England Claims 2022 MacRobertson Shield Title

England put on an impressive display in the 2022 edition of the MacRobertson Shield World Team Association Croquet Championship to go 3-0 and claim its 14th title in the event series (including wins under the banner of Great Britain). The event was held at the Victorian Croquet Centre in Cairnle, Australia, November 12-29, and featured closely contested matches on difficult lawn conditions with high winds and tight hoops affecting play.

England’s march to the Shield title came with victories over the U.S. (16-5) and New Zealand (11-10) in rounds one and two. That led up to a final round test with 2-0 host Australia to determine the overall champion. Heading into the final day, England held a commanding 10-5 lead, needing only one more match victory to claim the Shield. English veteran player Mark Avery ensured that the English team would avoid any last-minute drama as he defeated Australia’s Edward Wilson in two straight games in the first match to conclude for the day. The final tally ended up 13-8 for England and gave the team their first win in the series (played roughly every four years) since 2010. New Zealand took third place by virtue of an 9-5 victory over the U.S., which ended the event 0-3.

Jamie Burch was a stand-out player for England as he won all of his matches in both doubles and singles and became only the second player in history to accomplish this feat.

From the Team USA perspective, the Matthew Essick/Zack Watson duo lead the way with a 6-2 record in tests and a 13-8 tally in game wins. Essick had eight triples in the event and a TPO. Tom Balding and Watson each had triples as well.

Looking back on the event, MacRob veteran Jeff Soo, says, “The best aspect of our team’s performance is that everyone stayed positive and supportive no matter what. This is a brutally stressful event, especially when your team’s not winning test matches, and teams can fall apart under that stress.”

When asked about highlights, he went on to say, “All our players had plenty of great moments. I was especially impressed by Stephen’s win against Ed Wilson. Playing on a difficult lawn in a howling wind, he rose to the occasion and to that next level of play. For the event as a whole, the most impressive feat was Jamie Burch’s perfect 15-0 record, capped off by beating world #1 Robert Fletcher on the final day.”

The 2022 MacRobertson Shield can be revisited through highlights on the WCF YouTube Channel, with the full event available to watch on MySportLive. Complete results can be accessed on www.CroquetScores.com.