2023 CROQUET NEWS VOLUME 4: American Champion by uscacroquetnews

CroquetNews The Official Magazine

of the United States Croquet Association

2023 VOLUME 4 | WINTER ISSUE

STEPHEN MORGAN and MATTHEW ESSICK stop by

PEACHTREE HILLS PLACE for an EXHIBITION Nestled in the heart of one of Atlanta’s most esteemed Buckhead neighborhoods, Peachtree Hills Place is a luxury 55+ community that caters to discerning adults who love croquet and other fine amenities. At the heart of our community, you’ll find two immaculately manicured, regulation-sized natural turfgrass lawns that serve as the central hub for The Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club. If you envision an active lifestyle, fine dining in an elegant clubhouse, unparalleled service, and the opportunity to don your whites every day of the week, schedule your personal visit today.

Proud to be a Development Partner and Sponsor of the USCA Golf Croquet Nationals For more information please visit PEACHTREEHILLSPLACE.COM or call 404.467.4900 229 Peachtree Hills Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30305

courtside

USCA Management Committee ________________________

World Croquet Experiences It is time to plan ahead for your future (worldly) croquet experiences! Where are we going, you ask? To venues that reflect the diversity of location and the special mix of USCA clubs that enjoy croquet. Let me add some details. The first is Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Hartfield, Va., October 6-12, 2024, to the world’s largest croquet facility for the 2024 American Six Wicket Nationals. The CBCC’s 24 full-size courts are a stark contrast to when the Nationals were played on two courts in Central Park, N.Y., in the early 80s. At the time, that event was the only annual national championship in croquet. Now we have national championships in AC, GC, A6W and 9W. Some years ago, the USCA asked the World Croquet Federation to be a host for certain upcoming world championship events. Specifically, the Golf Croquet (GC), U21 (GC) and Association Croquet (AC) titles. The good news is they are coming: • October 18-27, 2024, at the NCC in West Palm Beach, Fla., the USCA will host the 2024 GC World Championship. • February/March 2025, at the Sarasota County Croquet Club in Venice, Fla., the newly-expanded seven lawns will be the host club for the Under 21 GC World Championships. • Late in 2025, the USCA will host the AC World Championships at a venue yet to be determined. The USCA believes hosting these events in the U.S. offers our members the opportunities to view the best the sport has to offer. A player of all levels can learn from watching top-level play. For our more competitive players, it offers a greater chance of participation on home soil. It is also consistent with our mission to promote the awareness, development and enjoyment of croquet in America and, in this case, to participants and players across the world. We wish to showcase croquet in the U.S. during these events. I invite you to be part of these events in any way you can. They will require significant volunteer and member support to be successful. Please consider ways you can participate in their success and your enjoyment in being part of the events. Thank you for your support of the USCA through your membership. It is your membership that makes all this happen. Let’s keep the ball rolling!

Damon Bidencope

Proud USCA Member / USCA President President@croquetamerica.com / www.croquetamerica.com

President Damon Bidencope president@uscroquet.com First Vice President Michael Albert firstvp@uscroquet.com Second Vice President Carla Rueck secondvp@uscroquet.com Treasurer Douglas Moore treasurer@uscroquet.com Secretary Beverley Cardo secretary@uscroquet.com ________________________ REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTS Florida Bill Simmons floridarvp@uscroquet.com Mid-Atlantic Sally McGrath smcg226@gmail.com Midwest Russell S. Dilley midwestrvp@uscroquet.com Northeast Preston Stuart northeastrvp@uscroquet.com Southeast Linda Trifone southeastrvp@uscroquet.com Western Patrick Sweeney westernrvp@uscroquet.com ________________________ USCA STAFF Office Manager Ursula Peck membership@uscroquet.com Tournament & Schools Johnny Mitchell tournament@uscroquet.com Membership Coordinator Stephanie Lutge croquetoffice@uscroquet.com United States Croquet Association (USCA) 700 Florida Mango Road West Palm Beach, FL 33406 Tel. (561) 478-0760 Fax (561) 686-5507 www.CroquetAmerica.com www.croquetamerica.com | 3

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CroquetNews 2023 Volume 4

2023 Selection Eights Page 22

Features

Departments

On The Cover

First-time American Six Wicket Champion Stuart Lawrence in play during the 2023 Selection Eights at the National Croquet Center on October 26, 2023. Photo by Dylan Goodwin.

Publisher

Dylan Goodwin | croquetnetwork@gmail.com

Managing Editor

Julie Jantzer-Ward | uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com

Submissions

Submit inquiries and articles to uscacroquetnews@yahoo.com. Text should be submitted as a Microsoft Word file and photos should be high resolution (300 dpi). All content may be edited for length and photos will be adjusted appropriately. The Croquet News is produced four times per year and is distributed as a benefit to USCA membership. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the publisher. Views expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the USCA. © 2023 United States Croquet Association

www.croquetamerica.com | 5

theclubhouse

PEACHTREE HILLS PLACE CROQUET CLUB HOSTS USCA GC EXHIBITION Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club in Atlanta, Ga., co-hosted an exhibition match with the USCA on Sunday, October 15, 2023. Reigning GC World Champion Matthew Essick played five-time AC National Champion Stephen Morgan in an exciting exhibition match that was announced by USCA President Damon Bidencope. The exhibition match was part of a day-long croquet event that included an early-bird bloody mary and mimosa bar, mixed and open croquet play by members of the Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club, a courtyard luncheon curated by Peachtree Hills Place Culinary Director Gabriel Gotchev and the headline exhibition match. Essick began playing croquet at the age of six and has played competitively ever since, winning the 2022 WCF Golf Croquet World Championship and was a silver medalist in the 2020 and 2023 WCF AC World Championships. Morgan, who is a croquet coach as well as a competitor, has won two AC National Championships in singles and three in doubles and was also the winner of the World Championship Plate in 2019. “As the game of croquet continues growing in popularity in the Southeast and Georgia, we will see more of these high-caliber USCA events locally,” says Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club Chairman Bill Mullican. “Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club is proud to be leading the growth of the sport in metro Atlanta.” Croquet’s popularity is on the rise as Americans seek more outdoor social activities that promote a healthy lifestyle. Adding to the sport’s popularity is the multigenerational aspect as people of all ages can be competitive. Many golf clubs, resorts and municipal parks have added croquet courts to the mix, as croquet is one of the fastest-growing sports among active adults — second to pickleball. “Peachtree Hills Place provides an amazing venue for croquet tournaments and exhibitions, and the USCA is proud to

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collaborate with the Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club once again to showcase the sport,” says Bidencope. “Croquet is a fantastic sport for people of all ages who enjoy the mental challenge of strategizing two or three turns ahead, combined with long-standing traditions and engaging social interaction.” In addition to the exhibition match, Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club has hosted the Georgia Cup Tournament and has plans for charitable exhibition games and tournament play with other teams in the near future. Peachtree Hills Place is also a host venue for the USCA High Performance and Talent Development Program, which is dedicated to improving the performance of U.S. representatives in international team and individual competitions. Established in 2019, the Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club originated from the Peachtree Hills Place members’ collective passion for the game of croquet. Inspired by English country garden designs, the Peachtree Hills Place Central Courtyard features two TifEagle Bermuda grass regulation-sized croquet lawns — the only regulation-sized lawns in Atlanta. Open exclusively to Peachtree Hills Place members and their guests, the manicured greens are the perfect place for lawn sports and socializing while sporting croquet whites. Members enjoy private instruction from world-class players, competitive gameplay through men’s, women’s and mixed matches, and casual, social gameplay at weekly Wine & Wickets gatherings. For more information, visit www.peachtreehillsplace.com/croquet-club.

USCA GOLF CROQUET SELECTION INFORMATION

With three WCF World Championships approaching in 2024 and early 2025, the USCA has offered guidance for golf croquet selection. Of the three upcoming events, two will be played in the U.S. The upcoming events are: • 2024 WCF GC World Championship, October 18-27, West Palm Beach, Florida.

2023 USCA AWARD NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN The USCA has announced that nominations for the 2023 USCA Annual Awards Nominations are now open and submissions should be submitted by January 5, 2024. This annual tradition invites members to nominate individuals and clubs that have demonstrated excellence throughout the year. The prestigious awards honor outstanding contributions, dedication and accomplishments in croquet in America

• 2025 WCF GC World Team Championship Tier 1, February 17-23 at Launceston, Tasmania.

for 2023.

• 2025 WCF Under-21 GC World Championship, February/ March 2025, Venice, Florida.

celebrating both individuals and clubs that have made a significant

SELECTION CRITERIA: Players must have an active World Ranking (at least 10 ranking games in the prior 12 months) on the Allocation Date for an individual world championship or other deadline set by the USCA (for a team event). A player without an active ranking on that date will not be eligible to receive a membership place or selection to a team event. However, a player whose ranking becomes active after that date but before the event’s cutoff date may still be eligible for a replacement ranking place or qualifying place. The USCA GC Selection Committee gives the most weight to recent performances in major events, particularly in matches against highly-ranked opponents. The 2023 and 2024 national championships will be key selection events for the 2024 GCWC and 2025 GCWTC. So will the 2024 GC Eights, as the timetable allows. SELECTION TIMETABLE: The exact selection timetable depends on the WCF, but for an individual world championship, the allocation date is usually five to seven months before the start of the event, and the closing date by which the USCA and other national associations must nominate their membership places is about a month later. For the 2024 GCWC, the first cut for ranking places may be as early as March and the closing date as early as April. For an overseas team championship, the USCA generally selects the team eight to nine months ahead of the event. For the 2025 GCWTC, the committee will wait until after the GC Eights (April 10-14, 2023, Venice, Fla.) before making selections.

This year's categories encompass a wide range of achievements, impact on the sport. The categories for the 2023 USCA Annual Awards are as follows: • Certificate of Appreciation • Club of the Year • Club President of the Year • Collegiate Club of the Year • Family of the Year • Financial Support • International Support • Jr. Player of the Year • Jr. Rookie of the Year • Michael Strauss Award for Journalism • Most Improved Jr. Player • Most Improved Player • New Club of the Year

• Outstanding Individual Contributors • Outstanding Support of Croquet • Player of the Year • Recognition Award • Regional District President • Regional Vice President • Rookie of the Year • Spectator of the Year • Sr. Player of the Year • Sr. Rookie of the Year OTY • Volunteer of the Year

Nominations, along with a brief explanation of why the nominee deserves recognition, should be emailed to admin@uscroquet.com no later than January 5, 2024. The Management Committee will review all submissions and select the winners for each category.

HOST COUNTRY: The country hosting an individual world championship is given extra Membership places. The main world championships also reserve at least four places for top finishers in a qualifying tournament.

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theclubhouse

El Mahdy Wins Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship OVER 50 US PLAYERS SHERIF ABDELWAHAB Main Knockout Quarterfinals, Bowl R2 Game Record: 15-5 Career Record: 531-328 Block C: First Place, 5-0 (10-3) +26 US Rank: #2 DGrade: 2447 WCF Over 50 GC World Championship winners. Photo by Chris Parr.

Held in Bunbury, Western Australia, the 2023 retraVision Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship brought together 48 players from 12 countries for play from October 14-21 at the Moorabinda Croquet Club and the Bunbury Tennis Club. In the end, Ahmed El Mahdy from Egypt triumphed over Jenny Clarke from New Zealand with a 4-7, 7-2, 7-4, 7-0 score to claim the Over 50 GC World Championship title. The U.S. had six players in the event including husband and wife duo Matt and Ellie Griffith. Four of the American players made the knockout with Sherif Abdelwahab advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to Clarke in a tightly fought 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, three-game match. Kent Lovvorn, Matt Griffith and Helen Covington also made the main knockout and, after losing in round one, all participated in the Bowl. Lovvorn was able to advance to the Bowl quarterfinals before losing to Peter Landrebe (AUS) 7-3, 7-2. Billy Harper participated in the Plate and went 5-1 in Block B to advance to the Plate Knockout, before falling in round one 7-3, 7-4, to Joakim Norback of Sweden. Brett McHardy, from Australia, took the Plate championship, defeating Steinar Olsen from Norway 6-7, 7-6, 7-6 in the final. Australian Landrebe triumphed in the Bowl, winning 7-5, 7-5 against Stephen Mulliner of England. Torben Bak, a qualifier who reached the last 16, made it to the Shield final but was bested by fellow Australian Barry Jennings by a score of 4-7, 7-4, 7-3. The World Croquet Federation extended their gratitude to the Australian Croquet Association for hosting the championship, as well as the Moorabinda Croquet Club and the Bunbury Tennis Club for providing their exceptional lawns. Special appreciation was offered to the championship's manager, Chris Clarke, and director, Max Kewish, along with the numerous officials and volunteers who played a pivotal role in organizing the event. U.S. players during the Opening Ceremony. Photo by Chris Parr.

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KENT LOVVORN Main Knockout R1, Bowl Quarterfinals Event Record: 9-9 Career Record: 94-55 Block B: Third Place, 3-2 (6-4) +7 US Rank: #16 DGrade: 2122 MATT GRIFFITH Main Knockout R1, Bowl R1 Game Record: 8-11 Career Record: 298-279 Block A: Third Place, 3-2 (7-7) -5 US Rank: #25 DGrade: 2027 HELEN COVINGTON Main Knockout R1, Bowl R1 Game Record: 5-8 Career Record: 171-101 Block F: Sixth Place, 1-3 (4-6) -7 US Rank: #31 DGrade: 1960 BILLY HARPER Plate Knockout Quarterfinals Game Record: 7-11 Career Record: 154-91 Block E: Sixth Place, 1-4 (2-8) -24 Plate Block B: Second Place (5-1, +5) US Rank: #17 DGrade: 2087 ELLIE GRIFFITH Also Participated in the Western Qualifier (10-12) Game Record: 3-15 Career Record: 113-122 Block G: Sixth Place, 0-5 (2-10) -22 Plate Block B: Sixth Place, 1-5, -10 US Rank: #69 DGrade: 1798

Gumbrell Wins Women's GC World Championship USCA WOMEN’S GC PLAYERS CHERYL BROMLEY Plate Runner-up Game Record: 15-24 Career Record: 394-379 Block H: Sixth Place, 1-5 (5-11) -14 Plate Block Q: First Place (5-0) +21 US Rank: #26 DGrade: 2006 HELEN COVINGTON Plate Quarterfinals Game Record: 8-14 Career Record: 171-101 Block D: Seventh Place, 1-5 (4-11) -23 Plate Block S: First Place (3-1, +8) US Rank: #31 DGrade: 1960 After eight days of intense competition from players across the world this past August, Australia’s Jamie Gumbrell claimed the 2023 WCF Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship with a 7-3, 7-5, 5-7, 7-2 victory over England’s Rachel Gee in the final held at the Sussex County Croquet Club in Southwick, England. The loss ended Gee’s attempt to become the first to hold two titles as the Women’s GC World Champion after previously winning in 2011. In fact, only Iman El Faransawy (EGY), Jenny Clarke (NZL) and Gee have appeared in more than one final.

BEV CARDO 14-4 record in the Qualifier Game Record: 7-9 Career Record: 65-40 Block A: Fifth Place, 2-4 (4-8) -5 Plate Block R: Third Place (3-1) +6 US Rank: #36 DGrade: 1935

The main event was held August 7-14, 2023, and had 56 players overall, with four USCA players participating and two more that battled in the Qualifier held at the Compton Croquet Club in Eastbourne August 3-5. In the main event, two USCA players made it to the Plate Knockout with Cheryl Bromley claiming second place, losing in the final to New Zealand’s Jessica Bullen by a score of 7-3, 6-7, 7-2. Helen Covington also battled Bullen in round one of the Plate Knockout losing by a score of 4-7, 7-4, 7-4.

VANESA FERNANDEZ Game Record: 7-14 Career Record: 18-37 Block G: Seventh Place, 0-6 (4-12) -30 Plate Block P: Third Place (3-2) +2 US Rank: #137 DGrade: 1554 Mexico Rank: #6

Looking at the other event competitions, Egypt’s Perihan Elwy won the Shield with a 3-7, 7-6, 7-6 victory over Debbie Lines of England. South Africa’s Judith Hanekom (ZAF) won the Bowl with a 7-6, 7-3 victory over Kate McLoughlin of Australia.

