It was a beautiful weekend for croquet as 24 players from as far away as Florida, Georgia, Colorado, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Illinois traveled to Wisconsin to compete in the 2nd Annual Milwaukee Doubles Open July 24-26 at the picturesque Lake Park setting.
The teams were divided into two blocks of six, with only the top two teams from each block making the final cut into the Knockout after round robin play. Each match in block play was one 75-minute, 13-point game (first to seven points or until time expired). As you will see, this was where things got very interesting heading into the final stretch.
Amidst the roar of the Milwaukee Air Show over Lake Michigan, and with planes doing aerobatics overhead, players remained focused, glancing up occasionally in between shots to witness the show in the sky.
Shot of the Tournament
In the last match of the day on Saturday afternoon, Steve Fisher of Tulsa and Bess Gallanis of Chicago faced Caroline Robison and Polly Joa of Florida. As time ran out, each player was to take two more shots with each of their balls. Trailing 5-6 in the game and down to the final shot of the rotation, Fisher made a thrilling 42’ hoop shot between hoop #11 and hoop #12 to tie the game at 6-6 and take it to the tiebreaker hoop #13 aka the “hook.” Joa and Robison were not going to let that magnificent shot deter them as they maintained their composure and prevailed to secure the game 7-6.
At the end of the day on Saturday, three teams in the blue block and three in the red block were neck and neck each with a chance to grab one of the top two spots in their respective blocks to make the semi-finals.
Bess Gallanis and Steve Fisher contemplate their next shot.
Early Sunday morning, Cheryl Bromley and Maggie Leyes were in third position before facing off against Suzanne and Scott Spradling in a must-win game for both teams. Bromley-Leyes managed to ignite a late game rally erasing a 3-5 deficit and claim a dramatic 7-6 victory to clinch their spot in the semi-finals. This tied them in their block with James Creasey and Craig Fischer each with 4-1 records and +12 net points. However, Creasey and Fischer had won their head-to-head match against Bromley-Leyes which gave them the top seed heading into the Knockout.
In the other block, Gil Goetz and Gwen Connolly were poised in second position and ready to advance depending on the outcome of the match between Robert Smothers-Shep Slater and Bruce Hindin-Craig Froh. Hindin and Froh played a solid but very close game and when it looked like things might go the distance, Hindin sunk a long angled hoop at #12 to nab a 7-5 victory and advance which pushed Goetz-Connolly into third position and out of contention.
In the Semi-finals, Froh and Hindin took care of business, defeating James Creasey and Craig Fischer 7-3 to reach the Final. Leyes and Bromley had their work cut out for them and saw a 6-4 lead slip away with great shot-making by Smothers and Slater, eventually falling to them 7-6.
Several spectators lined the court to watch the final, which was decided to be one 19-point game (first to 10 pts). Hindin and Froh played very steady and maintained a lead throughout. Smothers and Slater surged closer towards the end to bring the score to 8-9, before Hindin set up a great ball in front of hoop #12 and Froh managed to hamper Slater from being able to clear it from near hoop #11. That was enough to clinch the match 10-8. This was the first time that Hindin and Froh had teamed up as doubles partners.
Left to right: Robert Smothers, Bruce Hindin, Shep Slater, and Craig Froh
Plate Playoffs
For those players not involved in the Knockout, and along with a few club players who filled in at the last minute, a consolation bracket was set up, consisting of several 20-minute lightning rounds of play. The format also included a 20-second shot clock, and little to no partner discussions to keep play happening at a brisk pace.
In the end, the team of Gil Goetz and Dave Taylor came out on top, defeating Rick Hayes and Drew Kennedy in the final game. Suzanne and Scott Spradling went on to win the Plate back draw. Each of those teams was awarded a commemorative supply of Wisconsin cheese curds for their efforts!
A Special Thank You to all of the Milwaukee Croquet Club Volunteers! Learn more about the Milwaukee Croquet Club at www.milwaukeecroquet.org.
Final Standings
Champions: Bruce Hindin - Craig Froh
Finalists: Robert Smothers - Shep Slater
Tied for 3rd: James Creasey - Craig Fischer
T3: Cheryl Bromley - Maggie Leyes
Tied for 5th: Gil Goetz – Gwen Connolly
T5: Suzanne Spradling – Scott Spradling
Tied for 7th: Rick Hayes – Cindy Joa
T7: Mary Hennelly – Ford Austin
Tied for 9th: Bess Gallanis – Steve Fisher
T9: Lisa Taylor – Lisa Hatch
Tied for 11th: Polly Joa – Caroline Robison
T11: Sue Scott – Brooke Baxley