Croquet News Clips: Third Eight Results & CroquetPro Activity

Ben's Been Busy | Ben Rothman has recently added quite a few posts to his croquet blog. The big news is that he has new croquet schools announced for January and February at Mission Hills. Check out additional details here. He also has good guide to attacking, a rundown on the two quadruples he performed at Selection Eights and some awesome croquet vs pop culture mashups.

Selection Eight Full Standings / The Third Eight was unavailable until late last week. Here is the list of standings for all four groups from the Croquet World Forum:

FIRST EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS
Place/Player/Record

1. Ben Rothman (10-4)
2. Danny Huneycutt (9-5)
3. Doug Grimsley (8-6)
4. Rich Lamm (7-7)
5. Jerry Stark (6-8)
5. Brian Cumming (6-8)
7. Jim Bast (5-9)
7. Paul Billings (5-9)

SECOND EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS

1. Rick Wilhoite (12-2)
2. Stuart Lawrence (8-6)
3. Bob Kroeger (7-7)
3. John Osborn (7-7)
3. Brit Ruby (7-7)
6. Charles Gillmartin (5-9)
6. Peter Just (5-9)
6. Johnny Mitchell (5-9)

THIRD EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS

1. Paul Emmett    (11-2)        
2. George Cochran (10-3)        
2. Leo Nikora (10-3)        
4. Rich Curtis (6-7)        
5. Louis Nel (4-10)        
5. Steve Scalpone (4-9)        
7. Dave Theiste    (2-11)        
Jim Houser withdrew (2-5)

FOURTH EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS

1. Jon Essick (11-3)    
2. Mike Gibbons    (10-4)    
3. Tony Reaves (9-5)    
4. David McCoy (7-7)    
4. Ken Shipley (7-7)    
6. Jane Beharriell (6-8)    
6. Robert Coleman (6-8)    
8. Stephanie Paduano (0-14)

USCA Nine-Wicket Croquet Nationals Day One Photos

John Warlick during 9-Wicket NationalsI saved back these photos until I was able to get the November issue of the magazine out. This is day one for the 2009 USCA Nine-Wicket National tournament. All of these photos were taken during block play. Two more galleries (day two and day three) will follow. Stay tuned.

USCA Nine-Wicket Croquet Nationals Day One Photos

USCA Nine-Wicket Croquet Nationals Day Two Photos

USCA Nine-Wicket Croquet Nationals Day Three Photos

Opening Game (November 2009)

I'll have to say November kicked off with a great start as the Kactus Kreek Club here in Kansas City was able to sneak in a day's worth of play on November 1. That definitely set a precedent as my latest day in the year to play the game. I'm considering it a reward for getting that second issue of the online magazine out. It was a beautiful day and a full crowd on the court as everyone was anxious to get in a little more play.

Speaking of the magazine, thank you to all of the subscribers that have done a great job of passing it on. Through the stats, I can see that the e-mail and magazine has been viewed by more than five times the amount of subscribers on the list. Great work -- this is how it grows. For anyone that is stopping by today, you can sign up for the magazine notification e-newsletter here.

For November on the website, you can look forward to additional content that was used to build the November issue. I'll be presenting some info from the interviews and I have plenty of photos and I believe more video. I'll also be reviewing a new croquet game for the Wii that is part of the Game Party 3 compilation. Definitely wait for my review this month before you make the purchase.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all of the people that helped make the November issue possible. For the interviews, thank you to George Cochran, Ben Rothman (croquetpro.blogspot.com), Billy Bob Breeden, Matt Smith and Nick Zink. For the Rothman photo, thank you to Tim Rapuano with the New York Croquet Club. Also, I'd like to mention Matt Griffith and his Kactus Creek Croquet Club as that is where I took the photos for the contents page in both issues.

In addition, Matt Griffith, Matt Smith and Billy Bob Breeden have all been fantastic in teaching me the game over the summer. Sundays are generally always open for practice games at Kactus Creek and those guys are always willing to take some time explain the great tactical dilemmas that pop-up and strategy in general. Personally, I have a long way to go, but I feel like I've been on an accelerated plan thanks to those guys.

