. The Riomar Country Club

1

07. The Moorings Country Club

0

Individual results on following page

croquetamerica.com | 31

Jeff Ohlrich, Sr., John Osborn (TD) and David Walker

John Osborn (TD), Cheryl Bromley and Stephen Jackson

FIRST FLIGHT

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

01. Jeff Ohlrich, Sr./David Walker The Florida Yacht Club

01. Cheryl Bromley/Stephen Jackson Milwaukee Croquet Club-Kactus Creek Croquet Club

02. John Fox/Peggy Fox The Florida Yacht Club

02. Sherif Abdelwahab/Hal Denton The National Croquet Club

03. Susan Adams/Helen Covington The Florida Yacht Club

03. Pat Cunningham/Susie Cunningham The Croquet Club of Sapphire Valley

03. Jack Davis/Brad Martens The Florida Yacht Club

03. Jochen Lucke/Adrienne Lucke The Croquet Club of Sapphire Valley

05. Lee Adamson/Stephanie Hurtt The Riomar Country Club

05. Earle Mauldin/Debbie Davidoff The Croquet Club of Sapphire Valley

06. Judith Freeman/Bette Hines The Croquet Club of Sapphire Valley 07. Julia Denison/Susan Tillman The Moorings Country Club

32 | croquetamerica.com

USCA Florida Regional Golf Croquet Tournament January 12-14, 2018 | West Palm Beach, Florida

White Scores Regional Title in Florida

By Cheryl Bromley

The first two days consisted of block play with each player facing off against the other competitors in their respective blocks. The top two players in each block then advanced to the Championship Knockout quarterfinals, and the 3rd and 4 th place finishers moved into the First Flight Knockout quarterfinals. Remaining players had the option to play additional matches in the plate consolation.

Congratulations to our newly crowned Champions for 2018!

02. Michael Todorovich 03. Cheryl Bromley 03. Gil Flowers 05. Lawrie Simpson 05. Stephen Jackson 05. Hal Denton 05. Bo Prillaman FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 02. George O’Neill 03. Sandra Knuth Walsh 03. Jeff Morrison 05. Steven Mednick 05. Diane Walker 05. Terry Howatt

Left: George O'Neill and David McCoy

05. Doug Coller

Right: Macey White and Michael Todorvich

CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Macey White/ Bo Prillaman 02. Lawrie Simpson/ Cheryl Bromley 03. Rich Dell/Corky Dell Sandra Knuth Walsh, Adrienne Lucke, Diane Walker and Jeff Morrison

Because of a few rain showers and matches running much longer than expected, the second day wrapped up with some places in the semifinals left to be determined until early the next morning.

Sunday’s action featured solid play and beautiful shot-making as the tournament winded down to its conclusion.

01. Macey White

01. David McCoy

T

he National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., was the site of the 5th Annual USCA Florida Golf Croquet Tournament. A record 32 players took to the lawns for three days of singles and doubles competition with a total of 119 matches played! It was wonderful to see several new faces enter the ranks as well as others from across the country and southern hemisphere with Lawrie Simpson of Australia traveling the farthest and logging the most frequent flyer miles.

CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES

03. George O’Neill/ Steven Mednick FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Diane Walker/ Jeff Morrison

Lawrie Simpson, Cheryl Bromley, Macey White and Bo Prillaman

02. Sandra Knuth Walsh/ Adrienne Lucke 03. Jan Fisher/Jack Davant 03. Pat Colt/ Sam Orleans-Hansley croquetamerica.com | 33

clubprofile

Mission Hills Croquet Club

Year founded: 1989

Website: www.missionhillscroquet.com

Number of members: 107

Do you use social media?

Not presently.

Number of courts: 10 lawns

What makes this club special?

• The dedication of our members to generate interest in and to teach the game of croquet.

Type of grass: A base of 328 Bermuda Grass over seeded with Poa Trivialis and Perennial Rye Grass.

