The Solomon Trophy test between Great Britain and the United States is just a few weeks away (October 10-13, Bald Head Island, North Carolina). In anticipation of this edition, Jim Bast of the U.S. team was gracious enough to spend some time fielding questions. Bast is a former USCA National Champion in singles and doubles and a two-time Canadian Championship winner. He's also a veteran of 10 USA teams, including the first USA test team that toured and competed against Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. And at the top of the list, he was a member of the first USA MacRobertson Shield team. More info on this year's Solomon is available on the Bald Head Island website. Let's get to the action:
British Team Announces Solomon Line-Up
The Croquet Assocation website announced the British team for the 2012 Solomon Trophy. Great Britain will battle the US for the trophy at Bald Head Island, North Carolina, October 10-13, 2012. Line-up follows:
Keith Aiton (captain)
Jamie Burch
James Death
Marcus Evans
David Maugham
Stephen Mulliner
CBS Sunday Morning Croquet Special
2013 New Zealand Open Dates
The Centennial edition of the New Zealand Openwill be held January 19-27, 2013 in Christchurch. Flyers 
available here. More details:
Read Moreavailable here. More details:2012 British Opens Primer
Here's a primer on the upcoming British Open. Draws are listed below (from Nott's List), but let's start with some info on the event:
Read MoreVideo Review: Longworth Croquet Set
More info on the Longworth Six-Player set:
http://www.gardengamesltd.co.uk/acatalog/Six_Longworth_Croquet_Set.html
Order a set:
http://www.gardengames.co.uk/acatalog/Longworth-6-Player-Croquet-Set-.html
Morning Coffee: Analyzing the Website Poll
Dedicated followers have probably already noted the evolution of the Morning Coffee column over the past few weeks. Rather than an opening blurb and a laundry list of news items with links, I've changed the format to a straight opinion/column format. The are a couple of related reasons for the change-up.
Morning Coffee: The Best Sport (Part Two)
Last week, I talked a bit about how croquet players should remember when discussing the sport, that croquet is indeed the best sport. To recap, the main point being that as many players continue to invest significant time and money
Morgan Wins Nine-Wicket Nationals
2012 USCA 9 Wicket National Championship
June 1-3, 2012
Harleysville, PA
Championship Singles
1. Stephen Morgan
2. Reid Fleming
3. Leo McBride
3. Bob Kroeger
5. John Warlick
6. Neil Houghton
7. Kenster Rosenberry
8. George Cochran
9. Chris Loat
10. Roy Morgan
11. Rufus Bayard
12. John Oehrle
Championship Doubles
1. George Cochran & John Warlick
2. Neil Houghton & Kenster Rosenberry
3. Bob Kroeger & Reid Fleming
4. Rufus Bayard & John Oehrle
5. Roy Morgan & Stephen Morgan
6. Leo McBride & Chris Loat
Morning Coffee: The Best Sport (Part One)
Guess what I did over Memorial Day weekend. I actually played croquet. Strange as it seems the deeper I get into the sport, the less I play. The opportunity occurred to return to Tulsa for the Indian Territory Open. My last American Rules tourney was the previous Memorial weekend in Tulsa for the 2011 Midwestern Regionals. This past weekend was an interesting one as