TheInbox 10th Annual Rochester Invitational
Pleasantly surprised to dodge the predicted stormy weather, the Rochester Croquet Club welcomed 17 players to its 10th Annual Rochester Invitational from August 10-13, 2023, at the Grace & Truth SportsPark in Rochester, N.Y., with Rich Curtis serving as tournament director and Sue Sherer as tournament manager. Prevailing against an accomplished array of other hi-lo doubles teams, Rich Curtis and first-time tournament participant Denise Ireland took first place in an exciting match against second-place finishers Leo Leither and Fred Beck. In Second Flight Singles play, Sue Sherer won first place with Linda Pike taking second. In First Flight Singles play, lowest on the roster at the start of the games, Peter Sherer surprised all by winning second place after beating Jan Fisher in the semifinals. However, newcomer to the Rochester tournament, Quinn Reinhardt took first place in First Flight, handily winning all of his games. Championship Flight included handicaps from -1 to 3.5 as often happens in smaller tournaments when you need to set players into flights. After block play, the semifinals began with first seed Rich Laging (1.5) defeating Leo Leither (3.5) and second seed Rodney Lassiter (-1) losing to third seed Ryan Thompson (3.5).
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Defending on his home court, Rich Laging fell to Ryan Thompson 2319 in a hotly contested game. Known for its unique Sue Sherer, Ryan Thompson, tournament awards, the Rich Curtis and Rich Laging (L to R) watercolor print I have cheekily titled “It’s a Jungle on the Court!” was painted by a college friend of mine, Randy Mohr, whom I commissioned after finding a pair of humorous posters he had rendered in pen and ink in college hidden behind a dresser that got moved as we transitioned from Rochester to Louisville, Ky. Please contact me at sue.e.sherer@gmail.com if you would like to own one of these great prints. (My personal favorite is the bear as I can just imagine him saying “I can’t believe I just did that.”) —Submitted by Sue Sherer, Tournament Manager