Overview of club schedule The club hosts a courtside Wine and Wickets social gathering at 2 p.m. almost every Sunday throughout the season. We also have an active schedule of annual tournaments: • Season Opener – Golf Croquet • Pat Apple Tournament – Association Laws with bisques • Scrambled Doubles Tournament – Golf Croquet • President’s Cup Tournament – Golf Croquet • Mission Hills Croquet Club Invitational – American Croquet • Bob Riddell Tournament – Golf Croquet • Season Closer – Crazy Croquet During the 2017-2018 croquet season at Mission Hills, the Croquet Club hosted all three of the USCA National Championship tournaments. In April and May 2017, the club hosted teams from Australia, England, New Zealand and the United States for the MacRobertson Shield competition. Annually, our club offers six tournaments for club members, three invitational tournaments that are sanctioned and a national or regional USCA Championship.

34 | croquetamerica.com

• The playing skills of our members; we have a broad range of nationally ranked members of all ages (from 11 to 90 years old) who play all three major croquet formats: golf croquet, American Rules and Association Laws.

• The willingness of members to not only teach and share their expertise with one another but also to invest their time in maintaining our beautiful lawns, equipment and facilities.

• Our shared sense of pride in our facilities. All our members cherish the time we spend on our lawns playing on the California desert floor while surrounded by the beautiful San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountains.

• We’re fortunate to have welcoming, fun-loving members who, along with their croquet skills, have a very social side, loving to gather together for the game and for a glass or two of wine on the lawns.

• The club sponsors scholarships for children of Mission Hills employees as they head to college. The program has run for the last 11 years and each year the club has collected about $5,000. When combined with the Mission Hills Scholarship

SHOP

USCA Whatever the occasion think USCA for those special gifts Books

Croquet the Sport - By Jack Osborn (Hard Cover) .............................................................................. $24.95 Croquet the Sport - By Jack Osborn (Paperback)................................................................................ $15.95 Croquet - By J.W. Solomon..................................................................................................................... $25.00 It’s a Wicket Kitchen Cookbook............................................................................................................... $12.00 Monograph Series On Club Building Vol.1, 2 or 3 @$9.95 or all three for $25.00........................................................................................... $25.00 USCA Croquet Shot-Making Manual..................................................................................................... $15.95 USCA Rulebook (revised 2013 edition)...................................................................................................$ 7.00 International Rules -The Laws of Association Croquet........................................................................ $12.00 Golf Croquet Rulebook...............................................................................................................................$7.00 A Guide to Croquet Court Planning, Building & Maintenance............................................................. $39.95

CD’s

program over the past 11 years, the total is an impressive $700,000 to support education!

Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD & Bound Books (Beg/Interm/Adv)..................................................................................................$124.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD & Unbound Books (Beg/Interm/Adv)......................................................................................................... $72.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Advanced).................................................................................................... $29.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Beg/Interm).................................................................................................. $29.95 Bob & Ted’s Strategy CD (Beg/Interm/Advanced)................................................................................ $39.95 Bob & Ted’s “Know the Rules” CD Understanding the USCA Rules ............................................................................................................ $24.95

DVD’s

• Free weekly beginner lessons to prospective and new MHCC members

2004 USCA National Singles Final DVD............................................................................................... $10.00 Bob & Ted’s “Mastering Croquet Shots” DVD....................................................................................... $29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent Croquet” DVD.................................................................................................... $49.95 Bob & Ted’s “Most Wanted Croquet Strategy” 2 Disc DVD................................................................. $64.95 Bob & Ted’s “Break Play - What You Need to Know” DVD................................................................. $29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Staying Alive” DVD - Winning Croquet Tactics............................................................... $39.95 Bob & Ted’s “You Make the Call” DVD................................................................................................... $29.95 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent” & “Most Wanted” DVD set.............................................................................. $99.95 Bob & Ted’s “Staying Alive” and “You Make the Call” DVD set........................................................... $64.90 Bob & Ted’s “Excellent”, “Most Wanted”,“Staying Alive” 3 DVD set..................................................$140.95 Bob & Ted’s Four DVD set.....................................................................................................................$170.00 Bob & Ted’s Five DVD set.....................................................................................................................$185.00 Kamal vs Rothman - GC Pasadena Playoff.......................................................................................... $19.95 USCA Historical Video DVD.................................................................................................................... $15.95

• A mix of free and low-cost clinics

Defective disks may be replaced within 2 weeks of purchase.