Anyway, stay tuned to the website and look for the December issue of the magazine by the end of the month.

Upcoming Tournaments / November-December 2009

November 2009

Oct 29-Nov 1 / West Indies Croquet Championship / St. Croix, VI
Les Kelley - lkelley@nnldlaw.com (340.773.9363)

Oct 30-Nov 1 / SCCC Fall Invitational (Singles Only) / Venice, FL
Jackie Jones - crokpeople@aol.com (941.484.3206)

Nov 04–08 / Royal Palm Yacht & Country Club 13th Croquet Invitational / Boca Raton, FL
Norma Truman, TM - (561-368-9291) tntboca@aol.com

Nov 08–14 / USCA National Championships / Rancho Mirage, CA
Erica Sherman - (561-478-0760) tournamentusca@aol.com

Nov 17–21 / USCA Seniors & Masters Championship / West Palm Beach, FL
Erica Sherman - (561-478-0760) tournamentusca@aol.com

Nov 21–28 / WCF Womens Golf Croquet World Championship / Cairnlea, Victoria, Australia

Nov 30-Dec 02 / USCA National Golf Championship / West Palm Beach, FL
Erica Sherman - (561-478-0760) tournamentusca@aol.com

December 2009

Dec 03–06 / USCA Florida Regional Championship / West Palm Beach, FL
Erica Sherman - (561-478-0760) tournamentusca@aol.com

Dec 03 / USCA vs CA President's Match / Rancho Mirage, CA

Dec 04–07 / WCF Solomon Trophy / Rancho Mirage, CA
Rich Lamm - (415-928-5525) richlamm@comcast.com

Dec 04–06 / SCCC Doubles Invitational / Venice, FL
Jackie Jones - (941-484-3206 or 941-416-1009) crokpeople@aol.com

Dec 08-12 / 2009 US Open / Rancho Mirage, CA
Stan Patmor - (602-955-1547 or 866-252-2135) patmor@fastq.com

Croquet Network Magazine (November Issue Available)

November IssueThe November issue of Croquet Network Magazine is now available and simply requires a subscription to our free e-newsletter to gain access. Again, there is no charge for subscribing. This month's issue is 19 pages and is packed with the following features:

  • Six pages of USCA Nine-Wicket National Championship coverage
  • Ben Rothman Profile
  • Editorial on the Nine-Wicket game
  • Listing of popular croquet websites
  • Upcoming tournaments calendar
  • Relevant advertisements from croquet manufacturers
  • Active links in the magazine can take you directly to external websites or specific articles in the magazine
  • PDF based so you can download it

If you love croquet, you can support this project simply by subscribing to the list. Just follow the steps below.

FREE ONLINE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION


STEP ONE

To subscribe to the FREE monthly online Croquet Network Magazine (PDF), enter your e-mail and name in the form below. You will be sent offsite for a username and password that will get you into the magazine page. Click the "Return to Website" to log into the magazines page.

STEP TWO

Later, you'll want to check your e-mail as you need to verify that you want to receive the Croquet Network E-Newsletter which provides the new password for each issue.

Subscribe to Our FREE Monthly PDF Magazine
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News Clips: U.S. Selection Eight Results, Croquet News and Nine-Wicket Flash Movies

Selection Eight Reports / Bob Alman has a pretty good rundown on the U.S. Selection Eight results in the Croquet World forum. Here are the top two group placings as reported there (third eight released tomorrow):

FIRST EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS
Place/Player/Wins

1. Ben Rothman (10)
2. Danny Huneycutt (9)
3. Doug Grimsley (8)
4. Rich Lamm (7)
5. Jerry Stark (6)
5. Brian Cumming (6)
7. Jim Bast (5)
7. Paul Billings (5)

SECOND EIGHT FINAL STANDINGS

1. Rick Wilhoite (12)
2. Stuart Lawrence (8)
3. Bob Kroeger (7)
3. John Osborn (7)
3. Brit Ruby (7)
6. Charles Gillmartin (5)
6. Peter Just (5)
6. Johnny Mitchell (5)

Croquet News Fall 2009 Issue / The new issue of Croquet News hit my mail box yesterday. Mik Mehas is on the cover and other highlights include an interesting article on croquet presented at a kids sports conference in Florida and a detailed explanation on the USCA handicap system (I'm a 20). Don't be confused by the Summer 2009 cover date, I'm pretty sure it's the fall issue.