USCA QUALIFIER PARTICIPANTS

DEBBIE DAVIDOFF Game Record: 11-7 Block B: Second Place (7-2) +14 Qualifying Block: Sixth Place (4-5) +1 US Rank: #33 DGrade: 1948 ELLEN NIELSEN Game Record: 7-11 Block A: Ninth Place (2-7) -17 Plate Block: Fifth Place (5-4) +9 US Rank: #76 DGrade: 1751

TOP: Jamie Gumbrell. LEFT: Vanesa Fernandez RIGHT: Helen Covington Photos by Andrew Moss

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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

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TheInbox Hometown Victory In Buffalo

In his final year of being a part-time Buffalo resident, before fully transplanting to the Big Apple, Paul Neubecker won his hometown Buffalo Croquet Invitational held in August. It was a fitting victory for the young player who first learned how to play croquet on these courts in Delaware Park. Neubecker, 35, began competing in the Buffalo Croquet Club’s 6-Wicket Invitational when the tournament first began seven years ago, winning consecutive Second Flight doubles championships, before winning First Flight doubles in 2018. It would be several years before he would win again on his hometown soil, as Neubecker transitioned to Championship Flight. The Championship Flight favorites would make the playoffs on Sunday (including David Isaacs, Rich Curtis and Doug Moore). Curtis defeated Moore in a 11-9 semifinal sleeper to remain undefeated in the tournament thus far, and Neubecker beat Isaacs 16-12 after an exchange of breaks. But Neubecker would go on to beat Curtis in a lopsided 24-9 final, sending Curtis back to Rochester with his third runner-up trophy from Buffalo. In First Flight, tournament newcomer Bryan Zindel returned to his Illinois corn farm with nothing but tracking points and trophies. The 3-handicap went undefeated in singles, beating the top seed Courtney Green in the final. Buffalo Croquet Club President Bob Gannon, who squeaked out a place in the playoffs via gross wickets, would win the third-place trophy over Ron Millican by one net wicket after each fell in the semifinals. Another tournament newcomer Quinn Reinhardt impressed with his croquet play at the previous week’s Rochester Croquet tournament and in between his summer studies at Cornell University. With the Buffalo tournament continuing to draw low

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handicaps, the 5-handicap was relegated to Second Flight. However, he would fall in the finals 21-20 to underdog Kathleen Green, who returned to her sixth consecutive Buffalo tournament on a mission to change her 9-handicap. She Championship Singles winner Paul Neubecker would leave with the victory and a whopping 42 tracking points after going undefeated. Jan Fisher, who had also gone undefeated in block play, would pick up the third place trophy after losing in the semifinals. With an added fourth-game slot on Sunday, doubles semifinalists were faced with an earlier morning than usual, after imbibing late Saturday night at the exclusive Saturn Club. Celebrating the 100th anniversary of when the club was raided by the FBI during Prohibition, there were casino and card games, jazz bands and a mock police bust (complete with former Buffalo Croquet Club President Bill Rupp’s expert siren operation). Quinn Reinhardt and Jennifer Joseph would defeat Lee Anderson and Peter Bowers in the First Flight Doubles finals, and Brian Hovis and Rich Laging would defeat Paul Neubecker and F. Scott Kennedy in the Championship Flight Doubles finals. —Ryan Thompson, Tournament Director

Grand Opening for Illinois Club

We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of the Village of Glencoe Croquet Court and Club, located in the public Glencoe Golf Club, in Glencoe, Ill., a North Shore suburb of Chicago. More than 200 people from the community attended the ribbon cutting event. Guests were given a quick lesson in holding the mallet and had the chance to shoot balls through wickets around the court. The Glencoe Croquet Club already has 36 members (seven USCA members) and is offering a variety of programming. Twice a week, the club is open to the public for learn-to-play skills clinics. Club members have organized weekly golf croquet, American Six Wicket and Wine & Wickets croquet games. To support players new to croquet, the club opened with an equipment shed fully equipped with Oakley Woods Acadia and Sport mallets, Sunshiny CQ16 croquet balls, Foxy wickets, deadness boards, timers, clips, rule books and USCA American Six Wicket and Golf Croquet Primers. The regulation size court was excavated late last year, and grass was newly grown this year. The golf club is a designated Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and the croquet court is set among majestic trees, wildflowers, birds and butterflies. The Club's

biggest fan, a mature, red-tailed hawk, buzzes high above the court, screeching out its applause for well made clearing shots. It takes a village Gillian Goodman performs the ribbon cutting to to create a croquet open the new Glencoe croquet court. court and club. USCA members Gillian and Ellis Goodman initiated and championed the croquet court. The new court was made possible by the financial support of The Friends of the Glencoe Golf Club, a public-private partnership. Tom O'Laughlin, president of the Chicago Croquet Club, was an invaluable supporter, providing advice, counsel and volunteers to assist with the Glencoe Club's Opening Day. The Onwentsia Club offered technical support and resources related to the excavation and building of the Glencoe Croquet Court. And finally, Don Oakley provided invaluable guidance and top rate service helping us to outfit the croquet equipment shed. —Submitted by Bess Gallanis

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TheInbox Robert Bond Byrd, II: 1955-2023 Rob Byrd’s legacy is reflected in this fundamental fact about his life: In the 45 years he spent in accounting, he did his best never to bring work home. During the day, he gave everything he had to helping clients. The rest of his time was devoted to his family and to the passions that brought him joy. The oldest of Robert and Joyce Byrd’s three children, Rob, grew up in Morganton in the North Carolina foothills. He graduated from Morganton High School, then earned a B.S. degree in Business Administration from UNC-Chapel Hill. His Chapel Hill roots (he was born there when his parents were in graduate school) propelled Rob’s passion for the Tar Heels, especially basketball. This explains his 11 trips to Final Fours. In his own words, Rob was a “Tar Heel born and bred.” Rob earned a Master of Accounting degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Rob began his career as a CPA with the Arthur Andersen accounting firm in Atlanta in 1979, then moved to the company’s Charlotte office in 1980. In 2002, the Arthur Andersen Carolinas offices merged with another accounting firm, Grant Thornton. Rob was proud to have engineered that transition, along with other Arthur Andersen Carolinas partners. He enjoyed serving publicly and privately owned companies, nonprofits and individuals. He worked with some clients for several decades, appreciating the rewards of building and sustaining relationships. Such was his enthusiasm for the work, Rob continued as a tax consultant when he retired as a partner in 2018.

PASSAGES

Richard Barker...................................The Florida Yacht Club Robert Byrd................................ Linville Ridge Croquet Club Mary Catherine Deibel............................... At Large Member Enrique Castellon-Davis....................New York Croquet Club Casper Essick............................................ At Large Member Brian Gallagher........................................ Mountain Mallets William O'Brien..........................Green Gables Croquet Club Sue Offen..........................................Tega Cay Croquet Club Paul Phoenix............................................. At Large Member Pedro Rivera..........................Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club Tom Stoner............................................. West River Wickets Anne Marie Zilligen..................... Grand Haven Croquet Club

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For relaxation, Rob and Shirley relished family beach trips to their home in Litchfield, S.C. With friends, Rob was fortunate enough to have attended The Masters for 30plus years, several U.S. Opens, the 2012 Ryder Cup and baseball games at Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, among others. Rob and Shirley owned a summer residence for the last 15 years in the North Carolina mountains, most recently as a member of Linville Ridge Country Club. There, Rob learned the game of American Six Wicket croquet and that became his primary summer activity. He reached the skill level of playing in the top flight of tournaments throughout the Southeast, including Florida. He particularly enjoyed his time at tournaments in Pinehurst. His passion for competitive croquet progressed to serving a term as corporate secretary for the U.S. Croquet Association. Rob embraced the last five years of his life after he retired and spent more time with Shirley, his children and grandchildren, croquet, traveling and reading. Rob lived a wonderful life and has left an incredible legacy for what it means to be a servant leader. A heart attack took him unexpectedly on October 9, 2023. He will be missed by many. Rob is survived by his beloved wife of 42 years, Shirley, of Charlotte; their two daughters, Kathryn Byrd and her husband, James Hiller, of Raleigh, and Caroline Hornburg and her husband, Dave, of Christiansburg, Va.; two grandchildren, Rebecca Joy and Paul Robert Hornburg; his two siblings, Dixon Byrd and his wife, Jeanie, and Sara Lou Succop and her husband, Ben, all of whom live in the Byrds’ hometown of Morganton, N.C.; and several nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, gifts in Rob’s memory can be made to the U.S. Croquet Association’s High Performance & Talent Development Program (which sponsors training and facilitating young croquet players to compete internationally).

USCA Merchandise Is Now On the Website.

The USCA Storefront is open for business. Need a mallet cover? Perhaps a hat or jacket, or surely one of the many shirt styles? The USCA website now has an operating storefront where you can find these items and many more like them. The store also carries the Bob & Ted series of educational DVDs, as well as books and other materials to help you learn the game. Wear your USCA merchandise proudly! For details call 561-478-0760 United States Croquet Association 700 Florida Mango Road West Palm Beach, Florida 33406

Use your phone’s camera to scan this code and press the screen to go to the website. You must log in as a member.

www.croquetamerica.com Look under the Members-Only tab under Merchandise..

TheInbox Paul F. Phoenix: 1943-2023 It is with deep sorrow and regret that the family of Paul F. Phoenix of Essex, Conn., and Venice, Fla., announces his passing. Paul leaves behind his devoted and loving wife, Melanie Haynes Phoenix, of nearly 59 years, his daughter Suzanne “Suzie Q” Phoenix of Essex, Conn., and predeceased son-in-law, Jason Smith, and daughter Paula “Bean” Phoenix Hurley and son-inlaw Peter of Monmouth Beach, N.J., his sister Marie King of Burkburnett, Texas, and nieces Karen Shelley, Judy Crossman and Michelle Marcotte-Byrd. He spent countless hours teaching his girls how to fix, drive, build and repair just about anything (whose husbands are forever grateful). Paul loved and enjoyed watching his four grandchildren grow into adulthood: granddaughter Alivia Phoenix Smith, a graduate of UConn and resident of San Diego, Calif., grandson, Hayden Phoenix Smith, an engineering technology student at Connecticut State Community College, grandson William Andrew Hurley, a third-year cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point and granddaughter, Laura Elizabeth Hurley, a freshman at Syracuse University. Paul was born in October 1943 in Webster, Mass., to Theodore and Rose Phoenix. When Paul was 14, his family moved from North Grosvenordale, Conn., to Essex. Paul attended Vinal Technical High School for three years and Valley Regional High School for two where he was a member of the “noisy nine” car group and where he met Melanie. Upon his graduation in 1963, he worked for American Machine and Foundry in Essex. In 1964, Melanie and Paul married under the stipulation Paul learn to sail, eventually becoming a lifetime member of the Essex Boat Club. In 1965, Paul started his 19-year career at UARCO Business Forms as a pressman on the second shift. Never shying away from hard work, Paul joined Essex Concrete Products part-time in 1967, working both jobs simultaneously for 17 years, finally joining Essex Concrete full-time in 1984. In 1966, he enlisted

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in the Army National Guard’s 248th Engineering Company in Willimantic, Conn., where he served as a Motor Transportation Operation Specialist for six years operating the rock crusher and driving the five-ton trucks. With his growing affection for big trucks, his next step brought him to his greatest love. In 1965, he joined Essex Fire Engine Company No. 1. For 52 years, Paul dedicated his life to serving the town of Essex. He held numerous positions including seven years at the helm as chief. His steady hand and friendly, patient and selfless approach made Paul a well-respected and effective leader. In 1983, during his tenure as chief, Paul was awarded Firehouse Magazine’s Heroism and Community Service Award for his personal decision to evacuate and direct operations in time to rescue residences from several bursting dams during the great flood of 1982 — resulting in no loss of life. He learned from the best ahead of him and passed along his knowledge to those who followed. Whether it was getting the ladder truck to rescue someone’s cat out of a tree, flipping pancakes for firehouse town breakfasts or running emergency operations during a major crisis, no task was ever too big or too small, above him or below him. After enduring years of working outside in New England weather and climbing in and out of his beloved trucks, Paul retired in 2016. He and Melanie moved to Venice, Fla., so he could pursue his dream of living in a warm climate, vowing to only wear shorts for the rest of his life — a goal he successfully accomplished. There he joined the Sarasota County Croquet Club a half mile from his home and joined the USCA. You could find him several mornings a week enjoying a game of croquet with new friends or participating in a tournament. Not one to sit idle, he found a small part-time job at the local hardware store helping customers. When asked if he knew someone who could help them with a project, naturally he said, “I’ll stop by after work,” and so began his small handyman business, “Let Paul Do It.” There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. Paul will be dearly missed by all the lives he touched. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Essex Fire Engine Co. No. 1, P.O. Box 786, Essex, CT 06426 or on their website www.essexctfire.org.

Croquet Greats To Be Inducted Into

HALL FAME of

On March 1, 2024, the Croquet Foundation of America (CFA), in conjunction with the United States Croquet Association (USCA), will induct Cheryl Bromley and Sara Low into the 46th United States Croquet Hall of Fame. The Induction Ceremony, followed by the “Shining Stars” themed dinner party, will take place during the week of the Steuber Classic Tournament at The Charles P. Steuber National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. The directors of the CFA and USCA encourage their friends, guests and all croquet enthusiasts to join them in paying tribute to esteemed members of our croquet family, Cheryl Bromley and Sara Low, as we acknowledge their accomplishments in traditional style and with high enthusiasm. Biographies of the Inductees follow. Invitations to the celebration will be emailed to all USCA members soon. For information or to make reservations for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and dinner party, email croquet.hof.gala@gmail.com.

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CHERYL BROMLEY Cheryl began playing croquet in 2007 and was the former Director of Croquet at the Hillsboro Club in South Florida from 2007-2015. She is a USCA Class I National Golf Croquet Referee & Instructor and was the Chair of the USCA National Golf Croquet Committee from March 2014-March 2023. She is the current District President for Wisconsin and a member of the Milwaukee Croquet Club. In 2020, Bromley was awarded the 2020 USCA President’s Award for her contributions to croquet and most recently in 2021, she, along with three colleagues, formed the Women’s Golf Croquet Academy, which travels to clubs throughout the country to run clinics and events to empower women players to participate and compete.

Affiliations • Member United States Croquet Association • Member England Croquet Association • World Croquet Federation Rules Review – U.S. Subcommittee • Member Milwaukee Croquet Club and Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club

Contributor • CroquetNetwork.com • Croquet News magazine • USCA monthly e-newsletter

Cheryl has competed in six World Championships to date: four Women’s Worlds and two Open Worlds in New Zealand, Australia, Egypt and England, along with other international events in Canada and the U.K. She had a strong finish to the 2023 season where she placed second in the Plate at the Women’s GC Worlds in England in August 2023; won the USCA National Championship GC Singles Plate in September; and captured the Women’s International Friendship Cup singles title. Cheryl continues to be one of the top-ranked women players in the U.S. and is ranked in the top 400 in the world for men and women combined. She continues to be very involved in organizing and running tournaments, clinics and events throughout the U.S. in her capacity as Tournament Director, Referee, Instructor and Consultant. She is a regular contributor to Croquet News magazine, teaches USCA GC schools at the National Croquet Center and has done several Zoom croquet workshops for clubs particularly during the pandemic in 2020. Cheryl has been a guest instructor at numerous clubs including Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., The Ponte Vedra Croquet Club and Plantation Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla., Bishop Gadsden Croquet Club in Charleston, S.C., Highlands Country Club and High Hampton in Cashiers, N.C., Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Ala., Lakewood Croquet Club in Fair Hope, Ala., Lenbrook Club in Atlanta, Ga., LaGorce Country Club in Miami, Fla., Royal Palm Country Club, Boca Raton, Fla., Burlingame Country Club in Sapphire, N.C., National Croquet Center, West Palm Beach, Fla., Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club, Hartfield, Va., Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Ill., University of Wisconsin-Madison; Milwaukee Croquet Club, Wis., and Riverbend, Kohler, Wis. Cheryl recently retired from teaching and coaching tennis after a 46-year career as a USPTA certified tennis professional. She and her husband Bill reside in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

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Worth noting is that, while organizing and running tournaments, Cheryl sometimes also both played and refereed in some of those tournaments. Not all the events that she directed or assisted at are listed such as the GC8s and GC Nationals. To quote Mohammad Kamal, Hall of Fame 2021, “over the years, Cheryl was a great ambassador of our sport and provided a much-needed representation of women players in America. Her hunger for knowledge and competitive nature fueled her continuous improvement. Although American players in general are disadvantaged by the scarcity of tournament play caused by geographic and financial factors, Cheryl did not allow anything to discourage her from playing and winning against much more prepared and sometimes more experienced competitors. She is a trailblazer and a pioneer for women golf croquet players in America.” She will be very welcome in the United States Croquet Hall of Fame.

Cheryl Bromley Timeline 2009

2019

2011

Represented the U.S. at the Open World GC Championships in West Sussex, England.

Played in her first USCA Golf Croquet Nationals. One of only seven total players entered that year. Represented the U.S. at the Women’s World Championships in Mt. Manganui, New Zealand.

2013

Competed in the British Open at Budleigh Salterton, England.

Represented the U.S. at the Women’s World Championship in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand.

Administrator of the first Golf Croquet Referee Workshop with Jeff Soo and Macey White at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Virginia.

2020

Represented the U.S. at the Women’s World Championship in Cairo, Egypt. Became the new Chairperson for the U.S. Golf Croquet Committee - 2023 current.

Due to travel restrictions with the COVID-19 pandemic and living in the cold north of Wisconsin, played in only seven sanctioned games the entire year. Collaborated on the production of the Golf Croquet Skills Test for setting initial handicaps. Part of World Croquet Federation workgroup to establish Advantage GC.