• For the 2017-18 season and the upcoming 2018-19 season, we are pleased to have internationally ranked Wayne Davies as our Club Pro. Approach to growing membership: We attract new Club members by providing:

• Opportunities to observe tournament play by leading national and international players • Opportunities to participate in club social events: Wine and Wickets most Sundays; a Happy Hour after instructional sessions on Tuesdays and potluck buffets and country club dinners that precede or conclude each major club tournament.

Are USCA members welcome?

Mission Hills Country Club allows guests to use the croquet facilities two times per month and a maximum of eight times during a year.

The guest fee is $10 per person, per day and can be paid at the Tennis Pro Shop in the Mission Hills Fitness Center where croquet equipment is obtained for use.

CDs & DVDs are not returnable.

Clothing

USCA Logo Hats - Brim: S/M L/XL Baseball: One Size...................................................................... $20.00 USCA Jacket with Logo on front............................................................................................................. $80.00 USCA Shirts (USCA Logo or Croquet Week)....................................................................................... $40.00 USCA Logo Long-Sleeve Shirts............................................................................................................. $50.00 USCA logo Ladies Sweater..................................................................................................................... $70.00

Misc.

Large Mallet Cover with USCA Logo............................................................Up to 12” mallet head – $52.95 Small Mallet Cover with USCA Logo...............................................................Up to 9” mallet head – $49.95 Note Cards or Croquet Party Invitations (10/pk)......................................................................................$5.00 Croquet Paper Placemats (24/pk).......................................................................................................... $10.00 USCA Patch Small......................................................................................................................................$5.00 USCA Ballmarkers (dozen)........................................................................................................................$1.00 USCA Cufflinks (USCA shield)................................................................................................................ $29.95

Prices subject to change

Contact the USCA at 561-478-0760; fax: 561-686-5507; email usca@msn.com or mail to USCA, 700 Florida Mango Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406 croquetamerica.com | 35

36 | croquetamerica.com

memberprofile

Randy Cardo Age: 60 Home Base: Quogue, N.Y. / Palm Beach, Fla. Home Club: Westhampton Mallet Club / The Beach Club, Palm Beach, Florida / National Croquet Club Grip: Solomon Mallet: Jacko (Bob Jackson), 11-inch head, 3lbs 2oz, 36-inch shaft Years playing croquet: Five years Favorite croquet venue: Mission Hills Favorite Tournament: The Meadow Club, Southampton, N.Y. How did you get into the game: In January 2013, The Beach Club in Palm Beach, Fla., was having its Invitational. I was on my way to play tennis and, as I was walking past the croquet lawns to get to the courts, I saw some friends from Quogue, N.Y., playing a match. I stopped to watch for a few minutes and heard them discussing strategy, which intrigued me. After tennis, I came back and watched for a while. The following week, I arranged a lesson with Stewart Jackson and started to learn the logistics of the game and some shotmaking skills. I was gaining continued interest in the game and in March, I went over to the National Croquet Center during Croquet Week to watch a few games. It was there I saw Derek Wassink, who was three-ball dead, shoot twoback from the line behind one-back to get clean.

That was it – I was hooked! I went from playing more than one hundred rounds of golf a year to playing mostly croquet. Although I continued to play golf, croquet was my preference and I put my focus on learning the game and bettering my skills. My wife, Bev, started playing last year so now it is something we enjoy together. We have met so many nice people from around the country through the game of croquet that it has added a whole new dimension to our lives. I have a love for the game of croquet that far exceeds golf. It is a competitive and interactive game that requires physical skill and mental strategy.

Croquet highlights/tourney wins: I have had a pretty good run over the last couple of years with the highlight winning the National Doubles title in 2015 and 2016 with Danny Huneycutt. I also tied for third in Singles in 2017. Last year I won the Third Eight at the Selection Eights, which was my first Association tournament and I closed out 2017

by winning the Grand Prix. 2018 has gotten off to a great start, having won both The Beach Club Invitational and the Peyton Ballenger tournaments.

The future of the sport: I love the American game and Association for the strategy and shot-making that makes it so competitive. There is a great interest in Golf Croquet for those new to the game because it is a simpler game to introduce and a lot of fun whether you are a beginner or playing at an advanced level. I think all the games add to your skill as a croquet player and it is my hope that as players learn one of the games, they will have the desire to learn the others as well.