Nine-Wicket Flash Training / Long ago I had noticed videos on the old nine-wicket website about running breaks. It was just recently that I checked out the videos on the new site. I didn't realize they were upgraded to interactive flash videos. They are very well done and I would say they are essential viewing for anyone playing the nine-wicket game. I'd love to see one of these on the association triple and sextuple peels.

Two-Ball Break

Three-Ball Break

Four-Ball Break

Croquet News Clips: Longman Cup, Kactus Creek & Women's GC Championship Line-up

Croquet on Film tipped this video of the Longman Cup club competition held in England and Wales. The play is bit difficult to follow, but I was pretty impressed with the trophies at the end. A description of the competition is provided on this Watford (Cassiobury) Croquet Club page.

Kactus Creek Invitational Results / A new club competition was introduced in the Kansas City metro area over the past weekend. Players from the Kactus Creek Croquet Club in Parkville, Missouri squared off against a group of Minnesota players. Matt Smith reports that Minnesota "kicked the tar" out of Missouri 6-3 in singles and 2-1 in doubles.

2009 WCF World Women's Golf Croquet Championship Roster / The WCF announced line-ups for the women's GC championship to be held in Cairnlea, Victoria, Australia November 21-28.

Players of Note
Iman Elfaransawi - Egypt (reigning hampion);
Marwa Mostafa Mohamed Youssef - Egypt;
Hemmat Mostafa Abdelmoneim Mostafa - Egypt
Jenny Clarke - New Zealand

Line-ups By Country:

Australia
Alix Verge
Rosemary Graham
Wendy Dickson
Creina Dawson
Tricia Devlin
Pam Gentle
Liz Fleming
Anna Miller
Christine Pont
Margaret Melville
Anne Quinn
Kay Chynoweth
Susan Sands
Wilma Bonnar
Judy Evans
Rosemary Newsham
Genny Vandersluys
Jacky McDonald (Wild Card)
Elizabeth Allen (Wild Card)
Judy Wembridge (Wild Card)
Sue Beattie (Wild Card)
Sue Leitinger (Wild Card)

Egypt
Iman Elfaransawi (reigning hampion)
Marwa Mostafa Mohamed Youssef
Hemmat Mostafa Abdelmoneim Mostafa
Manal Ali Mohsen
Shaden Okasha Ahmed Abdelkader Okasha
Soumaya Saad Salama Mohamed El-Eryan
Nihal Ahmed Sayed Ahmed
Sarah Riad
Salwa Saleh Ahmed Shaaban
Sherine Mohammed Hamdi Hamed
Abir Moustafa Abdelhamid
Samia Mohamed Ali Mahmoud

England
Kath Burt
Teresa Burt
Ros Pimlott

Ireland
Jane Shorten

New Zealand
Jenny Clarke
Mavis Brogden
Phyllis Young
Dallas Cooke
Ann Sharp
Alison Wall
Erica Stephens
Marlene McCaa
Sue Roberts
Gwen Salisbury
Laura Whittaker
Ashley Cooke

Scotland
Jola Jurasinska

South Africa
Carole Jackson
Clare Stableford
Anne Oxton

USA
Anne Taves
Josie Jackson

First Alternates
Nerida Taylor - Australia
Marga Podnieks - Australia

Croquet Shirt: It Takes Balls

Croquet Network Product of the Month -- It Takes Balls Croquet Value Shirt - $13.95 plus s/h

This month, we're featuring our first and still best-selling croquet shirt and collection. Croquet is a game for the mentally tough and those willing to take risks. This shirt says it all about croquet. The shirt is sold through our Cafepress store, which means polo-style shirts, hats and plenty more options are available. Check out the full collection at the It Takes Balls Croquet Collection page. To buy the shirt pictured above, go to the It Takes Balls T-Shirt page.

We have more designs available. To see all of the Croquet Network croquet shirt designs go to the Croquet Network Store.