2015

2021

2016

2022

2014

Established the first USCA Golf Croquet Club Teams (doubles) at the National Croquet Center with John Osborn. Managed thru 2019. Collaborated in writing the Golf Croquet Referee’s written and on-court field test exam. Was handed the reins from John Warlick to run the USCA Florida Regional Tournament - 2021.

Established the first-ever Women’s GC Open with Macey White at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Virginia. Established the Women’s Golf Croquet Academy with fellow women players Debbie Davidoff, Mary Carol Stearns and Ellie Griffith.

2017

Re-established the Midwest GC Regional with Suzanne Spradling in OKC after a six-year lapse. Collaborated on and updated the written GC exam, the GC Refresher exam and re-certified and graded all referee exams with the release of the 6th Edition GC rules.

2018

Established the first-ever Women’s GC International Friendship Cup with Macey White at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club. Honored with a court established in her name at the CBCC.

Represented the U.S. at the Open World GC Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Tournament Director for the USCA Southeast GC Regional. Worked with Dylan Goodwin to expand the Croquet Network States Shield series of state competitions. Updated the written GC exam, re-certified and graded all referee exams with the release of the 5th Edition GC rules.

2023

Tournament Director for the 2nd Annual Women’s GC Open at the National Croquet Center. Largest field of women GC players ever with 60 players. Represented the U.S. at the Women’s Golf Croquet World Championships in West Sussex, England.

SPONSORED CONTENT From the Croquet Foundation of America, a separate 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation.

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SARA LOW

Sara’s sojourn into the coterie of croquet began in 1996 in Central Park when she first joined the New York Croquet Club (NYCC), which is one of the five original U.S. croquet clubs. There her organizational and leadership talents were quickly recognized. Within a year or two of joining the club, Sara was asked to join the Board of Directors of the NYCC. In nearly 20 years of service on the Board, Sara served on various committees, serving as secretary for over a decade and finishing her service as president of the club for five years. Although Sara spent many years tirelessly serving the croquet community in New York City, her contributions didn’t stop there. In 2005, she was recruited by then President of the USCA, Rich Curtis, to join the USCA Membership Committee. Service to many committees was to follow, among them Membership 2005-2006, Management 2009-2021, Marketing 2021-present, Communications 2021-present and Grievance 2022-present. If that wasn’t enough, Sara also served as USCA Secretary from 2009-2014, First Vice President 2014-2017 and ultimately as USCA President from March of 2017 until March 0f 2021. Sara’s achievements and contributions to croquet do not end with a list of the roles she has performed. Here are some lasting initiatives that focus on her past and present efforts. Increased communication at both the national and club level has always been very important. The lasting efforts of Sara’s work are still very evident at the NYCC. As a result of her tireless efforts there, the lines of communication between the New York Croquet Club, The New York Lawn Bowling Club and the Central Park Conservancy have never been better. On the USCA level, Sara created the now very popular “Weekly Croquet Break.” This online column composed of croquet articles for the membership and written by members, is a highly successful endeavor, likely to be with us for many years to come. During COVID-19, members were invited to share their personal croquet stories with each other. Their online articles were sent to more than 3,000 members and are one of the most popular ways to keep our members connected. While President of the USCA, Sara strengthened the coverage and subsequent general awareness of all four rules disciplines of croquet. The lasting effects of that focus are clearly visible

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in today’s USCA. Sara was responsible for the adoption of the USCA’s conflict of interest policy and educating the members of the Management Committee about their legal obligations as officers and directors of the organization. Other major contributions include a renewed commitment to the U.S. presence on the international stage. Croquet players of all abilities and attributes were always the highest priority for Sara. As USCA President, she demonstrated an open and proactive method of leadership, welcoming new ideas and encouraging open discussion, and regularly forming subcommittees to address and update procedures. The updating of the Grand Prix, with the addition of a Women’s Ranking System, was a product of one such committee. This change instituted the Grand Prix award for women, now known as the “Jackie Jones Award.” Teddy Prentis’ untimely passing was quickly acknowledged with the addition of the “Teddy Prentis Award for Excellence in Croquet Instruction.” Additional USCA accolades to be added to an already exceptional resume include 2011 Club President of the Year, 2014 President’s Award Recipient, 2021 Recognition Award for the leadership of USCA Communications and 2022 Michael Strauss Award for Journalism. Sara has a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a Master of Fine Arts from Yale University Drama School. She held senior executive positions at a leading advertising agency specializing in the promotion of live entertainment. Most of her clients were shows on Broadway or their traveling productions. She is also involved in the world of fly fishing enjoying and taking part in the sport as an angler, a teacher and fishing guide, a travel business owner and book author. Her nonprofit work in this field includes having served for many years as a director on the boards of a fly-fishing museum, a conservation organization and a fly-fishing club. Sara has valued her croquet tournament experiences by highlighting the relationships she made rather than the trophies she took home. She always took interest in both the newcomer and the veteran meeting for the first time. Improved communications and human relationships are what fill Sara’s trophy case. Of special note, Sara Low and John Osborn are the champions of the New York State Golf Croquet Championship. This is a very fitting achievement for the first female president of both the New York Croquet Club and the United States Croquet Association. The CFA and USCA are proud to recognize and champion Sara Low for induction into the United States Croquet Hall of Fame in 2024.

The Croquet Foundation of America (CFA) is now accepting nominations for the 2025 United States Croquet Hall of Fame. The Deadline for filing a nomination is March 31, 2024. POLICY AND NOMINATING GUIDELINES FOR ELECTION TO THE UNITED STATES CROQUET HALL OF FAME

The Croquet Foundation of America, Inc. (CFA), in conjunction with the United States Croquet Association, Inc. (USCA), seeks to honor individuals who have made prolonged, outstanding contributions to the sport of croquet. Such contributions may take the form of either extraordinary skill and achievement in the sport at the highest level over an extended period; or other personal actions having a widely-recognized, lasting impact on the sport; or very extensive service in developing, managing or promoting the sport of croquet, or its charitable and educational croquet programs, in America. This document explains the nomination process and gives guidance as to the qualifications that will be considered for election to the United States Croquet Hall of Fame. This process is designed to maintain election to the Hall of Fame as a high honor for the inductees and one which reflects credit on the individuals involved in electing them.

I. NOMINATING PROCEDURE A. A notice shall be published yearly in the Winter edition of the USCA’s “Croquet News” stating that the Foundation will accept nominations to the United States Croquet Hall of Fame until March 31 of the current year, for induction in the following calendar year. The published notice shall state that (i.) any USCA member in good standing may nominate an individual, (ii.) nominees are considered on an individual basis only, and (iii.) the nominee does not have to be a member of the USCA.

B. CONTRIBUTIONS are defined as actions off the croquet court that promote or enhance the sport. Contributions are normally volunteer efforts and may include: 1. Introducing others to the game; 2. Starting, leading or sustaining a local club or clubs; 3. Promoting clubs and events regionally or nationally; 4. Working with an organizational division of the USCA as established on the state, regional and national levels either as an officer or other capacity;

B. The nominator must submit a completed application on or before the March 31 deadline.

5. Creating favorable media recognition or otherwise promoting the game through such efforts as writing or instruction;

It must include the following:

6. Contributing significant financial or in-kind resources in a way that enables the CFA and the USCA to pursue their mission;

1. Nominator’s name and relationship, if any, to the nominee -- business, friendship, etc.; 2. Written permission of the individual to be nominated and his or her agreement to participate in the induction ceremony (excludes nominations for posthumous recognition); 3. A brief biographical sketch of the nominee, which may include such things as age, family status, address; highlights of past or present occupation(s); charitable and civic involvements; and other matters of general interest unrelated to croquet; and 4. A detailed croquet biography, including number of years of participation, the croquet clubs of which the nominee is or has been a member, the year the nominee joined the USCA and whether still active, and details of all croquet-related achievements. There is no official application form. The completed application, including any and all supporting letters, can be sent by hard mail to the Croquet Foundation of America, Inc., Attention: Ruth Summers, Chair, Hall of Fame Validation Committee, 700 Florida Mango Road, West Palm Beach, FL 33406, and must be received by March 31 of the year preceding the year for which the nominee is proposed.

II. QUALIFICATION GUIDELINES Above all, candidates must display personal behavior that demonstrates high regard for the spirit and etiquette of the game which results in greater enjoyment for all -- actions that would entitle the nominee to be considered an “ambassador” for croquet, as well as a Hall of Fame member. They should be further evaluated, based on their achievements and contributions to the sport as follows: A. ACHIEVEMENTS are defined as highly significant performances in sanctioned or titled USCA events; and/or international competitions sponsored by a member association of the World Croquet Federation (WCF). This can involve Six-Wicket American or Association Rules Croquet, Nine-Wicket Croquet or Golf Croquet.

7. Promoting the game through social affairs resulting in new friendships and greater camaraderie among players.

Nota Bene 1. The above portion of the application is the advocacy section. The nominator must make the case as convincingly and compelling as possible. Board members are not responsible for seconding a nomination nor adding favorable material, and may in fact introduce or request information which may disqualify a candidate. 2. A nominee may earn income from the game as a professional or some other paid capacity, but his or her financial ties to the game must be stated on the application. 3. Achievements and contributions must be over an extended period time.

III. ANNUAL LIMITATION ON INDUCTIONS Given 1. The desire to maintain the highest standards for election to The United States Croquet Hall of Fame; 2. The relatively limited size of the croquet-player population; and 3. The desire to have significant time to focus on the individual(s) at the ceremony; The Approved Policy Guideline is that the number of living inductees shall be limited to two per year. Posthumous inductees are limited to one inductee per year in addition to the living inductees, for an overall limitation of three. In rare cases, these limitations are subject to upward revision to no more than three living inductees and one posthumous inductee, or four inductees in total, if two thirds of the Electors decide that exceptional circumstances warrant such a revision. This is the Approved Policy Limit.

SPONSORED CONTENT From the Croquet Foundation of America, a separate 501(c)(3), not-for-profit corporation.

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2023 USCA Selection Eights West Palm Beach, Florida | October 26-29, 2023

Morgan Tops The First Eight Chris Percival-Smith wins the second and David Isaacs goes 14-0 in the third group

With just 24 players across three “Eights,” the 2023 USCA Selection Eights held at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., certainly had a more intimate vibe across four days of play from October 26-29. Historically, the event has had four to five groups and occasionally stretched out to six. When asked about the lower turnout, tournament director Doug Grimsley indicated that a crowded national and international event schedule had an impact. In particular, he says the proximity of the American Six Wicket Nationals just 12 days prior had an effect. And notably, with the post-pandemic catchup, the WCF event schedule set a new standard by hosting six world championships in 11 months. The smaller field didn’t decrease the level of competition within the groups, particularly in the First and Second Eight as both featured last-day drama. In the First Eight, Stephen Morgan came into the final morning with a 7-3 record and needing one win out of two scheduled games versus Sherif Abdelwahab (#11 U.S.) and Zack Watson (#4 U.S.) to claim the group. He took care of business early with a 26tp-4 victory over Abdelwahab in the first game to clinch the First Eight title. Morgan was 8-4 overall in the event and is currently ranked fifth in the U.S. AC player rankings and #37 in the world. He says it was his 12th year in the event and the first time he’s won the First Eight. When asked about the pressure to get at least one win on the day, Morgan says, “I needed one out of two and there I was playing Sherif and Zack, so it was definitely not guaranteed. I played a good game in the first one versus Sherif. He made an error early that was unlucky. He got wired to his other ball at the peg. So he

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Stephen Morgan in play on Day Four Photo by Andrew Moss.

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2023 USCA Selection Eights West Palm Beach, Florida | October 26-29, 2023

Chris Percival-Smith working his way to a win in the Second Eight

couldn’t hit it, and then I was able to run the break and the leave and then run the triple again. Against Zack, I lost, but I had a chance — he swapped balls giving me an easy break. Then I set the leave, which he hit and he ran his break around. I hit his leave and then had a bad takeoff and failed on the approach to one. Then he tripled.” It was Morgan’s eighth time in the first group, so when asked about how it felt to get that first win, he says, “I’m happy about that. It is a lot easier to win when Matthew Essick is not here, so I appreciate his absence, but I hope he comes back next time because it’s more fun to play against the best.”

SECOND EIGHT The Second Eight was just as entertaining as Chris Percival-Smith had to face both of his challengers on the final morning. He started the day at 10-2 with Paul Neubecker and David Druiett both close behind at 9-3. Percival-Smith opened the day strong with a 26-22 victory over Neubecker before facing Druiett in the second game. It was another interactive game with Percival-Smith taking a 26-15 win to claim the Second Eight title with a 12-2 record. This was his second time in the Eights and he currently is ranked #2 in Canada and #22 in North America with a DGrade of 1960. When asked about what it took to win the group after falling a game back, he says, “I think on Day 2 when Paul won a very close game with me, where I had stuffed penultimate and I had used his ball to get there. We were playing two on one at that point and I had two balls and he had one. It gave him the opportunity to get a point

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David Isaacs was 14-0 in the Third Eight

ahead and as time was ticking down, you know, I just couldn’t put the next attempt at a hoop together. He played really well. That loss kind of put me into a bit of a mental thing and that made the next game much more challenging against David. So now I’m playing the second from top player in the block and because that dialogue was going on, I choked in that game 26-11. And then I had to rally myself. I played Mike (Todorovich). And we played into the dark on Court 8 and the toads started coming out on the lawn. We had the full moon to help illuminate it, and we just kept on going and (I) turned that game around 26-20. When I showed up the next day, I was back in my normal form and positive and optimistic about things. I didn’t lose another game.”

THIRD EIGHT By the time Sunday came around, the Third Eight was already decided. David Isaacs had rolled up a 12-0 record over the first three days, so entering that final morning, the only question was whether or not Isaacs could finish undefeated. He kept his form and easily managed the day taking a 26-1 win over Robert Smothers and a 26-10 win over Arlene Parker for a perfect 14-0 record and a staggering +226 net. With this being his first official AC event, his starting DGrade of 1500 pushed up to 1610 by the end of the event to put him at #41 on the U.S. AC Ranking list. Reflecting on the event, he says, “It’s a lot of croquet. It’s 14 games, which is more than I think a lot of tournaments have. I think that it’s an interesting game. I am predominantly an American rules player and this was my first AC tournament. I don’t necessarily think www.croquetamerica.com | 25

2023 USCA Selection Eights West Palm Beach, Florida | October 26-29, 2023

FINAL ORDER FIRST EIGHT 01. Stephen Morgan (8-4) 02. Doug Grimsley (7-5) 03. Zack Watson (7-5) 04. Randy Cardo (6-6) 05. Stuart Lawrence (5-7) 06. Brian Cumming (5-7) 07. Sherif Abdelwahab (4-8) 08. Rich Lamm DNF SECOND EIGHT 01. Chris Percival-Smith (12-2) 02. David Druiett (10-4) 03. Paul Neubecker (10-4) 04. Tom Cooper (8-6) 05. Mike Todorovich (7-7) 06. Gene Raymond (6-8) 07. Lynda Sudderberg (2-12) 08. Ron Eccles (1-13) THIRD EIGHT 01. David Isaacs (14-0) 02. Mike Sully (9-5) 03. Dawn Jupin (9-5) 04. Sandra Knuth (7-7) 05. Dylan Goodwin (6-8) 06. Stephen Tasker (5-9) 07. Arlene Parker (4-10) 08. Robert Smothers (2-12)

Doug Grimsley

that one rule set is better than another, but I’ve just never taken up an AC tournament before now and I wanted to do this one because I know that you get to play a lot and I thought it would be great to get some good practice and see how some other players do with their breaks and leaves and how they put it together and recover.” When asked about celebrating the victory, he says, “I hadn’t thought that far ahead. I’ve got a house guest, so I imagine we’ll probably get some drinks or dinner later and just go out on the town a little bit.” He also noted the Selection Eights is a different kind of event. He says, “Not enough people really know about the event and can be intimidated by the length of the play and that it’s a different style of tournament … I encourage everyone to play all the rule sets however much they want. I don’t think any one rule set is better or worse compared to the others. People have different styles and different preferences. As long as someone is playing and swinging a mallet and hitting a ball through a hoop — that’s great. That’s what I think should be everyone’s goal that plays croquet — trying to get more people into the community.”