Quick croquet tip: Square up, head down, tempo, follow through. It’s amazing how successful you can be if you stick to those simple tips. If you have any negative thoughts or distractions, step away and re-group.

What would you like to see happen in the sport over the next 10 years: I would like to see more public venues. It is challenging to introduce new people to the game when, for the most part, it requires membership to a private club.

What is the best thing the USCA has done for croquet: The USCA is great at supporting clubs, promoting the game and hosting tournaments. The USCA also does a nice job with communication through its monthly newsletters and Croquet News magazine.

What is the USCA’s greatest weakness: To date, the failure to adapt to the changing croquet demographic. We are now seeing an aggressive effort by the USCA to appeal to the Golf Croquet community, which I believe is the key. In 2017, the Golf Croquet Eights were introduced as well as more regional tournaments. I believe the USCA needs to establish and manage a USCA Golf Croquet ranking system like the handicap system in the American game. This will encourage more club and individual support of the USCA. I also think the Grand Prix point system should be revamped to allow points to be accumulated proportionately through Golf Croquet tournaments.

Do you play other sports: Golf, Tennis, Shooting, Snowboarding, Running Favorite sports teams: Cardo/Huneycutt What have you learned from croquet: Patience and discipline. croquetamerica.com | 37

let’stalktactics

Dilemma Solving the Hoop 2

By Bob Kroeger and John C. Osborn

B

ecause the topic of the second wicket never seems to go out of fashion, maybe it’s time to take another look at the perplexing situation that occurs so often at the beginning of a match. Assume all the balls have just scored the first wicket and are in standard locations. While these positions may look quite familiar, what to do next remains puzzling. From previous articles, most beginner or intermediate players know that simply setting up a rush (Diagram 1) and eventually attempting the second wicket first offers little reward and a slew of danger. In most cases, even if the second wicket is made, one must either get dead on partner to remove it from the area or leave if where it winds up, thus offering not only an easy wicket but also a potential break for the opponent.

Sure, some of us are anxious, and while we might know that an original attack would offer more opportunities and safety, for some reason we feel unsettled by that option. We also lack the patience to wait for the opponents to make a move on their own. And thus, off we go, rushing up to wicket two in hopes we will beat the odds and get that illusive perfect rush to wicket three. Well, that seldom happens. A potential scatter shot after having made the wicket? This is also quite doubtful. So, how’s this: let’s change our goals.

In Diagrams 2 and 3, we can see how our intent has changed.

In this case, our hopes are based not on a two-ball break or some scatter shot. Our goal, instead, is to make but one wicket, thus breaking the existing stalemate, while dislodging our partner ball.

Leaving that second ball on the court is fine, if it is in a position that offers limited options for the opponent. Blue, in this case, has given Black a rush and now Black has played (Diagram 2) the rush to wicket two. Notice in this example how the rush was played not as close to the wicket as possible or even directly in front of wicket two. Instead, the rush was purposely set deep from the wicket.

In Diagram 3, note that Black has now tried not to split Blue to get a rush to the next wicket, but created a straight shot, be

38 | croquetamerica.com

it either a stop or standard shot, but certainly one that can not only be played with accuracy, but will also send Blue toward a boundary line. Not only does Blue become somewhat useless, but is also in a nice position, as the danger ball, to create a threat. In Diagram 4, Black makes the easy wicket, and in Diagram 5 either goes out of bounds to the third corner, or, for more advanced players, locates by the fourth wicket marked by the X, thus offering Blue the chance to both join and set an immediate rush toward wicket three.

What is important to realize is that no matter where that original rush lands, creating that straight, easy shot takes care of two items— enables the wicket to be made easily and leaves no collateral damage behind. As an extreme, imagine the original rush was short. In this case, the straight stop/standard shot would send Blue into the middle of the court, again better than the alternative of leaving a gift ball at wicket two. Of course, the scale of these diagrams may make this play appear slightly dangerous, but on a full-size lawn, the strategy offers a conservative and intelligent option.

