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
22 | www.croquetamerica.com