NEXT YEAR Next year’s event will be held September 17-21, 2024, at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Hartfield, Va. The move out of the traditional end-of-October slot makes way for the 2024 WCF Golf Croquet World Championship to be held at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. —Player report and photos by Dylan Goodwin

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Arlene Parker

David Druiett

Mike Sully

2023 GC National Champion Sherif Abdelwahab in the First Eight

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2023 American Six Wicket National Championship West Palm Beach, Florida | October 8-14, 2023

Lawrence Claims First American National Title By RICH CURTIS

Stuart Lawrence was a force to be reckoned with at the 46th USCA American Six Wicket National Championships held at the National Croquet Center on October 8-14, 2023, winning the singles title as well as a second consecutive doubles title with his partner, Brian Cumming. In a tough field that included six former singles champions with 11 titles between them, Lawrence defeated Danny Huneycutt two games to one in a best-of-three final. The tournament began on Sunday with doubles play, which continued through Tuesday when it concluded. The weather throughout the tournament was hot and muggy, with some rainstorms later in the week. In Championship Flight, one block of six teams and a second block of five teams played a round robin format with four teams from each block advancing to a double elimination ladder. Although Lawrence/Cumming lost two of their four block games, they advanced, as did all the other top four seeds in each block. Things got more interesting in the playoff ladder. As expected, the teams of Lawrence/Cumming, Huneycutt/Randy Cardo and Doug Grimsley/Rich Curtis all won their first matches. However, in the other first round match, Bob Van Tassell and Ron Eccles upset the strong third seeded team of Shane Hettler and Zack Watson, sending them to the loser’s bracket. The next round saw Lawrence/Cumming advance with a victory over Grimsley/ Curtis, and Huneycutt/Cardo defeat Van Tassell/Eccles. In the loser’s bracket, Grimsley/Curtis put Hettler/Watson out of the tournament, only to be sent home themselves in a loss in the next round to Van Tassell/Eccles, who were looking more and more like Cinderella. Lawrence/Cumming dispatched Huneycutt/ Cardo to the loser’s bracket where they defeated Van Tassell/Eccles to earn a spot in the finals. That set up a rematch between Lawrence/Cumming and Huneycutt/Cardo with Lawrence/Cumming only needing one win and Huneycutt/Cardo needing two for the title. Both

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teams made shooting errors in the first game, but Huneycutt/ Cardo won it 26-10 when Lawrence missed a return roquet after running 3-back and Cardo set Huneycutt for the finishing break to force a second game. Lawrence/Cumming were not to be denied and took the second game relatively easily 26-8. It was Cumming’s seventh American Six Wicket doubles title. On Wednesday, the singles competition got under way with three blocks of eight players each. After seven games of block play, the top 12 finishers advanced to a double elimination face-off ladder. John Osborn, playing again after a long hiatus, surprised everyone with a perfect 7-0 record in Block A, while Huneycutt and Cardo also posted undefeated records to take Blocks B and C, respectively. All three earned first round byes and the fourth bye went to Watson with a 5-2 record. On one side of the draw, Cardo beat Grimsley and Lawrence bested Watson. On the other side, Osborn upset last year’s champion, Hettler while Huneycutt beat Cumming. Lawrence then defeated Cardo, sending him to the loser’s bracket and in a battle of the only two remaining undefeated players, Huneycutt beat Osborn. That meant that Cardo faced Cumming and Osborn faced Watson, both of whom had worked their way through the loser’s brackets. Cumming and Watson continued their winning ways as Cumming dispatched Cardo and Watson did the same to Osborn, ending his quest for a fourth singles title 36 years after his first one. The stage was set on Saturday morning for Lawrence to play Watson and Huneycutt to square off against Cumming. Both Lawrence and Huneycutt had the advantage of only needing to win one of two games while their opponents needed to win both games to move on. As it turned out, Lawrence and Huneycutt each only needed one game to make their way to the finals with Lawrence winning 26-9 and Huneycutt winning 26-2. Huneycutt was seeking his fourth American Six Wicket singles title while Lawrence was after his first. In the first game, Lawrence attacked with Blue and set the break for Black. Red cornered and Black began the break but was unable to peel Blue at #2. At 1-back, Black abandoned the break, instead electing to try to back peel Blue and escape to 2-back off Yellow. Unfortunately,

Championship Doubles runner up team of Randy Cardo and Danny Huneycutt with Champions Stuart Lawrence and Brian Cumming

Danny Huneycutt

Conner Helms and John Brown

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2023 American Six Wicket National Championship West Palm Beach, Florida | October 8-14, 2023

First Flight Doubles Finalists Greg Clouse, Jon Spaulding, Stephen Grassbaugh and Gene Bryan

Lawrence neither peeled Blue nor was he able to make 2-back. Burdened with significant deadness, Lawrence played Blue to position at #2 with Red (also for #2) and Yellow (for #5) joined in the fourth corner. Yellow managed to make #5 and incorporate Blue into the break through 4-back. Later, Red began a break, but after peeling Yellow at rover while Red was for #5, Huneycutt played Yellow rather than Red. It made little difference and Red finished on the next turn giving Huneycutt the game 26-8. In the second game, Lawrence took an aggressive tact and Yellow unsuccessfully tried to roquet Blue and Black in the first corner but missed. Black ran the break, failing at 4-back. Lawrence put together a four-ball break for Yellow but was hampered on the reception ball after making #6 and missed a shot at the pioneer at 1-back. Blue then ran a break to the peg but was unable to peel Black to clean it and left it an angled shot, which Black stuffed. Lawrence finished in two turns, first with Red and then Yellow, which pegged Blue out before pegging out himself for a score of 26-23. The rubber game was anti-climactic. Huneycutt came in with Blue and took position at #2. Lawrence punished him for that tactic by running a two-ball break to 4-back with Red. A few turns later, Yellow attacked into the fourth corner and failed to make #2, bouncing off with Black nearby. Blue guarded Red’s shot on Black by going to the north boundary, but Red shot at and hit Yellow. Red ran a flawless break through rover, peeling Yellow. Black missed a shot at the leave and Yellow finished for a 26-2 victory and Lawrence had his first Nationals singles title.

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FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Stuart Lawrence 02. Danny Huneycuttt 03. Zack Watson 03. Brian Cumming 05. John Osborn 05. Randy Cardo 07. Doug Grimsley 07. Adam Lassiter 09. Shane Hettler 09. Jay Hughes 09. Michael Todorovich 09. Patrick Sweeney 13. Mark Fields 14. John Brown 15. Conner Helms 16. Sandra Knuth 17. Rodney Lassiter 18. Brian Hovis 19. Lynda Sudderberg 20. Randy Reid 21. Jeff Morrison 22. Ron Eccles 23. William Trower 24. Rich Curtis

FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Greg Clouse 02. Yen Sullivan 03. Jack Rush 03. Jon Spaulding 05. Stephen Grassbaugh 06. Gene Bryan 07. Christine Smith 08. Kathie Hart 09. Georgia Carter DNF Carl Archiniaco CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Brian Cumming/Stuart Lawrence 02. Danny Huneycuttt/Randy Cardo 03. Ron Eccles/Bob Van Tassell 04. Doug Grimsley/Rich Curtis 05. Zack Watson/Shane Hettler 05. Adam Lassiter/Rodney Lassiter 07. Conner Helms/John Brown 07. Patrick Sweeney/Brian Hovis 09. Lynda Sudderberg/Sandra Knuth 10. William Trower/Jeff Morrison 11. Jay Hughes/Randy Reid

FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Stephen Grassbaugh/Gene Bryan 02. Greg Clouse/Jon Spaulding 03. Jack Rush/Carl Archiniaco 03. Christine Smith/Georgia Carter 05. Kathie Hart/Priscilla Flowers CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES PLATE 01. John Brown 02. Mark Fields 03. Brian Hovis 03. Rodney Lassiter 05. Sandra Knuth 05. William Trower 07. Conner Helms 07. Randy Reid 07. Jeff Morrison CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES PLATE 01. Conner Helms/John Brown 02. Jay Hughes/Randy Reid 03. Patrick Sweeney/Brian Hovis 04. Lynda Sudderberg/Sandra Knuth 05. Bill Trower/Jeff Morrison

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2023 American Six Wicket National Championship West Palm Beach, Florida | October 8-14, 2023

First Flight Champion Greg Clouse

Of note, Sandra Knuth won the Peyton Ballenger award as the highest placing female player. The award is given annually in honor of Peyton Ballenger, whose elegant play was cut short by an untimely death in 1992. In First Flight doubles, five teams competed in a round robin block with all the teams advancing to a single elimination ladder. Greg Clouse and Jon Spaulding went undefeated in block play, followed by the team of Jack Rush and Carl Archiniaco at 3-1 and the team of Steve Grassbaugh and Gene Bryan at 2-2. However, in the ladder, Grassbaugh/Bryan knocked off Rush/Archiniaco in the semifinals to meet Clouse/Spaulding in the finals. In a nailbiter, Grassbaugh/Bryan won 14-13. Kathie Hart and Priscilla Flowers

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First Flight singles involved a lot of play with 10 players playing nine games in a single round robin block and the top four advancing to a single elimination block. Jack Rush went undefeated in the block and secured the top seed in the ladder, along with Yen Sullivan, Jon Spaulding and Greg Clouse. In the semifinals, Clouse got by Rush 18-15 and Sullivan won a squeaker over Spaulding 12-11. Clouse was strong in the finals and won 20-9 over Sullivan to grab the First Flight singles title.

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2023 USCA Golf Croquet National Championship Hartfield, Virginia | September 18-24, 2023

70 PLAYERS VIE FOR GC NATIONAL TITLE in VIrginia By DAMON BIDENCOPE

Arrival on Sunday, September 17, at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club (CBCC) was mixed with heightened anticipation and some exhaustion from tournament draw preparation. The first impression of being greeted by the sight of the 16 newly added courts laid out in a massive square of green closely mown grass was quite something. With 24 full-size regulation courts, CBCC is the largest croquet facility in the world. More than 70 USCA members participated in this event. Following recent event formatting trends, the doubles tournament section was held Monday through Wednesday, and the singles portion was scheduled for Thursday through Sunday. This allowed players wishing to only play in either just doubles or singles to do so. First Flight games were played with a time limit while championship games were played to a result. The First Flight doubles teams were seeded into four blocks of six teams. The top 12 teams progressed to a draw seeded on block performance into the First Flight Doubles Knockout.

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The block game successes saw Jack Rush/Ryan Eberlein, Rob Turner/Dan Horton, Sandy Janitz/Walt Janitz and George Pendleton/Christine Smith emerge as top block finishers and earned a first-round bye in the knockout. The other qualifying teams for the knockout included Marc Stearns/MaryCarol Stearns, Geri O’Neill/Kathleen Skoog, Bill Simmons/Steve Jackson, Ellie Griffith/Lynda Bjorklund, Alex Galasso/Mary Galasso, Robert Smothers/Shep Slater, Linda Maloney/Pam Groh and Karen and Chris Weihs. After the four rounds of knockout play, the final pair standing was Bill Simmons and Steve Jackson beating Rob Turner and Dan Horton 7-6 in a closely fought final doubles game. The other First Flight doubles teams all progressed into the First Flight Doubles Plate. The First Flight doubles plate was won by Neill Trimble and Bruce Hindin, with Kim Allen and Michael Allen in the runner up position. Championship Doubles was divided into two six team blocks with the top four teams progressing to a best-of-three knockout seeded on block performance. The semifinals had the remaining teams of Matthew Essick/Sherif Abdelwahab, Jim Jamison/Daren Guffy, Ahab Abdelwahab/Tamer Hatata, Tom Balding/Blake Fields. Following successes by Essick/S. Abdelwahab and Balding/ Fields, the final matchup was set. The first game went 7-5 to Essick and Abdelwahab and many would have thought the result would be quickly decided with a second. Unfortunately for the top seeded pair, Balding and Fields were not cooperative, and a slow fuse was lit with the duo prevailing in the second game 7-4. The third game saw a croquet player’s nightmare with Balding and

Championship Doubles winners Blake Fields and Tom Balding

Photo by Jeff Soo.

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2023 USCA Golf Croquet National Championship Hartfield, Virginia | September 18-24, 2023

Fields playing lights-out croquet. The result was a 7-0 third game and Balding and Fields were the runaway 2023 USCA GC National Doubles Champions. The Championship Doubles Plate was won by Hammond Rauers/Dallas Denny over runners up Justin Fields/Jim Podraza. It seems that the only guarantee about early plans and schedules is that they will need tweaking and changes. From early in the week, the late-week weather was uncertain. To manage for this possible outcome, the players cooperated and played singles on Wednesday and extended playing times on the likelihood that a significant portion of allotted singles time would be lost to the approaching storm. The First Flight Singles was six blocks of six players with the top two moving into the knockout. The semifinals saw Daniel Horton prevail 7-6 over Jack Rush, and Britt Bell 7-4 over Brian Brittain. Horton produced a strong performance winning the final 7-2 over Bell, which capped a strong tournament with the doubles runner-up trophy providing good ballast for the Series 100 Land Cruiser and the ride back to the North Carolina Mountains. The Championship Singles competition was four blocks of nine, seeded on WCF rankings with the top four performers in each block qualifying for the best-of-three knockout. Qualifying into the top 16 knockout were Matthew Essick, Jimmy Huff, Adam Barr, Billy Harper, Tom Balding, Jim Teel, Marc Stearns, Amr Hamdy, Brian Lozano, Tamer Hatata, Kent Lovvorn, Blake Fields, Sherif Abdelwahab, Ellie Griffith, Damon Bidencope and Matt Griffith. The semifinal matches saw Essick best Hamdy 7-2, 7-4, and Abdelwahab best Fields 7-6, 7-3. With the finalists decided and all other games completed, we braced for the oncoming storm, which produced a complete washout on Saturday.

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When Sunday arrived, however, the conditions were outstanding. The courts were freshly mown and running at good pace. The players delivered a fabulous match, which reversed the result from only one year ago with Abdelwahab the victor 7-5, 5-7, 7-4 and Essick the runner up. Congratulations to Abdelwahab becoming the 2023 USCA GC National Champion. The Championship Singles plate was won by Cheryl Bromley over Jim Jamison 7-3, with Debbie Davidoff and Alex Galasso also reaching the plate semifinals. The tournament directors were Damon Bidencope and Jay Hughes, and with the help and cooperation of all participants, we dodged the storm and experienced a thoroughly enjoyable event at the CBCC. The atmosphere was enhanced by the hospitality extended from the CBCC members Cynthia Fowler, Christine Smith, Nancy Crouch, Macey White, Steve Thurston and many others.

Rain on the CBCC courts

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2023 USCA Golf Croquet National Championship Hartfield, Virginia | September 18-24, 2023

FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Sherif Abdelwahab 02. Matthew Essick 03. Blake Fields 03. Amr Hamdy 05. Adam Barr 05. Tom Balding 05. Tamer Hatata 05. Damon Bidencope 09. Jimmy Huff 09. Billy Harper, 09. Jim Teel 09. Marc Stearns 09. Brian Lozano 09. Kent Lovvorn 09. Ellie Griffith 09. Matt Griffith

First Flight Doubles Champions Bill Simmons and Steve Jackson

FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Daniel Horton 02. Brit Bell 03. Jack Rush, Brian Brittain 05. Shep Slater 05. Michael Allen 05. Roy Revels 05. Lisa Maloney 09. Ryan Eberlein 09. Nancy Crouch 09. Mary Galasso 09. Nick Capobianco CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Tom Balding/Blake Fields 02. Matthew Essick/Sherif Abdelwahab 03. Jim Jamison/Daren Guffy 03. Ahab Abdelwahab/Tamer Hatata 05. Adam Barr/Amr Hamdy 05. Matt Griffith/Steve Thursto 05. Billy Harper/Jim Teel 05. Kent Lovvorn/Jimmy Huff FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Bill Simmons/Steve Jackson 02. Rob Turner/Dan Horton 03. Jack Rush/Ryan Eberlein 03. Karen Weihls/Chris Weihls 05. Marc Stearns/Mary Carol Stearns 05. Sandy Janitz/Walt Janitz 05. Robert Smothers/Shep Slater 05. George Pendleton/Christine Smith

First Flight Doubles Plate Winners Bruce Hindin and Neill Trimble

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Expanded Reach 2022 Volume 1

CroquetNews The Official Magazin

of the United States

GC CLUB TEAMS USCA'S BIGGEST 2021 EVENT

Croquet Association

PLUS: SENIORS MASTE RS | FLORIDA GC REGIONAL NINE WICKE T NATION ALS | RYAN THOM PSON

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2023 9-Wicket Nationals Denver, Colorado | August 23-26, 2023

white is 9-wicket champion By paul bennett

CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES TROPHIES: John Warlick, Ron Eccles, Macey White and Paul Bennett

The USCA 9-Wicket Nationals were attended by a field of players from as far away as New York, Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, Arizona and Colorado. The tournament was played in Denver’s public Pulaski Park. The grass was wickedly tall and uneven, presenting the players a true challenge and prompting changes in their strategies. The field was divided into six courts measuring 50 by 100 feet. Tables, tents and chairs were brought out of a rental truck each morning and set up by local club members from Denver.

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A special thanks to Doug Moore for helping set wickets into the rocky mountain ground each morning and to Ron Eccles’ granddaughter Sydney, who brought us lunch each day and helped with the dinners. Two sets of rules were printed out and given to the players. The options chosen to play by were directly incorporated into the rules allowing for an easier read. The field of players were broken evenly into two flights: Championship and First Flight. The doubles teams were comprised from a mixture of both flights.