Finally, while the example given deals with second wicket issues, the same principle can be applied throughout the game. Imagine you have two balls for wicket four while your opponent’s balls are threatening wicket number three. While patience might well be a virtue here, should you feel the uncontrollable urge to move forward, limit your goals to achievements more easily accomplished. A wicket here and there might well be the difference in a close match!

Please visit Bob Kroeger at www.bobcroquet.com. The Bob and Ted Instructional DVD Series is available from the USCA 561478-0760 or usca@msn.com. The most recent DVD is “Mastering Croquet Shots.” The Bob and Ted Strategy Book Series is also available from the USCA, and one-page examples can be seen on the Products Page on www.bobandtedcroquet.com.

CroquetNews CroquetNews

CroquetNews

The Official

Magazine

of the United

States Croquet

Association

Ted Prentis 1948-2017

The Official Magazine of

the United States Croquet

Association | 2017 Volume

3

2017 Volume 2 www.cr oquetamerica

.com

2018 Per Issue Advertising Rates Inside Front Cover (8.5” W x 11” H)................................ $700 Inside Back Cover (8.5” W x 11” H)................................ $650 Full Page (8.5” W x 11” H)............................................ $600 Half Horizontal Island (4.875” H x 7.38” W).................... $450 Quarter Page (3.62” W x 4.875” H)................................ $225 One Sixth Page (2.34” W x 4.875” H)............................. $150

Contact Dylan Goodwin at uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com croquetamerica.com | 39

theinbox

CROQUET PHENOM FROM MISSION HILLS The USCA Club at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif., is extremely proud of its youngest member, Blake Fields. At just 11 years of age, Blake has recently made a name for himself by winning the First Flight Singles and First Flight Doubles with his father, Justin Fields, at the USCA National Golf Croquet Championship (December 12-19, 2017, Mission Hills Country Club)! In these victories, Blake bested a strong field consisting of top-ranked players from across the county.

Blake has been playing croquet with his father for four years having taken up the sport as he watched then club pro Ben Rothman giving lessons and playing. It was Rothman who invited Blake to try his hand at croquet. From his first swing of a mallet, Blake took to the sport like a natural. California mallet craftsman, Bob Morford, has been extremely supportive in fashioning mallets for a young player that match Blake’s style of play.

“Seeing all types of people playing the game and noticing that skills and strategy weren’t really related to the player’s age intrigued me,” Blake says, He also found the willingness of current players to teach the sport particularly unique. He says members of the Mission Hills Croquet Club were more than willing to help train him once they saw his intense interest in the game.

A highlight of Blake’s croquet experiences no doubt occurred at the 2017 MacRob awards dinner when the winning team, New

40 | croquetamerica.com

Zealand, identified Blake as a “future US star.” Several New Zealand team members had played pickup matches with Blake as they prepared for the MacRob Tournament.

When not on the lawns, Blake is a straight-A student at Sacred Heart School in Palm Desert, Calif. In Blake’s near future is an invitation to a Pinehurst summer croquet camp. Justin Fields, Blake’s dad, says that croquet has given he and Blake something they can both participate in as equals, creating a unique bond between himself and his son.

Blake’s interest in croquet and his ability to master the sport suggests that other youngsters should be encouraged to take up croquet as a sport. We asked Blake what other kids might be told to increase their interest in taking up croquet. Blake responded, “Croquet is a sport in which kids can compete against adults and possibly beat them because everyone can play to their full level and still be out-thought by their opponent. There are many adults who play the game and have more experience than a kid, but still play the game wrong or hit bad shots and use the wrong strategies. What I like most about the game is the challenge of having to change your strategy depending on who you’re playing against, their playing style and level of experience. I tell myself, regardless of age: big, small, strong or little, you always have a chance to win in croquet!”

–Linda and Terry Vavra

A Fine Point About Wiring I was at a tournament in West Palm Beach, Fla., some years ago, and my opponent claimed that her (striker) ball was wired from my (object) ball. I told her I didn’t agree, and she said “Whenever a ball is in the wicket it is ALWAYS wired.” I said I had never heard that and nevertheless, upon a close look.

I maintained that this wasn’t a wire. I suggested we get Johnny Osborn’s opinion (the TD). So Osborn came over and looked at the balls and said “No wire.” My opponent said she had always been instructed that “whenever a ball is in the wicket, it is ALWAYS wired.” Osborn explained that in rare cases, if the object ball is protruding ever so slightly into the wicket, it might not be wired, and in those cases, the balls would have to be checked carefully by a referee.

NOTES ON THE 40-YEAR TRIBUTE

We received good feedback on the 40th anniversary tribute in the last edition of Croquet News.

While most of it was positive, there were a few areas of concern: •

A paragraph intended to note the overall challenge of launching the National Croquet Center implied that the center opened close to 2008. Reports indicate that it opened in May of 2002. The thought behind the sentence in question was that the mortgage crisis, which was particularly challenging in Florida (among other states), was developing while the NCC was in launch phase. It seemed to me particularly unfair that the sport’s greatest infrastructure project in North America should have to endure a global economic meltdown during year five—a point when many ventures hoped to see stability.

•

In the introduction, I mentioned that the period of the 1870s was poorly documented for the sport in America. George Herrick disagreed with that claim and sent me materials on his book from 2001 titled The Origins of Croquet in America. I haven’t had the opportunity to get too deep into the materials, but I certainly have formed one new opinion in the aftermath of the project. I’d like to see a coordinated approach to both researching the history of the sport in America and the documentation going forward.

•

I think our biggest concern overall revolved around western croquet history for the piece.

I did receive feedback that certain clubs or individuals felt left out. I apologize for that and will say that conflicting documentation about who did what meant that I did have to make the painful decision to cut a significant section on western history. There is a story to be told there and I hope we can find the team to do it … at least in time for the 50th anniversary.

–Dylan Goodwin

Tom Hall, Margaret Hall, Bill Matthews, Fran Mathews, Ellen Nielsen, Erik Nielsen, Skiles Kellett, Carol Kellett, Paul Baillargeon, Mary Nell Netterville, Jane Oglesby, Lamar Oglesby

I recently asked Fred Jones about this scenario. He also agreed that in rare instances, a wire might not occur. Of course, if the striker ball is in the wicket (and the opponent is responsible for its position), then that striker ball is always wired from any balls it is alive on.

–Rich Watson

HIGHLAND STRIKERS NCC EVENT

In February, members of the Highlands Country Club in North Carolina travelled to West Palm Beach, Fla., from Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida. Sixty members of the club’s croquet group, the “Strikers,” participated in a two-day tournament at the National Croquet Center, February 11-12, 2018. At the end of day two, six semifinal teams continued to the playoffs. The final match was Jane/Lamar Oglesby vs. Ellen and Erik Nielsen.

The Nielsens were the victors for the second time in three years.

The “Strikers” always enjoy their winter Croquet trip to the NCC and appreciate the wonderful hospitality they receive from the staff.

–Submitted by Joyce Baillargeon

croquetamerica.com | 41

theinbox

Croquet, Golf & Water

“WHO AM I?” ANSWER JEFF SOO, WHO ELSE? The biographical details above speak for themselves, but Soo’s career in croquet leaves many speechless. He is truly an American croquet legend.

Most leading croquet authorities believe Jeff Soo and Ben Rothman are the two best croquet players in American history. It was therefore appropriate that in the British Open a couple of years ago, Rothman became the first American to ever in win it, and Soo only one of a handful of Americans to win the Plate.

Representing a local real estate network in South Florida. Covering Palm Beach County, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, Juno Beach, Delray Beach & Boca.

Peter W. Just 561.309.6914

E-mail: peter.just@topproducer.com www.facebook.com/peterwjust

USCA Website Resources CLUB DIRECTORY

croquetamerica.com/usca/directory/clubs/

TOURNAMENTS

Soo has won 19 US national titles in his illustrious career, in each form of croquet except golf croquet. But, in the 2017 GC Nationals, he made the finals, so he is getting close to capturing the career triple crown. Only Rothman has won more US national titles than Soo (20-19).

Soo was recently asked to list his most memorable croquet games. His answer shows the depth and quality of his career. He listed the above noted feat of taking a game from then world #1 ranked Robert Fulford on his 40th birthday, which also happened to be day one of the 2004 Solomon Trophy test match. He also listed winning his last match at the 2009 Solomon Trophy, which turned out to be the 11th point in the USA’s 11-9 victory, the first-ever victory for Team USA in a Solomon Trophy test match.