2023 9-Wicket Nationals Denver, Colorado | August 23-26, 2023

The Championship players played with a 9-inch boundary and carryover deadness while the First Flight players played with a 36-inch boundary and no carry over deadness. The other main rule was a ball had to score the first two wickets before being considered “in the game” when players may take croquet from it. Thanks to Todd Marshall for developing these two sets of rules. Eccles is also working with Marshall on an introductory set of rules that can be used for beginning players. Eccles has taken over as the 9-wicket committee chairman. Because all the USCA certified referees were playing in the Championship Flight and I made teams with players from both flights, I decided to make doubles play by the First Flight set of rules. This would help the First Flight players figure out how to play and strategize using these rules and prepare the referees in case they got called out to referee a shot during a game in the other flight. We started with doubles in the morning and transitioned to singles in the afternoon and this format seemed enjoyable to everyone. The hurricane that came up through California and parts of Arizona the prior week dissipated and finally reformed in the northwest to bring us a good day of solid rain on Friday and predictions of continuing through Saturday. The tournament committee decided to push the schedule to completion on Friday and, with a bit of re-organization, we started early on Friday and managed to finish shortly before the meal on Friday night.

nationals, others were complete unknowns. Judy McKeon is a long time Denver Croquet Club member, but I had not met Steven Berry or Todd Marshall. Kabe Erkenbrack is an elementary principal from Evergreen, Colo., and he could only play in the afternoons, thus was not able to play doubles. Erkenbrack came in from school, dressed in long pants, which for the first two days, was very hot. He played his three games and went back home for the evening. He entered the playoffs with one loss and prior to the finals, Russ Dilley and I figured out “that he had played some croquet in college.” Indeed! He was on the 2014 St. John’s croquet team. Macey White from Virginia teamed up with John Warlick from Florida to defend their doubles championship from last year. Doug Moore partnered with his friend Lance Titus who had never played this type of croquet before. They won their first game being the first team to 32 points and managed to squeak out a few more victories to qualify for the First Flight doubles playoff. In championship doubles, White and Warlick went up against the father and son team from Bowling Green, Ky., Dalton “Buck” Major and his dad Howard. White/Warlick won 22-16 in a final game that went to the 75-minute time limit.

The players in the tournament came from a variety of locations and while some were well-known repeats from the last few www.croquetamerica.com | 41

Kabe Erkenbrack and Dalton Major with TD Paul Bennett in the center

Jamie Grimm and Steven Berry

In First Flight doubles, Lance Titus and Doug Moore went against Steven Berry and Jamie Grimm. Berry was filling in for myself because I got injured setting up equipment on Tuesday. Grimm and Berry led by narrow margins most of the game until Moore and Titus took control and did not look back for a 32-7 win.

White holds the championship singles and doubles (with John Warlick) 9-wicket title for 2023.

In the semifinal of first flight, Dalton Major (the 4th seed) took out his father, then undefeated, 32-22. I overheard Howard Major comment that near the end of the match, he wanted to save his mallet for doubles.

FINAL ORDER

This was a reasonable thing to consider. The tournament took a toll on both mallets and the Pro Baltz balls. The damage report at the award ceremony was five mallets and 14 balls — a new record! Later in the day, Erkenbrack played his semifinal match against Marshall winning that game 25-14. This led up to the last game of the day, Erkenbrack versus Dalton Major. This game went to time while it continued to rain and temperatures plummeted. Erkenbrack kept control throughout and won 17-11. A couple of Erkenbrack’s friends, along with Russ Dilley who was capturing video for YouTube were there watching the game. Dalton’s dad, Howard, was watching from inside the car. Earlier in the day, Macey White defeated Bill Trower in the semifinals in a very close game 19-14. In the other semis, Moore took out Warlick 32-21. Moore was runner-up last year and wanted to get even against White this year. In the finals, the game was looking grim for Moore when White went to rover with his first ball, but Black was well back and Moore managed to tighten up the match, briefly taking a small lead. But White would not let Yellow get clean and managed to gain a 1-point advantage in the last turn 27-26.

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Congrats to Kabe Erkenbrack, First Flight Singles champion and Doug Moore and Lance Titus, First Flight Doubles champions.

CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Macey White 02. Douglas Moore 03. John Warlick 04. William Trower 05. Gail Warlick 06. Ron Eccles FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Kabe Erkenbrack 02. Dalton Major 03. Howard Major 03. Todd Marshall 05. Jamie Grimm 06. Lance Titus 07. Judy McKeon DOUBLES BLOCK 01. John Warlick/Macey White 02. Dalton Major/Howard Major 03. Douglas Moore/Lance Titus 04. Steven Berry/Jamie Grimm 05. Gail Warlick/Todd Marshall 06. William Trower/Judy McKeon

2023 Southeast Regional Golf Croquet Championship Belvidere, North Carolina | September 7-10, 2023

32-player SOUTHEAST Golf Croquet REGIONAL UTILIZES SWISS FORMAT Championship won by Jeff Soo while Kim Allen takes the First Flight honors The Albemarle Croquet Club is only two years old but has already hosted two USCA Regional Championships. The club is located in rural Perquimans County, home of many beautifully preserved historic buildings, not to mention the hometown of Jim “Catfish” Hunter and the gravesite of Robert “Wolfman Jack” Smith. The club, with four full-size courts, is the creation of the Lassiter family, recognized as USCA Croquet Family of the Year in both 2021 and 2022. A small army of family volunteers extended a warm welcome and took care of the players throughout the event. The entry limit was set at 32 players and the tournament quickly filled. Southeast region players came from North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi. The field was filled out with several players from Florida and one from Missouri. There were many requests to “play up,” so the flight divisions were set at 24 for Championship and eight for First Flight. First Flight played a conventional block-and-knockout format in both singles and doubles. Shep Slater and MaryCarol Stearns won all their doubles block games by comfortable margins. John Graney and Bob Smothers finished second in the block, and both teams won their semifinals for a rematch in the final. The game, which took well over two hours to finish, was close throughout, Graney and Smothers winning 7-5.

First Flight Singles started with a full block of eight, the top four advancing to the knockout. Slater tied with Kim Allen at 6-1. Smothers finished third in the block at 5-2, and Stearns took the final spot in the knockout at 4-3, no need for block tie-breakers. Slater and Allen won their single-game semifinals to advance to the best-of-three final. Allen’s clearing and jump shots made the difference in her 7-5, 7-5 victory. With 24 players and only four days to play singles and doubles, Championship Flight was too large for block-and-knockout formats without compromising on block size or best-of-three knockout rounds. The Swiss format was the solution, giving all players a set of meaningful games and leaving time for best-ofthree matches from the singles quarterfinals onward. This format does require active management throughout the day, hard to do well when the TD is playing in the event. Fortunately for this TD, tournament guests Elaine and Rocky Smith jumped in as assistant TDs, recording scores and game times, and assigning courts on the fly to get the games in as efficiently as possible. The doubles were played as a straight Swiss, all pairs playing in each of the five rounds. At the end of those five rounds, three pairs were tied for first at 4-1: Kim Allen/Billie Ray; Bo Prillaman/Marc Stearns; Danny Huneycutt/Rodney Lassiter. This triggered a playoff, Allen/Ray earning the bye on their strength of schedule rating. Stearns/Prillaman edged out Huneycutt/Lassiter 7-6. Allen/Ray jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the final, winning 7-3. Championship Singles started with an elimination Swiss: keep playing until you have three wins or three losses. With 24 players, this worked out perfectly to ensure exactly 12 qualifiers with three wins, no tie-breakers needed. The first knockout round only had time for single-game matches, so getting a bye to the quarterfinals was especially valuable. The three players who qualified with 3-0 records earned top seeding: Danny Huneycutt, Jeff Soo and Cecil Creasey. The fourth bye was decided by a playoff between Adam Lassiter and Tate Russack, the two 3-1 players with the highest strength of schedule rating. Lassiter won 7-1 to earn the bye. The Swiss continued as a consolation event for all players who failed to reach the quarterfinals. Rodney Lassiter took advantage of the opportunity and finished 4-2 in the Swiss, good for ninth place overall in the tournament.

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FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Jeff Soo 02. Danny Huneycutt 03. Cecil Creasey 03. Adam Lassiter 05. Marc Stearns 05. Rick Brown 07. Billie Ray 07. Gil Flowers 09. Rodney Lassiter 10. Tate Russack 10. Ellen Nielsen 12. Bill Simmons 13. Gene Raymond 14. Jack Rush 15. Randy Lassiter 16. Stephen Jackson 17. Scott Winslow 18. Cami Russack 19. Jim Podraza 20. Linda Trifone 21. Josh Lassiter 22. Kory Teoman 23. Susan Creasey 24. Bo Prillaman Linda Trifone

All four of the top seeds won their quarterfinals, making the semifinal pairings Danny Huneycutt vs. Adam Lassiter and Cecil Creasey vs. Jeff Soo. Huneycutt and Lassiter finished their three-game match while Creasey and Soo were still in game two, Huneycutt winning 7-5, 6-7, 7-4. The other match finished soon after, Soo having survived a 3-6 deficit in game 2 to win 7-3, 7-6. (The First Flight doubles final, a single-game match, was at 5-4 at this time.) Huneycutt had early leads in both games of the final, both games equalizing at 4-all and then 5-all. In game one, Soo scored Hoop 11 with enough distance to take control at Hoop 12 for a 7-5 victory. In game two, it was Huneycutt who scored Hoop 11, but only by a few feet. After positioning both balls at Hoop 12, Soo took advantage of a short position by Huneycutt to clear that ball and advance to Hoop 13. Huneycutt’s block attempt came up just short. Soo scored 12, Huneycutt played to straight two-foot position at 13, and Soo ran a three-yard angled hoop for the match. It is Soo’s third regional GC singles title. Southeast Regional Vice-President Linda Trifone was the event lead. Adam Lassiter was the Tournament Manager. Elaine and Rocky Smith were Assistant Tournament Directors. NOTE: All games were untimed. Average game times were around 62 minutes for singles and 68 minutes for doubles. Actual game times ranged from just over 20 minutes to nearly three hours —Jeff Soo, Tournament Director

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FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Kim Allen 02. Shep Slater 03. Robert Smothers 04. MaryCarol Stearns 05. Betty Teoman 06. John Graney 07. Janet Mullen 08. Kathy Killmon CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. Kim Allen/Billie Ray 02. Bo Prillaman/Marc Stearns 03. Danny Huneycutt/Rodney Lassiter 04. Gene Raymond/Jack Rush 05. Rick Brown/Josh Lassiter 06. Adam Lassiter/Linda Trifone 06. Randy Lassiter/Scott Winslow 08. Cecil Creasey/Susan Creasey 08. Jim Podraza/Bill Simmons 10. Ellen Nielsen/Jeff Soo 10. Cami Russack/Tate Russack 12. Gil Flowers/Stephen Jackson FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. John Graney/Robert Smothers 02. Shep Slater/MaryCarol Stearns 03. Betty Teoman/Kory Teoman 04. Kathy Killmon/Janet Mullen

2023 Midwest American Six Wicket Regional Championship Tulsa, Oklahoma | September 1-4, 2023

Fastest Courts in LaFortune Park History Conner Helms takes Championship honors and Carl Archiniaco wins First Flight

Players and guests of the 2023 USCA Midwest American Six Wicket Regional were treated to relatively mild Tulsa weather and the fastest courts in the history of LaFortune Park. This was fortuitous as we had a strong field of players from around the country. Matt Baird filled his Tournament Director’s role admirably by implementing new ideas from his recent TD class. We thank everyone who pitched in from Day One in setting up and taking down courts and supporting structures. We especially appreciated teammates Brian Hovis and Brian Zindel for their work in pounding wickets. We also thank Hovis and Russell Dilley for their work as videographers throughout the tournament. And, of course, we are grateful to the Tulsa Croquet Club social committee for all its help with keeping us fed and watered. The tournament started on Friday after lunch with singles in the afternoons and doubles in the mornings. One idea we implemented for this tournament was moving flights around to all four courts instead of our previous practice of keeping flights in the same location most of the time. It was good to have many friends who have played here frequently over the years, but it was great to have John Brown and Rich Lamm

back after not seeing them for many years. We owe a lot to our groundskeeper Brad Remke for mowing and rolling the courts to create the fastest playing surface we’ve ever had. Doubles results were determined on Sunday, leaving Monday for Singles playoff in both flights. George Cochran/Scott Spradling were first and Conner Helms/John Brown took second place in the Championship, while Gene Bryan/Joe Schulte took first place and Greg/Jodi Adams second in First Flight. In the Championship Singles final, Conner Helms took first place over his doubles partner John Brown. The First Flight singles first place winner was Carl Archiniaco with Greg Clouse claiming second place. On Monday, we were able provide one court for TCC President Anna Hanson to host a Childrens Golf Croquet Tournament to stimulate growth of our sport for upcoming generations. We look forward to seeing everyone back for the 2024 season. —Matt Baird, Tournament Director

FINAL ORDER CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES 01. Conner Helms 02. John Brown 03. George Cochran 03. Kevin McQuigg 05. Scott Spradling 05. Britt Ruby 05. Brian Hovis 05. Brian Zindel 08. Rich Lamm 08. Matt Baird 08. Russell Dilley 08. Deborah Millican 08. Ron Millican 08. Joe Steiner

CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLES 01. George Cochran/Scott Spradling 02. Conner Helms/John Brown 03. Britt Ruby/Kevin McQuigg 03. Brian Hovis/Brian Zindel 05. Deborah Millican/Ron Millican 06. Rich Lamm/Russell Dilley 07. Art Parsells/Joe Steiner FIRST FLIGHT DOUBLES 01. Gene Bryan/Joe Schulte 02. Greg Adams/Jodi Adams 03. Greg Clouse/Suzanne Spradling 03. Jon Spaulding/Carl Archiniaco

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FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Carl Archiniaco 02. Greg Clouse 03. Jon Spaulding 03. Greg Adams 05. Suzanne Spradling 05. Gene Bryan 05. Joe Schulte 05. Jodi Adams www.croquetamerica.com | 45

2023 Mid-Atlantic American Six Wicket Regional Championship Sea Girt, New Jersey | August 25-17, 2023

Mid-Atlantic Regional: Tale of Extremes CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLES

ST PLACE: PAUL NEUBECKER Neubecker wins 1Championship Flight with Robertson taking First Flight and McMurray winning Second Flight

02. Tom Cooper The 2023 Mid-Atlantic American Six Wicket Regional hosted 03. Cecil Creasey by the Green Gables03. Croquet Club was a tale of extremes. The Mike Gibbons elegant pool-side opening cocktail party hosted by the croquet 05. Dennis Leddy playing Leddy family and Matriarch Elise) was 05.(Ann, Carl Dennis Archiniaco driven indoors by rain, which then persisted into the next day when play was briefly stopped for lightning. But Saturday was temperate and a balmy evening was just right for a dinner at the home of Karen Leoncavallo and Richard Ricciardi. Sunday was the kind of glorious Jersey shore weather that brings everyone here in August, just perfect for the finals. Host club Green Gables put on the dog, with breakfast and lunch featuring local cuisine and even provided knowledgeable volunteer board-keepers for the courts. What a treat! The small Championship Flight had a wide range of handicaps, from the minus crowd up to a 5. The eight players in First Flight ranged from six to some brave volunteers at 10. The second flight of seven were either 10s or 11s. Championship and First Flight played five games into a knockout, while Second Flight played out their block into a semifinal. The finals in all flights were nail-biters, with one-point leads changing between turns. All were decided by only one or two points in last turn. Paul Neubecker wears the Mid-Atlantic Championship crown for 2023, while Tom Cooper holds the scepter. Kat Robertson was undefeated and has a brand new USCA handicap card to show for it. Michael Jeary did his best, but Kat was a force. In a duel familiar to the locals, Scott McMurray managed to best Jim Daniels by one point in the last turn to claim the Second Flight tiara. This one will be replayed many times over.

Those brave souls who volunteered to “play up” were rewarded for their bravery by achieving many tracking points for single victories amid many “learning opportunities.” As is always the case, there was much laughter, new friendships kindled and old friendships stoked. Almost everyone went home with a few stories and a mental list of croquet skills to work on. (Maybe not Kat.) —Loretta Cooper, Tournament Director

Paul Neubecker, LorettaLoretta CooperCooper and Tom(TD), Cooper Paul Neubecker, Tom Cooper

FINAL ORDER

FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP SINGLESKAT ROBERTSON 1ST PLACE: 01. Paul Neubecker 02. Michael Jeary 02. Tom Cooper 03. Karen Leoncavallo 03. Cecil Creasey 03. George Claffey 03. Mike Gibbons 05. Richard Ricciardi 05. Dennis Leddy 05. Don McLaughlin 05. Carl Archiniaco 05. Susan Creasey 05. Jane Helms FIRST FLIGHT SINGLES 01. Kat Robertson 02. Michael Jeary 03. Karen Leoncavallo 03. George Claffey 05. Richard Ricciardi 05. Don McLaughlin 05. Susan Creasey 05. Jane Helms

SECOND FLIGHT SINGLES Kat Robertson, Michael Jeary 01. Scott McMurray 02. Jim Daniels 03. Ric Venino United States Croquet Association (USCA) 700 Florida Mango Rd, West Palm Beach, FL. 33406 03. Jon Bonny 05. Ann Leddy 561.478.0760 * www.croquetamerica.com 05. Peter Cerrati

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September 2023 - Page 15 of 24

gcamerica

Outside Agencies in GC By Cheryl Bromley

Below are a few common examples of outside agencies in Golf Croquet: • A ball becomes an outside agency when it leaves the court as soon as any part of it touches the vertical plane of a boundary line. • A ball is also an outside agency if directed to a penalty area. In both cases, they remain outside agencies and are not part of the game until the start of the striking period in which they will be played back in. Common Courtesy: It is good practice to not only place your ball immediately on the spot where it left the court (in contact with the line) but also assist your opponent with the spot where their ball went out, if needed.