Because everyone knows what Soo looks like and because he loves photography so much, it seemed more appropriate to include one of his favorite photographs he has taken. It is what he describes as a “strange lunar landscape, the strangest thing of all to me was the cows. I can hardly imagine a less likely place to graze cattle.”

–Eric Sawyer

croquetamerica.com/calendar/tournaments/

HANDICAPS

croquetamerica.com/usca/handicaps/

GRAND PRIX

croquetamerica.com/usca/grandprix/

USCA MEMBERS AREA

croquetamerica.com/members/announcements/

CROQUET RULES

croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/

AMERICAN RULES (SIX WICKET)

croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/american/synopsis/

ASSOCIATION RULES

croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/international/synopsis/

GOLF CROQUET RULES

croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/golf/synopsis/

NINE WICKET RULES (BACKYARD)

croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/backyard/synopsis/

CROQUET NEWS DIGITAL EDITIONS (Members Only) croquetamerica.com/members/magazines/

42 | croquetamerica.com

USCA 2018

Sanctioned Events

Entry forms to USCA events will now be emailed to members and can also be found on the USCA website at: www.croquetamerica.com/members/forms/ or call the USCA office (561) 478-0760 for a copy. For the most up-to-date calendar, please check www.croquetamerica.com/calendar/tournaments/

June Event

Contact

Phone

7-10 Bermuda Invitational Croquet Club of Bermuda Bermuda 7-10 Berkshire Invitational Lenox Croquet Club Lenox, MA 7-10 North American Amateur Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards Windsor, CA 13-17 Mt Laurel Croquet Invitational Chattooga Club Cashiers, NC

14-17 Woodlawn Invitational Woodlawn Croquet Ellsworth, ME 14-17 USCA Mid-Atlantic Regional New York Croquet Club/ New York, NY

Association Tournament Central Park Lawn Sports Ctr 15-17 Canadian Open Golf Croquet Toronto Cricket Skating and Ontario, Canada,

Championships Curling Club 16-17 Croquet Network Central Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club Oklahoma City, OK

States Shield Quad 16-17 Croquet Network Midwest Milwaukee Croquet Club Milwaukee, WI

States Shield Quad 20-24 Westhampton Mallet Club Invitational Westhampton Mallet Club Westhampton Beach, NY 22-24 USCA Western Regional American King City Golf Course Tigard, OR

Rules Tournament 28-7/1 Greenwich Invitational Greenwich Croquet Club Greenwich, CT 28-7/1 Virginia District Championship Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club Hartfield, VA

John Young David Ekstrom Jim Hanks Dawn Jupin/ Fred Jones Perry Mattson Jennifer Othen

441-704-6942 413-443-4957 707-696-9153 724713-7953

George Dej

416-551-4548

Dylan Goodwin

913-636-7231

croquetnetwork@gmail.com

Dylan Goodwin/ Cheryl Bromley Randy Cardo Jennifer Othen

913-636-7038

croquetnetwork@gmail.com

Bill Miller Macey White

203-530-6788 804-694-9771

July Event

Venue

City-State

Contact

Phone

11-15 July Invitational Tournament 13-15 Seattle Open 18-21 The Meadow Club Croquet Invitational 27-29 USCA Western Regional Golf

Croquet Tournament 28-29 The Tiger Wicket

Green Gables Croquet Club Puget Sound Croquet Club The Meadow Club Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards

Sea Girt, NJ Kirkland, WA Southampton, NY Windsor, CA

Mary McLaughlin Gary Anderson Vickie Johnston Jennifer Othen

201-264-8591 360-434-0387 415-203-2794 561-478-0760

marymcl85@hotmail.com strykredge@msn.com vejohnston@gmail.com tournament@uscroquet.com