Outside Agencies and Double-Banking When double-banking with another game on the same court, the players and equipment of the other match are outside agencies. What happens if a ball from another match rolls into my stationary ball? Your ball is placed back in its original position and the moving ball from the other game is dealt with at the choice of the opposing side of that game: 1. They may elect to leave the ball where it stopped. 2. They may place it where the opposing side or referee judges it would have stopped if no interference had occurred.

Scoring Clips A scoring clip that is falling to, or on the ground, and not attached to a player or hoop is an outside agency. A scoring clip that is attached to a hoop or player is not an outside agency. Therefore, it is good practice to remove a clip when attempting to run a hoop or hit a jump shot so that it doesn’t affect the outcome of the shot.

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3. If both sides cannot determine where it might have ended up, the ball is brought back and the stroke is replayed. Common Courtesy: Always remove your mallet from the court if you are waiting to play on a double-banked court, mark any balls that might interfere with the other match and temporarily remove them.

Selling real estate is not only my job, it’s my passion www.croquetamerica.com | 47

let’stalktactics

End-game Puzzles By Jeff Soo

Abbreviations used: blUe, Red, blacK, Yellow Here is the first installment of what I expect will be an intermittent series of end-game puzzles for you to ponder.

1-point lead, start of last turns In a First Flight game, you have just scored 1b with R to take a 1-point lead, shown in Figure 1. Time was called during this turn, making R the first ball in “last turns.” Your three-ball break is falling apart: when sending K to 2b as a pioneer you overhit the shot and sent it four yards past the wicket. To make matters worse, you have just run 1b past Y and have a rush in the wrong direction. U, dead on K and for 4b, is in corner 3. K (for 2) and Y (for 5) are also partner-dead. However, UK has not yet claimed the clearance earned when R scored 1b. Before reading on, give some thought to what you would do in this situation. How can you maximize your chance of winning? One of the unique aspects of American Six Wicket Croquet is how often it offers the chance to set up a nearly certain winning position without having to finish the game “properly” (i.e., pegging out for 26 points). By this, I mean positions where the opponent must hit a boundary ball (without knocking it out) or run a wicket from long range to have any chance of winning. If we play our cards right, we can do that here. Of course, RY could carry on with the break or take off to K to try to score at least one more point. But attempting either play means leaving Y somewhere in the court. K is such a poor pioneer that this gives a significant risk of leaving K a good shot on Y or an even better shot on R. A very easy defensive option is for R to put both R and Y to the boundary, either by roqueting Y and croqueting both balls off near corner II (shown in Figure 2), or by playing a scatter-shot (i.e., cut-rushing Y off the north boundary to send R off the west boundary). But, UK has a clearing and two turns left. UK can simply clear U and play K to U, trying to give U a rush toward 4b (also shown in Figure 2). With U already close to 4b this doesn’t have to be a particularly good rush to give U a fair chance of tying the game, at which point UK will have a huge advantage.

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FIGURE 1: R has just scored 1b for a 1-point lead.

FIGURE 3: A better croquet-out option, sending Y near U. The dotted line shows where to line up the balls to account for pull.

This is a much more demanding croquet stroke than the one shown in Figure 2. The shot must be hit quite hard to ensure both balls leave the court and, to get Y close to U, you need a good idea of how much “pull” to expect. Y could easily pull two yards left. If the croquet stroke is pointed directly at U, Y could go off as much as four yards west of U. You should line up the balls pointing at least four feet right of U, as indicated by the dotted line. This is a shot worth practicing! If Y can safely roquet U, K can no longer play on court anywhere near 4b. If it does, Y roquets U, takes off to K, and then uses its rush and croquet stroke to send K and Y off west and/or south boundary. K’s alternatives are not very attractive: shoot at R, shoot at 2, shoot at Y or shoot to the north or east boundary several yards from U. The first three options are obvious enough; the point of the fourth option is to put K far enough that Y could get into trouble taking off to it and attempting to roquet it, while close enough to give U a better shot than the one it currently has at R. By getting both R and Y off the court, and putting Y close to U, UK is left with only desperation plays and RY has overwhelming odds of winning.

FIGURE 2: R croquets R and Y off the court. UK responds by clearing U and playing K between U and its wicket.

A bonus puzzle for you to solve on your own: start from the Figure 1 position, but this time K is a reasonably good pioneer at 2b. Keeping in mind that you would still need a big roll shot to continue a three-ball break, what other plays do you have to put the game all but out of reach for UK?

So, the problem is how to take this simple play away from UK, while not leaving K any balls in the open court to shoot at. The solution is a croquet-out, but not in corner II: R needs to send Y off next to U, close enough to safely roquet it. This is shown in Figure 3. www.croquetamerica.com | 49

newmembers ARIZONA

Scottsdale–Mountain Mallets Emily Schiavone

COLORADO

Denver–At Large Member Lance Titus Evergreen–At Large Member Kabe ErkenBrack Littleton–At Large Member Jamie Grimm

CONNECTICUT

Greenwich–Greenwich Croquet Club Sky Field Hellen FitzPatrick Dan FitzPatrick Alan Gladstone John Lyddane Virginia Lyddane Mary McCarthy Jane Perelman Michael Perelman Gregory Presley Renée Seblatnigg

FLORIDA

Delray Beach–St. Andrews Club Michael Guralnick Michelle Guralnick Key Largo–Ocean Reef Club Eileen Plasky Naples–The Club at the Strand Tom Eggleston Joyce Eggleston Naples–Wyndemere Country Club Heidimarie Michitsch Vero Beach–John's Island Croquet Club Anthony Furino Vero Beach–The Moorings Club Susan Buza Raymond Buza

GEORGIA

Atlanta–Lenbrook Monique Donigan Gary Sams Felecia Sveda Atlanta–Peachtree Hills Place Croquet Club Joe Bynum Sydney Smith Jekyll Island–Jekyll Island Croquet Club Marlee Price Lisa Stovall Charles Stovall Michelle Zindel Sky Valley–Sky Valley Club, Inc. Rick Greer Deborah Kalish

ILLINOIS

Chicago–Chicago Croquet Club James Finley John Larson Julie Larson Linda Hanks Nathalynne McGinnis Dean Miller

NEW CLUBS Saint Johns Croquet Club | Saint Augustine, Florida Six Wicket Vineyards Croquet Club | Myersville, Maryland THRIVE for Life Foundation | Hershey, Pennsylvania

KENTUCKY

Louisville–Derby City Croquet Gary Long Victoria Long

MARYLAND

Poolesville–At Large Member Ann Stevens

MASSACHUSETTS

Sandwich–Sandwich Croquet Club Barbara Madden John Madden Henry Smith

MINNESOTA

Edina–City of Lakes Croquet Club Mona Hadary

MISSOURI

Parkville–Kactus Creek Croquet Club Audrey Ayala-Pagan Emily Ayala-Pagan Everley Ayala-Pagan

NEW JERSEY

Spring Lake –Green Gables Croquet Club Barbara Geller Jeffrey Geller

NEW YORK

New York–New York Croquet Club Jacqueline Bergen Paola Brisson Ayer Ian Fitzgerald Louise Fitzgerald Frannie Genieser Graydon Genieser Griffin Genieser Kevin Genieser John Hartman Erin Landers Carlos Mendonca Lucy Miller Jay Peters Lisa Seitz Quogue–Quogue Field Club Elizabeth Crowley Betsy Rowe David Rowe Peter Sartorius Rochester–Rochester Croquet Club Michael Ireland

NORTH CAROLINA

Bald Head Island– Bald Head Island Croquet Club Allison Cain Janice Finkelstein Tim Harris Cameron Harris Dianne Reid Kelly Roth Tom Roth Beth Ruthenburg Jon Ruthenburg Cashiers–Trillium Links and Lake Club John Heilman Ursula Heilman Angela Willie Stant Willie Chapel Hill–At Large Member Kay Edgar Highlands– Highlands Falls Croquet Association James Turner Highlands–Highlands Strikers Croquet Club Elizabeth Glass Scott Glass Deborah Jacobson Linville–Linville Ridge Croquet Club Cathy Fields Ann McLaughlin John Wilkinson Pinehurst–Pinehurst Croquet Club Mieke Grayson Bob Hepner Janice Hepner Tom Howell Kim Howell Karen Roberts Charlie Roberts Lisa Spencer-Morris Woody Strohm Pittsboro– Fearrington Swim & Croquet Club Allison Cain Mary Norgren Southport–The Clubs at St James Daniel Phelan Priscilla Zambor Ronald Zambor Winston-Salem–Arbor Acres Croquet Arthur Kurtz

PENNSYLVANIA

Hershey–THRIVE for Life Foundation Steven Mancuso

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RHODE ISLAND

South Kingstown–At Large Member Frances Alexakos Britt Bell Weekapaug–Weekapaug Croquet Club Elizabeth Bradford Louisa Bradford Arthur Ellis William Stevens

TEXAS

Dallas–Dallas Croquet Association Jerry Giles Houston –Houston Croquet Association Marianne Cusick Richard Cusick Kevin Fasano Mary Lou Swift Laredo–At Large Member Barclay Brandmiller

VIRGINIA

Chesterfield–At Large Member Jeannie DiGiovanni Hatfield–Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club Cynthia Fowler Jeffrey Taylor John Woods III

WISCONSIN

Milwaukee–Milwaukee Croquet Club James Durham

INTERNATIONAL CANADA

British Columbia–At Large Member Tony Simmonds Ontario–At Large Member Mike Sully

SPAIN

Cadiz–At Large Member Doninique Aranda Madrid–At Large Member MaríaAsunción Fajardo Jimena Estibaliz Figueroa MaríaJose Pailos Malaga–At Large Member Luz Prado Sevilla–At Large Member MaríaJosé Montojo

eventresults North Carolina State Championship October 19-22, 2023 Bald Head Island Croquet Club Bald Head Island, North Carolina

Turkey Trot Double-Digit Handicap Tournament September 22-24, 2023 Lenox Croquet Club Lenox, Massachusetts

Championship Flight

Final Order

01. Adam Lassiter 02. Jeff Soo 03. Harper Peterson 04. Rodney Lassiter 05. Damon Bidencope 06. Ron Eccles 07. Mike Taylor 08. Bill Daigle 09. Gene Raymond 09. Ed Roberts 11. Dick Johnston First Flight 01. John Gottshall 02. Bill Lichtenberger 03. Tom Locke 04. Mel Eckhart 05. Kim Gottshall 06. Dan Phelan Second Flight 01. Betty Robinson 02. Rocky Smith 03. Hillary Lassiter 04. Kathy Killmon 05. Janet Mullen

01. Ken Heim 02. Judith McDermott 03. JR Rowell 03. Kevin Hogan 05. Katie Bull (Plate Winner) 06. Barbara Sartorius 06. Kim Beaty

Cape Cod Invitational September 29-October 1, 2023 Sandwich Croquet Club Sandwich, Massachusetts Championship Flight 01. Bob Gannon 02. Jim Turner 03. Courtney Green 04. David Kepner 04. Chris Glowacki 06. Ed Gardella 06. George Claffey 06. John Grabow First Flight 01. Kathleen Green 02. Fred Beck 03. Clint Howard 04. John Clark 05. Cecily Greenaway 06. Hilary Michaels 06. Linda Shaw 06. Dorothea Endicott

Cranberry Classic September 10, 2023 Sandwich Croquet Club Sandwich, Massachusetts Final Order 01. Ed Gardella 02. Karen Kay 03. Kathy Green 03. John Welch 03. Linda Taber 03. Sarah Mitchell 03. Lawrence Schmutz 03. Mike Saylor 09. Jean Lynch 09. Bob Taber 09. Ware Cady 09. Paul Bradley 09. John Clark 09. Karen Manning 15. Clint Holland 15. Kristen Campbell

USCA Southeast Regional GC Championship September 7-10, 2023 Albemarle Croquet Club Belvidere, North Carolina

17. Scott Winslow 18. Cami Russack 19. Jim Podraza 20. Linda Trifone 21. Josh Lassiter 22. Kory Teoman 23. Susan Creasey 24. Bo Prillaman First Flight Singles 01. Kim Allen 02. Shep Slater 03. Robert Smothers 04. MaryCarol Stearns 05. Betty Teoman 06. John Graney 07. Janet Mullen 08. Kathy Killmon Championship Doubles 01. Kim Allen/Billie Ray 02. Bo Prillaman/Marc Stearns 03. Danny Huneycutt/Rodney Lassiter 04. Gene Raymond/Jack Rush 05. Rick Brown/Josh Lassiter 06. Adam Lassiter/Linda Trifone 06. Randy Lassiter/Scott Winslow 08. Cecil Creasey/Susan Creasey 08. Jim Podraza/Bill Simmons 10. Ellen Nielsen/Jeff Soo 10. Cami Russack/Tate Russack 12. Gil Flowers/Stephen Jackson First Flight Doubles 01. John Graney/Robert Smothers 02. Shep Slater/MaryCarol Stearns 03. Betty Teoman/Kory Teoman 04. Kathy Killmon/Janet Mullen

Championship Singles 01. Jeff Soo 02. Danny Huneycutt 03. Cecil Creasey 03. Adam Lassiter 05. Marc Stearns 05. Rick Brown 07. Billie Ray 07. Gil Flowers 09. Rodney Lassiter 10. Tate Russack 10. Ellen Nielsen 12. Bill Simmons 13. Gene Raymond 14. Jack Rush 15. Randy Lassiter 16. Stephen Jackson

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eventresults The Little Rhody September 6-9, 2023 Ocean House Croquet Club Watch Hill, Rhode Island Championship Flight 01. Randy Cardo 02. Bev Cardo 03. Doug Moore 03. Pat Spratt 05. Mark Ski 06. Kat Robertson 07. Temp Peck 08. Sean Hartley First Flight 01. George Claffey 02. Cheryl Harders 03. Alex Galasso 03. John Welch 05. Don Chapoton 06. Denys Shorthouse 07. Randi Bedard 08. Jeannine Bedard Second Flight 01. Cecily Greenaway 02. Bobbi Shorthouse 03. Mary Jo Chapoton 03. Emily Martin 05. Claudia Parks 06. Freddie Davis

Big Lobster Invitational September 5-10, 2023 Woodlawn Croquet Program Ellsworth, Maine Championship Flight 01. Bob Van Tassell 02. Bob Worrell 03. David Ekstrom 04. Don Parker 05. Mike Gibbons 06. Webster Bull First Flight 01. Oakley Johnson 02. Victoria Albrecht 03. Fred Beck 04. Bill Sadowski 05. Bill Whitman 06. Randall McAndrews 07. Janet Pearson

Second Flight 01. Glenn McAndrews 02. Barbara O'Laughlin 03. Rick Hayes 04. Tom O'Laughlin 05. Sonia Alexandra 06. Jim Lane 07. Rosemarie Maccario 08. Tina Hinckley Third Flight 01. Katie Bull 02. James Peasley 03. Whitney Small 04. Ellen Fox 05. Susan Sergeant 06. Bess Gallanis

USCA Midwest 6W Regional Championship September 1-4, 2023 Tulsa Croquet Club | Tulsa, Oklahoma Championship Singles 01. Conner Helms 02. John Brown 03. George Cochran 03. Kevin McQuigg 05. Scott Spradling 05. Britt Ruby 05. Brian Hovis 05. Brian Zindel 08. Rich Lamm 08. Matt Baird 08. Russell Dilley 08. Deborah Millican 08. Ron Millican 08. Joe Steiner First Flight Singles 01. Carl Archiniaco 02. Greg Clouse 03. Jon Spaulding 03. Greg Adams 05. Suzanne Spradling 05. Gene Bryan 05. Joe Schulte 05. Jodi Adams Championship Doubles 01. George Cochran/Scott Spradling 02. Conner Helms/John Brown 03. Britt Ruby/Kevin McQuigg 03. Brian Hovis/Brian Zindel 05. Deborah Millican/Ron Millican 06. Rich Lamm/Russell Dilley 07. Art Parsells/Joe Steiner First Flight Doubles 01. Gene Bryan/Joe Schulte 02. Greg Adams/Jodi Adams 03. Greg Clouse/Suzanne Spradling 03. Jon Spaulding/Carl Archiniaco

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USCA MidAtlantic Regional 6W Championship August 25-17, 2023 Green Gables Croquet Club Sea Girt, New Jersey Championship Singles 01. Paul Neubecker 02. Tom Cooper 03. Cecil Creasey 03. Mike Gibbons 05. Dennis Leddy 05. Carl Archiniaco First Flight Singles 01. Kat Robertson 02. Michael Jeary 03. Karen Leoncavallo 03. George Claffey 05. Richard Ricciardi 05. Don McLaughlin 05. Susan Creasey 05. Jane Helms Second Flight Singles 01. Scott McMurray 02. Jim Daniels 03. Ric Venino 03. Jon Bonny 05. Ann Leddy 05. Peter Cerrati 05. Pat Richmond

USCA Western Regional AC Championship August 24-27, 2023 West Point Grey Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Final Order 01. Chris Percival-Smith 02. Steve Scalpone 03. Patrick Sweeney 04. Brian Wasylyk 05. Tony Simmonds 06. Peter Bach 07. Martyn Selman 08. Michael Kernaghan 09. Lynda Sudderberg 10. Gary Anderson

Buffalo 7th Annual 6W Invitational August 17-20, 2023 Delaware Park Buffalo, New York Championship Singles 01. Paul Neubecker 02. Rich Curtis 03. David Isaacs 04. Doug Moore 05. Rich Laging 06. Rodney Lassiter 07. Donna Dixon

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Castles, kilts and bagpipers, Georgian streets and Gothic alleys are all part of the vitality and romance of Edinburgh. We’ll scour the city for the best Cranachan, experience 6 days of croquet, fine dining and luxurious accommodations; enjoy tours of an Iron Age Fort, the 900yr old Edinburgh Castle and 3 of the oldest distilleries in the land. Stay in the Edwardian splendour of the Balmoral Hotel and the 5-Star luxury of the Gleneagles resort. Tour the Royal Yacht Britannia and spend an unforgettable night aboard her sistership MV Fingal. Play croquet at Gleneagles, the Meadows Croquet Club and the National Croquet Centre of Scotland; then wrap all this up with a fun Roaring ’20s Awards Ceremony and dinner. Door-to-door by Range Rover. Proceeds support our work with Special Olympics. Limit 4 - 8 guests.

08. Patrick Little 09. Chris Loat 10. Brian Hovis First Flight Singles 01. Bryan Zindel 02. Courtney Green 03. Bob Gannon 04. Ron Millican 05. John Joseph 06. Scott Kennedy 3rd 07. Anne Frost Robinson 08. Ryan Thompson 09. Deborah Millican 10. Cameron James 11. Leo Leither 12. Jane Beharriell Second Flight Singles 01. Kathleen Green 02. Quinn Reinhardt 03. Jan Fisher 04. Lee Anderson 05. Peter Bowers 06. Gary Anderson 07. Bill Vrooman 08. Bill Sullivan 09. Jennifer Joseph 10. Ryan Boniface

To register or for more information: info@JiminyWicket.org Championship Doubles 01. Brian Hovis/Rich Laging 02. Paul Neubecker/Scott Kennedy 3rd 03. Doug Moore/Bryan Zindel 04. Rodney Lassiter/Bob Gannon 05. Rich Curtis/Jane Beharriell 05. Patrick Little/Chris Loat 05. David Isaacs/Deborah Millican First Flight Doubles 01. Quinn Reinhardt/Jennifer Joseph 02. Lee Anderson/Peter Bowers 03. Ron Millican/James Peasley 04. Cameron James/Ryan Boniface 05. John Joseph/Kathleen Green 05. Leo Leither/Bill Vrooman 05. Anne Frost Robinson/Bill Sullivan

Woodlawn Vacationland GC Invitational August 10-13, 2023 Woodlawn Museum & Gardens Ellsworth, Maine Championship Flight 01. Bob Van Tassell 02. Robert Pulitzer 03. Bill Simmons 04. Marc Stearns

05. Alex Galasso 06. Geoff Hargadon 07. Priscilla Flowers 08. Caryl Firth 09. Bob Worrell First Flight 01. MaryCarol Stearns 02. Randall McAndrews 03. Karen Connery Albert 04. Mary Galasso 05. Calvert Chaney 06. Mary Hennelly 07. Liddy Chaney 08. Brian McColgan 09. Mary McColgan Second Flight 01. Phil Robinson 02. Jim Lane 03. Nanette Ruppert 04. Sarah Persons 05. Tom Hennelly 06. Charlotte Pulitzer 07. Janet Pearson 08. Michael Kolowich 09. Patricia Richmond

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eventresults 10th Rochester Invitational August 10-13, 2023 Rochester Croquet Club Rochester, New York Championship Singles 01. Ryan Thompson 02. Rich Laging 03. Rodney Lassiter 03. Leo Leither 05. Deborah Millican 06. Ron Millican

04. Eileen Kupstas Soo/ Jeff Soo (Bald Head Island) 07. Bob Hamilton/Robb Turner (Lake Toxaway) 08. Kendall Hendrick/Laura Hendrick (Highlands Falls) 09. Gary Gamble/Kathie Gamble (Sapphire Valley) 10. Judy Carlin/Peter Carlin (Ceder Creek) First Flight Doubles

01. Sue Sherer 02. Linda Pike 03. Bill Vrooman 03. Denise Ireland

01. Gene Lockard/Diane Walker (Highlands Falls) 02. John Dobson Sr./Gregg Wechsler (Linville Golf) 03. Steve Hawes/Dick Rendleman (Grandfather) 03. Anne Killilea/Kevin Killilea (Trillium) 05. Bill Hartmann/Gene Raymond (Linville Ridge) 06. Kim Allen/Mike Allen (Wildcat Cliffs) 07. Jan Spoerl/Scott Spoerl (Trillium) 07. Craig Sellner/Judy Sellner Trillium) 09. Lynda Bjorklund/Ellym McColgan (Sapphire Valley) 10. Mary Anne Hamilton/Sybil Turner (Lake Toxaway) 11. Nancy Hart/Marie Jones (Linville Ridge) 12. Charles Duckett/Angela Pittman (Arbor Acres)

Hi/Lo Doubles

Second Flight Doubles

01. Rich Curtis/Denise Ireland 02. Leo Leither/Fred Beck 03. Rodney Lassiter/James Peasley 03. Quinn Reinhardt/Jan Fisher 05. Ron Millican/Peter Sherer 06. Rich Laging/Bill Vrooman 07. Ryan Thompson/Norm Pike 08. Deborah Millican/Linda Pike

01. Ray Ogden/Marty Ormsby (Grandfather) 02. Rick Loftin/Sandy Stasiek (Linville Ridge) 03. Debbi Patten/Keith Patten (Wildcat Cliffs) 03. Brad Blair/Wade Mallard (Linville Ridge) 05. Jim Pierce/John Walker (Highlands Falls) 06. John Dobson Jr./Becky Elderkin (Linville Golf ) 07. Mark Jordan/Tony Watts (Grandfather) 07. Paul Kroening/David Moser (Grandfather) 09. Jeanmarie Dellosso/Betty Robinson (Bald Head Island) 10. Burke Pinnell/Lezah Pinnell (Grandfather) 11. Fred Buchsbaum/Marianne Blair (Linville Ridge) 12. Janet Mullen/Tom Mullen (Albemarle)

First Flight Singles 01. Quinn Reinhardt 02. Peter Sherer 03. Jan Fisher 03. Fred Beck Second Flight Singles

USCA North Carolina Club Teams August 3-6, 2023 Linville Ridge Country Club, Grandfather Golf and Country Club, Linville Golf Club Linville, North Carolina Pennwell Trophy 01. Grandfather Golf & Country Club 02. Linville Ridge Croquet Club 03. Highlands Falls Croquet Association 04. Linville Golf Club 05. Trillium Links & Lake Club 06. Bald Head Island Croquet Club 07. Wildcat Cliffs Country Club 08. Ceder Creek Croquet Club 09. Lake Toxaway Mallet Club 10. Albemarle Croquet Club 11. Arbor Acres Croquet Championship Doubles 01. Darin Guffey/Billie Ray (Highlands Falls) 02. Chris Barley/Gail Barley (Grandfather) 03. Josh Freeth/Jim Teel (Ceder Creek) 04. (WD) David Maloof/ John Taylor (Linville Ridge) 04. Tom Balding/Tracy Hallett (Linville Golf)

54 | www.croquetamerica.com

Westhampton Mallet Club Invitational August 3-6, 2023 Westhampton Mallet Club Westhampton, New York Championship Singles 01. Connor Helms 02. Alex Muradian 03. Randy Cardo 03. Mark Fields 05. David Ekstrom 06. Kevin Hansley 07. Linda Trifone 08. Calvert Chaney 09. Vickie Johnston First Flight Singles 01. Mark Ski 02. John Craddock 03. Yvette Donato-Selby 03. Sally McGrath

05. Carl Archiniaco 05. Karen Heckman 07. Dick Carlson 07. Quinn Reinhart 09. Missy Chilton 09. Jeannie Branthover 11. Anne Carr 11. David Kepner Second Flight Singles 01. Allison Worthington 02. Doug Greeff 03. Lovejoy Duryea 03. Rick Hayes 05. John McGrath 05. Mary Craddock 07. Jim Tiberg 07. Dick Corey 07. Jane Helms Third Flight Singles 01. Tom Lindley 02. David Beccia 03. Tom Hadlock 03. Jessica Beccia 05. Claudia Parks Championship Waterford Doubles 01. Randy Cardo 01. Alex Muradian 02. Kevin Hansley 02. Mark Ski 03. David Ekstrom 03. John Craddock 03. Linda Trifone 03. Mark Fields 05. Conner Helms 06. Lone Schweitzer 07. Sally McGrath 08. Calvert Chaney 09. Dick Carlson 10. Jeannie Branthover First Flight Waterford Doubles 01. David Kepner 01. Anne Licursi 02. Carl Archiniaco 02. Missy Chilton 03. Quinn Reinhart 03. Karen Heckman 03. John McGrath 03. Dick Corey 05. Rick Hayes 06. Jane Helms 07. Doug Greeff 08. Lyn Hamer

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

| croquetamerica.com 2 Second Flight Waterford Doubles 01. Maggie Kirkbride 01. Tom Lindley 02. Jim Tiberg 02. Ursula Lynch 03. Richard Weir 03. Mary Craddock 03. Tom Hadlock 03. Allison Worthington 05. Claudia Parks 06. Susie Wagner 07. Jessica Beccia 08. David Beccia

The Prosser Cup August 2-4, 2023 Ocean House Watch Hill, Rhode Island Championship Flight 01. Alex Galasso 02. Chris Olsen 03. Cody Kittle 04. Bill Simmons 05. George Claffey 06. Mary Galasso 07. Pat Spratt 08. Templeton Peck

First Flight

Second Flight

01. Freddy Davis 02. Nick Capobianco 03. Emily Martin 04. August (Gus) Fromuth 05. Patricia Kells 06. Hilary Michaels 07. Kevin Hoben 08. Katie Bull 09. Andrew Parsons 10. Judy Prosser 11. Sarah Persons 12. Ellen Martin Championship Plate won by Templeton Peck

01. Robert Stevens 02. Whitney Thain 03. Janice Bryson 04. Inez Cancienne

Merion Golf Croquet Singles Tournament July 20-23, 2023 Merion Cricket Club Haverford, Pennsylvania Championship Flight

Western Regional 6W Championship July 20-23, 2023 King City Civic Center Portland, Oregon Final Order 01. Patrick Sweeney 02. Steve Scalpone 03. Peter Bach 04. Carl Uhlman 05. Ron Eccles 06. Curtis Toops 07. Nick Gray 08. Wally Clark

01. Justin Berbig 02. Tate Russack 03. Bill Simmons 04. Cami Russack First Flight 01. Dave Cohen 02. Tom Bown 03. Darrell DeMoss 03. Peter Miller

www.croquetamerica.com | 55

grandprixstandings 2023 A6W OVERALL GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Randy Cardo 16350 8060 02 Robert Van Tassell 9600 8000 03 Danny Huneycutt 10152 6666 04 Conner L. Helms 12772 3794 05 David Ekstrom 10100 5310 06 Adam Lassiter 10818 4376 07 David Isaacs 7000 7760 08 Mark Fields 9870 3030 09 John O. Brown 5976 6294 10 Stuart Lawrence 6300 5100 11 Rodney Lassiter 5974 4908 12 George Cochran 7208 3372 13 Ronald L. Eccles 3312 6670 14 Brian D. Hovis 5207 4508 15 Brian Cumming 4200 5100 16 Gene Raymond 3640 5400 17 Linda Trifone 2364 6614 18 Lynda P. Sudderberg 3900 4380 19 Patrick Sweeney 7430 600 20 Jeff Morrison 3680 4178 21 Macey W. White 5000 2838 22 Jodie Rugart 5550 2090 23 Kevin Hansley 900 6470 24 Matthew Griffith 6100 800 25 Beverley Cardo 4620 2200 26 Paul Neubecker 5072 1120 27 Richard Sullivan 400 5500 28 Alex Muradian 3400 2460 29 Scott Spradling 2918 2932 30 Webster Bull 3798 2000 31 Arthur Olsen 2600 3020 32 Mary Rodeberg 1930 3650 33 Richard G. Curtis 2900 2550 34 Zack Watson 4200 1200 35 Paul T. Bennett 4220 1100 36 Britt Ruby 2708 2582 37 Mike Taylor 3034 2252 38 Richard E Laging 3095 1996 39 Ed Becker 3025 1970 40 Brian Zindel 2601 2392 41 Douglas P. Moore 2500 2270 42 Nancy Crouch 3310 1430 43 Mark Ski 1894 2780 44 Stephen Errickson 3255 1350 45 Calvert Chaney 2625 1810 46 Thomas Cooper 2208 2200 47 Bob Worrell 3600 800 48 Courtney Green 3680 510 49 Neil Houghton 3800 300 50 Doug Grimsley 2250 1800 51 Templeton Peck 100 3900 52 Matt Baird 2106 1880 53 Michael Todorovich 3900 54 Loretta Cooper 1300 2550 55 Chris Barley 3260 400 56 Carl A. Archiniaco 1489 2021 57 David McCoy 1800 1710 58 Edward S. Roberts 2800 700 59 Steve Scalpone 3490 60 Michael Gibbons 3432 Total players: 448. Updated 10/27/2023.

56 | www.croquetamerica.com

Total 24410 17600 16818 16566 15410 15194 14760 12900 12270 11400 10882 10580 9982 9715 9300 9040 8978 8280 8030 7858 7838 7640 7370 6900 6820 6192 5900 5860 5850 5798 5620 5580 5450 5400 5320 5290 5286 5091 4995 4993 4770 4740 4674 4605 4435 4408 4400 4190 4100 4050 4000 3986 3900 3850 3660 3510 3510 3500 3490 3432

2023 A6W WOMEN'S GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Linda Trifone 2364 6614 02 Lynda P. Sudderberg 3900 4380 03 Jodie Rugart 5550 2090 04 Beverley Cardo 4620 2200 05 Mary Rodeberg 1930 3650 06 Nancy Crouch 3310 1430 07 Loretta Cooper 1300 2550 08 Donna Dixon 2670 400 09 Danna Huneycutt 285 2264 10 Jane C. Helms 803 1249 11 Jeanne Branthover 889 979 12 Deborah Millican 981 724 13 Sally McGrath 1031 542 14 Patricia Spratt 980 580 15 Christine Smith 566 977 16 Ellie Griffith 1070 416 17 Elaine Moody 306 1152 18 Karen Heckman 214 1129 19 Missy Ramey 490 700 20 Janet K. Fisher 566 544 21 Yen Sullivan 462 488 22 Sandra Knuth 600 300 23 Sandy Janitz 262 446 24 Yvette Donato Selby 656 25 Allison C Worthington 237 365 26 Beatty Cramer 600 27 Kat Robertson 596 28 Georgia Carter 240 302 29 Missy Chilton 139 402 30 Trula Myers 8 520 31 Bess Gallanis 526 32 Vickie Johnston 200 319 33 Inez D Cancienne 48 429 34 Mary Craddock 87 371 35 Jennifer Joseph 121 324 36 Teresa Errickson 306 137 37 Lovejoy R. Duryea 283 149 38 Kathleen Green 329 96 39 Susan Creasey 103 273 40 Anne Licursi 339 41 Suzanne Spradling 195 95 42 Penny P. Pressler 288 43 Sonia Alexandra 114 170 44 Lone P Schweitzer 280 45 Denise Ireland 4 270 46 Rita McNamara 90 182 47 Victoria Albrecht 256 48 Anne Frost Robinson 240 12 49 Anne Carr 176 18 50 Eileen Cornacchia 193 51 Becky Essick 30 162 52 Katie Bull 153 36 53 Mary Cassidy 176 54 Kathie Hart 71 104 55 Jodi Adams 45 120 56 Priscilla M. Flowers 12 153 57 Claudia Parks 24 139 58 Mel Eckhart 123 36 59 Karen M. Weihs 66 76 60 Barbara O'Laughlin 132 Total players: 173. Updated 10/27/2023.