New York Croquet Club/ New York, NY Central Park Lawn Sports Center

Timothy Rapuano 551-207-0313

in9inches@gmail.com

Aug Event

Venue

City-State

Contact

7-10 9-12

17-19

18-19

19-22 21-25

24-26

31-9/3 31-9/3

Surbiton Croquet Club Buffalo Croquet Club

SW London, UK Buffalo, NY

Jennifer Othen 561-478-0760 Ryan Thompson 716-697-4111

tournament@uscroquet.com thompson77@gmail.com

Rochester Croquet Club at G&T Sports Park Milwaukee Croquet Club

Rochester, NY

Sue Ellen Sherer 585-474-3753

sue.e.sherer@gmail.com

Milwaukee, WI

Dylan Goodwin

Highlands Falls Country Club Oakland Croquet Club at Lake Merritt Westhampton Mallet Club

Highlands, NC Oakland, CA

Onifer Wilmoth Jennifer Othen

Westhampton Beach, NY Lone Schweitzer

631-288-3865

lpsdansk@gmail.com

Tulsa Croquet Club Middle Peninsula Croquet Club

Tulsa, OK Redart, VA

Jennifer Othen Jim Coling

561-478-0760 703-887-7236

tournament@uscroquet.com 43seadog@gmail.com

Sept Event

Venue

City-State

Contact

Phone

6-9 Woodlawn Mini Lobster Tournament 6-9 NC State Singles Championship 14-17 Merion Cricket Club Croquet Invitational 19-23 USCA National Golf

Croquet Championship 20-23 Osborn Cup

20-23 2018 Pacific Cup 26-30 28th Pinehurst Croquet Club Invitational

Woodlawn Croquet Pinehurst Croquet Club Merion Cricket Club Lake Toxaway Country Club

Ellsworth, ME Pinehurst, NC Haverford, PA Lake Toxaway, NC

Oct Event

Venue

Contact

Phone

7-13

17-20

18-21 25-28

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club Hartfield, VA

Jennifer Othen

561-478-0760

tournament@uscroquet.com

Pinehurst Croquet Club

Bruce Rowbottom 910-920-2549

b.rowbottom@yahoo.com

Solomon Trophy Buffalo Croquet Club 3rd Annual Six Wicket Invitational 5th Annual Rochester Croquet Club Invitational Croquet Network States Shield Championship Highlands Shootout II USCA Western Regional Association Tournament Westhampton Mallet Club Singles Tournament USCA Midwest Regional Tournament Croquet By The Bay

USCA National American Rules Championship Pinehurst Croquet Club Singles Tournament USCA Golf Croquet Eights USCA Selection Eights

Nov Event Nov 2-4

7-11

Venue

City-State

New York Croquet Club/ New York, NY Central Park Lawn Sports Center West Point Grey/Granville Park Vancouver, B.C. Pinehurst Resort Pinehurst, NC

City-State

Pinehurst, NC

207-664-4822 newburyneckshore@gmail.com 561-478-0760 tournament@uscroquet.com geodicon@orgers.com

(631) 902-5678 randy.cardo@gmail.com 561-478-0760 tournament@uscroquet.com

Phone

913-636-7231

billmiller8@snet.net maceywhite@gmail.com

Email

Email

croquetnetwork@gmail.com

828-487-4130 owilmoth@clubhfcc.com 561-478-0760 tournament@uscroquet.com

Email

Perry Mattson Mike Taylor Whitney Thain Jennifer Othen

207-664-4822 910-986-3343 610-642-5800 561-478-0760

newburyneckshore@gmail.com mrtaylor1022@gmail.com wthain@merioncricket.com tournament@uscroquet.com

Peter Timmins

646-642-6601

NYCroquetClub@yahoo.com

Patrick Sweeney Elaine Moody

503-310-3222 910-986-3343

sweeney@503law.com halliburton_2@msn.com

Sarasota CCC at Pinebrook Park Venice, FL Jennifer Othen National Croquet Center West Palm Beach, FL Jennifer Othen

561-478-0760 561-478-0760

Venue

Country Club of Jackson Country Club of Jackson 6 Wicket Invitational USCA Seniors Masters Championships National Croquet Center 6 Wicket Invitational

Email theyoungs@northrock.bm drekstrom@hotmail.com jamesjhanks@gmail.com dawnj@chattoogaclub.com

Email

tournament@uscroquet.com tournament@uscroquet.com

City-State

Contact

Phone

Jackson, MS

Mark Fields

601-918-2704

mfields@gmail.com

561-478-0760

tournament@uscroquet.com

West Palm Beach, FL Jennifer Othen

Email

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