Total 8978 8280 7640 6820 5580 4740 3850 3070 2549 2052 1868 1705 1573 1560 1543 1486 1458 1343 1190 1110 950 900 708 656 602 600 596 542 541 528 526 519 477 458 445 443 432 425 376 339 290 288 284 280 274 272 256 252 194 193 192 189 176 175 165 165 163 159 142 132

2023 GC OVERALL GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Tamer Hatata 4656 1782 02 Marc Stearns 4023 2203 03 Billy Harper 5313 591 04 Kent Lovvorn 3319 1362 05 Sherif Abdelwahab 3602 1024 06 Jim Teel 3194 1404 07 Billie Ray 2022 2360 08 Tate Russack 2871 1316 09 Alex Galasso 3013 1125 10 Kyle Maloof 2598 1440 11 Darin Guffey 1592 2355 12 Debbie Davidoff 3615 264 13 Brian Lozano 3031 791 14 Bill Simmons 2156 1660 15 Blake Fields 2193 1563 16 Tom Balding 1834 1885 17 Jim Jamison 2061 1613 18 Bo Prillaman 2440 1221 19 David Maloof 1842 1762 20 Matthew Essick 2569 1024 21 Cami Russack 2023 1316 22 Adam Barr 2791 485 23 Amr Hamdy 2482 757 24 Kendall Hendrick 2534 640 25 Steve Jackson 1314 1736 26 Jack Rush 1865 1152 27 Caryl Firth 1959 1021 28 Beverley Cardo 2443 532 29 Dan Horton 1739 1177 30 Ellie Griffith 2383 429 31 Kim Allen 1348 1432 32 Mary Galasso 1681 1085 33 Ahab Abdelwahab 980 1782 34 Lisa Maloney 1995 506 35 Danny Huneycutt 1974 495 36 MaryCarol Stearns 1521 932 37 Bruce Hindin 1040 1359 38 Jim Podraza 1609 779 39 Lynda Bjorklund 1205 1156 40 Cheryl Bromley 2273 81 41 Steve Thurston 1897 408 42 Laura Hendrick 1654 640 43 Dallas Denny 1229 1061 44 Steve Tasker 1611 613 45 Nancy Crouch 1802 418 46 Ryan Eberlein 1160 1054 47 Jeff Soo 1754 447 48 Matt Griffith 1717 408 49 Randy Cardo 1827 270 50 Rick Zazueta 1295 791 51 Robert Turner 1017 1055 52 Jimmy Huff 1467 571 53 Cecil Creasey 1527 462 54 Shep Slater 1207 769 55 Dennis Leddy 1219 738 56 Christof Weihs 1197 739 57 David Scott 1550 329 58 James Creasey 1593 272 59 Helen Covington 1247 599 60 Damon Bidencope 1834 Total players: 418. Updated 11/9/2023.

Total 6438 6226 5904 4681 4626 4598 4382 4187 4138 4038 3947 3879 3822 3816 3756 3719 3674 3661 3604 3593 3339 3276 3239 3174 3050 3017 2980 2975 2916 2812 2780 2766 2762 2501 2469 2453 2399 2388 2361 2354 2305 2294 2290 2224 2220 2214 2201 2125 2097 2086 2072 2038 1989 1976 1957 1936 1879 1865 1846 1834

2023 GC WOMEN'S GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Debbie Davidoff 3615 264 02 Cami Russack 2023 1316 03 Caryl Firth 1959 1021 04 Beverley Cardo 2443 532 05 Ellie Griffith 2383 429 06 Kim Allen 1348 1432 07 Mary Galasso 1681 1085 08 Lisa Maloney 1995 506 09 MaryCarol Stearns 1521 932 10 Lynda Bjorklund 1205 1156 11 Cheryl Bromley 2273 81 12 Laura Hendrick 1654 640 13 Nancy Crouch 1802 418 14 Helen Covington 1247 599 15 Karen Weihs 948 739 16 Pam Groh 1024 644 17 Ellen Nielsen 1447 125 18 Christine Smith 763 593 19 Barbara Jamison 891 436 20 Priscilla Flowers 969 353 21 Sandy Janitz 719 593 22 Nancy Sansalone 531 672 23 Kathie Gamble 564 504 24 Janalyn Spoerl 778 286 25 Susan Creasey 581 462 26 Susu Day 724 315 27 Lynda Sudderberg 1036 28 Trudy Crowetz 504 445 29 Mary Hennelly 949 30 Lois Clay 495 445 31 Suzanne Turner 681 222 32 Gail Barley 360 515 33 Geri O'Neill 412 429 34 Sarah Persons 595 201 35 Susie Day 423 315 36 Anne Killilea 438 284 37 Jodie Rugart 639 38 Cori Campbell 630 39 Sandra Knuth 249 319 40 Mona Hadary 555 41 Kathleen Brown 550 42 Gay Cinque 452 96 43 Diane Walker 548 44 Jennifer Joseph 451 96 45 Lorie Tarver 541 46 Kathleen Skoog 99 429 47 Karen Connery-Albert 510 48 Cynthia Fowler 423 84 49 Linda Trifone 182 297 50 Vicky Naranjo 376 102 51 Brooklyn Ellenburg 472 52 Vickie Johnston 465 53 Alix Worley 459 54 Jane Smith 144 315 55 Lynn Foley 346 94 56 Suzanne Spradling 417 57 Jane Grandusky 42 368 58 Dana Beisheim 404 59 Jodie Payne 381 60 Terry Howatt 371 Total players: 182. Updated 11/9/2023.

Total 3879 3339 2980 2975 2812 2780 2766 2501 2453 2361 2354 2294 2220 1846 1687 1668 1572 1356 1327 1322 1312 1203 1068 1064 1043 1039 1036 949 949 940 903 875 841 796 738 722 639 630 568 555 550 548 548 547 541 528 510 507 479 478 472 465 459 459 440 417 410 404 381 371

www.croquetamerica.com | 57

grandprixstandings 2023 AC OVERALL GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Matthew Essick 2407 1252 02 Stephen Morgan 2551 801 03 Brian Cumming 2378 618 04 Doug Grimsley 2156 618 05 Stuart Lawrence 2100 618 06 Zack Watson 2566 07 Steve Scalpone 2055 411 08 Kyle Maloof 1096 1252 09 Chris Barley 1432 411 10 Tom Balding 1383 411 11 Sherif Abdelwahab 976 801 12 Shane Hettler 1096 618 13 Leo McBride 1143 411 14 Danny Huneycutt 1061 411 15 Chris Percival-Smith 1417 16 Patrick Sweeney 1258 17 Gene Raymond 804 411 18 Ron Eccles 697 411 19 Matt Smith 768 139 20 Lynda Sudderberg 697 187 21 Macey White 343 411 22 Matt Griffith 592 139 23 Tom Cooper 725 24 David Druitt 595 25 Randy Cardo 520 26 Peter Bach 516 27 Jim Bast 343 139 28 Mike Taylor 464 29 Michael Todorovich 450 30 Paul Bennett 420 31 Sandy Knuth 228 187 32 David Isaacs 367 33 Rich Lamm 363 34 Paul Neubecker 346 35 Pierre Dunn 342 36 Arlene Parker 230 62 37 Martyn Selman 280 38 Brian Wasylyk 265 39 Preston Stuart 243 40 Curtis Toops 241 41 Mike Sully 227 42 Dawn Jupin 227 43 Rodney Lassiter 222 44 Adam Lassiter 222 45 Tony Simmonds 217 46 Timothy Williams 213 47 Randy Reid 129 62 48 Arthur Olsen 165 49 Gary L Anderson 156 50 Gil Rocha 141 51 John Osborn 139 52 Webster Bull 134 53 David Ekstrom 134 54 John Graney 129 55 Christine Smith 62 62 56 Robert Smothers 124 57 Donna Dixon 120 58 Jeff Morrison 49 62 59 Michael Kernaghan 106 60 Loretta Cooper 101 Total players: 82. 11/3/2023.

58 | www.croquetamerica.com

Total 3659 3352 2996 2774 2718 2566 2466 2348 1843 1794 1777 1714 1554 1472 1417 1258 1215 1108 907 884 754 731 725 595 520 516 482 464 450 420 415 367 363 346 342 292 280 265 243 241 227 227 222 222 217 213 191 165 156 141 139 134 134 129 124 124 120 111 106 101

2023 AC WOMEN'S GP STANDINGS # Player Singles Doubles 01 Lynda Sudderberg 697 187 02 Sandy Knuth 228 187 03 Arlene Parker 230 62 04 Dawn Jupin 227 05 Christine Smith 62 62 06 Donna Dixon 120 07 Loretta Cooper 101 08 Mary Rodeberg 93 09 Tracey Roche 54 10 Teresa Errickson 52 11 Becky Essick 52 12 Danna Huneycutt 52 13 Barbara Wills 22 Total players: 13. Updated 11/3/2023.

Total 884 415 292 227 124 120 101 93 54 52 52 52 22

Reach Your Target 2022 Volume 1

CroquetNews The Official Magazine

of the United States

GC CLUB TEAMS USCA'S BIGGEST 2021 EVENT

Croquet Association

PLUS: SENIORS MASTERS | FLORIDA GC REGIONAL NINE WICKET NATIONALS | RYAN THOMPSON

The USCA’s full-color Croquet News magazine is now quarterly with all four issues released in print + the interactive digital edition. Since the Croquet News digital magazine was launched, it continues to set new standards for reader engagement and advertiser click-throughs. Plus, the digital edition goes beyond the USCA membershipand offers a global reach of more than 4,000 total readers per issue for the print + digital editions.

Upcoming Ad/Copy Deadlines

2024 February Issue (Spring) – 1/19/2024 2024 May Issue (Summer) – 4/19/24 2024 August Issue (Fall) – 7/19/24 For a full 2024 Croquet News media kit, contact Dylan Goodwin at croquetnetwork@gmail.com

Visit

www.croquetamerica.com for more news.

uscasanctionedevents January

1/25/24 - 1/28/24

The Jones Invitational 6W | US

1/1/24 - 2/27/24

Snowbird Winter GC Tournament | GC

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

1/4/24 - 1/7/24

USCA Florida Regional GC Championship | GC

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

1/8/24 - 1/13/24

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com

1/31/24 - 2/4/24

Beach Club Invitational 6W | US

The Beach Club & NCC | Palm Beach, FL Thomas Tribby | 561-308-9447 | thomastribby@gmail.com

February 2/7/24 - 2/8/24

Desert Classic | AC

Mission Hills Country Club | Rancho Mirage, CA Nicholas Gray | 760-770-2052 | nickgray723@comcast.net

1/9/24 - 1/11/24

USCA GC School | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

2/12/24 - 2/18/24

USCA American 6W School | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

1/12/24 - 1/14/24

USCA National GC Championship | GC

Mission Hills Country Club | Rancho Mirage, CA Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

2/23/24 - 2/25/24

National Croquet Club 6W Singles | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Timothy McCormick | 207-329-5343 | tmccorm1@gmail.com

1/18/24 - 1/21/24

GC Shootout | GC

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Nancy Hart | 803-530-2035 | nh13sc@gmail.com

Women’s GC Open | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Priscilla M Flowers | 828-421-3543 | pmflowers375@gmail.com

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Contact Vickie Johnston, USA Distributor HoopmakerUSA@gmail.com

www.croquetamerica.com | 59

uscasanctionedevents February (continued)

April

2/27/24 - 3/2/24

4/10/24 - 4/14/24

Mission Hills Country Club | Rancho Mirage, CA Nicholas Gray | 760-770-2052 | nickgray723@comcast.net

Sarasota County Croquet Club | Venice, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Mission Hills Invitational | US

USCA GC Eights | GC

2/28/24 - 3/3/24

4/17/24 - 4/18/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Bill F Sadowski | 631-834-7176 | wsadowsk@optonline.net

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Steuber Classic 6W & GC | US & GC

USCA GC School | GC

2/29/24 - 3/3/24

4/25/24 - 4/28/24

Gasparilla Mallet Club | Boca Grande, FL Bob Worrell | 402-677-2683 | rgworrell@hotmail.com

The Lakewood Club | Fairhope, AL Larkin Harris | 251-209-9787 | Larkin.Harris@grand1847.com

March

USCA Florida Regional 9W Championship | 9W

Blaine Davis Invitational 6W | US

3/5/24 - 3/6/24

USCA GC School | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

The Grand Cup (GC) | GC 4/25/24 - 4/28/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

May

3/5/24 - 3/7/24

5/1/24 - 5/5/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

USCA American 6W School | US

Southeast 6W Regional | US

3/7/24 - 4/30/24

5/7/24 - 6/30/24

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club| Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

Dogwood Spring 6W Tournament | US

Stingray Golf Croquet Tournament | GC

3/8/24 - 3/10/24

5/9/24 - 5/12/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Mike Taylor | 910-986-3343 | mrtaylor1022@gmail.com

USCA Croquet Week GC | GC

NC Open AC | AC

3/14/24 - 3/17/24

5/16/24 - 5/19/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

USCA Club Teams 6W | US 3/29/24 - 3/31/24

National Croquet Club GC Singles | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Priscilla M Flowers | 828-421-3543 | pmflowers375@gmail.com

Croquet by The Bay 6W | US

June 6/1/24

National Croquet Day Your Club | Anytown, USA

July 7/4/24 - 7/7/24

Rockfish GC Tournament | GC

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

60 | www.croquetamerica.com

4 Champions

A 3-D A Y G O L F C R O Q U E T A C A D E M Y NATIONAL CROQUET CENTER

April 22-24 (to be confirmed) $1,450

Glow-in-the-Dark Croquet

Tabletop Croquet YOUR INSTRUCTORS:

MATTHEW ESSICK

BRIAN LOZANO

World Champion 2022 Team USA 2023

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Mexico National Champion 2023 Team Mexico 2023

US Doubles Champion 2023 Team USA 2023

ZACK WATSON

US Doubles Champion 2020 Team USA 2023

Learn and practice: the 7 Skills to Play Like a Champion to improve your game and track your progress, the 5 Strategies to devastate your opponents, and the 5 Tactics to win your games. You will play with clearer strategic insights and hit the ball with deeper self-confidence. TM

Our Day-1 evening strategy session involves tabletop croquet and Glow-in-the-Dark Croquet! On Day-2 groups of 4 spend 90mns with each instructor; a 3-game tournament kicks off Day-3 with a champion as coach on each of 4 courts; after lunch our 4 champions don microphones so we can listen in on their world-class exhibition match as they debate and decide their next plays. For dates and details email: Info@JiminyWicket.org ©2023 Jiminy Wicket

Limit 16 guests. Proceeds support our work with Special Olympics.

August

October

8/9/24 - 8/11/24

10/1/24 - 11/30/24

Rochester Croquet Club | Rochester, NY Denise Ireland | 585-287-4531 | hutchisondenise@gmail.com

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

Rochester Invitational 6W | US

September 9/12/24 - 9/15/24

Blue Crab 6W Tournament | US

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

9/17/24 - 9/21/24

USCA Selection Eights AC | AC

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

9/25/24 - 9/29/24

Pinehurst Invitational 6W | US

Autumn GC Challenge | GC 10/1/24 - 10/5/24

USCA Southeast Regional GC Championship | GC

Linville Ridge &;two others | Linville, NC Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

10/6/24 - 10/12/24

USCA American 6W National Championship | US

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

10/8/24 - 10/9/24

USCA GC School | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

Pinehurst Country Club | Pinehurst, NC Elaine Moody | 910-986-3164 | halliburton_2@msn.com

www.croquetamerica.com | 61

uscasanctionedevents October (continued)

10/29/24 - 10/31/24

10/14/24 - 10/17/24

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

WCF World GC Championship Qualifier | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

10/15/24 - 10/16/24

Association Laws Croquet School | AC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

10/17/24 - 10/20/24

NC State Singles Championship 6W | US

Albemarle Croquet Club | Belvidere, NC Mike Taylor | 910-986-3343 | mrtaylor1022@gmail.com

USCA American 6W School| US

November 11/6/24 - 11/10/24

USCA Seniors Masters 6W | US

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

December 12/3/24 - 12/4/24

10/18/24 - 10/27/24

USCA GC School | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

12/6/24 - 12/8/24

WCF World GC Championship | GC

10/19/24 - 10/22/24

Big Oyster GC Tournament | GC

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

USCA GC Club Teams | GC

National Croquet Center | West Palm Beach, FL Johnny Mitchell | 561-478-0760 | tournament@uscroquet.com

10/24/24 - 10/27/24

Women's GC Friendship Cup | GC

Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club | Hartfield, VA Macey W White | 804-694-9771 | maceywhite@gmail.com

Visit www.croquetamerica.com for more news. 62 | www.croquetamerica.com

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2023 CROQUET NEWS VOLUME 4: American Champion

Articles inside

WHITE IS 9-WICKET CHAMPION

70 PLAYERS VIE FOR GC NATIONAL TITLE in VIrginia

Lawrence Claims First American National Title

Morgan Tops The First Eight