Bill Bromley (Hillsboro Beach, FL), Len Canavan (Lake Wales, FL), and Sherif Abdelwahab (West Greenwich, RI) will represent the USA in the WCF Golf Croquet World Championship to be held in Cairo, Egypt on April 21-28, 2013.
USCA Petition Means Opportunity for AC Players
The WCF has heard an appeal from the USCA International Committee and allocated an additional place in the WCF World Championship. The details are on the WCF website, but the spot is awarded through a guaranteed wildcard place and means the United States has effectively moved from six to seven spots.
Read MoreDate Clarification: 2013 Westhampton Invitational
A date clarification for the Westhampton Invitational came in after the winter issue of the USCA's Croquet News went to press. The new dates for the Westhampton Invitational are June 20-23. Full event details:
Viewpoint: The Very Thought-Provoking Norwegian Croquet Video
As I mentioned in the Morning Coffee column earlier this week, the Norwegian croquet video prompted a flurry of e-mail discussion. Mostly it was centered around whether or not it was roque. I received later communication that it pretty closely resembles Kentucky Clay Court rules. That's one aspect that makes the video intriguing, but for me it prompted several thoughts.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Croquet or Roque?
At the top of this week's news is the Norwegian Nine-Wicket Croquet video (see link below). There is so much that the video touches on, but the main discussion was centered toward the concept that it is really roque that is being played. It is of course interesting to see how the game has evolved in different parts of the world. No matter what the Norwegians think they are playing, I would agree with the assertion that it is pretty much roque. Fundamentally though, it hardly matters. Take away the short mallet restriction and one-hand rule (seemingly unique for Norway) and it's pretty much nine-wicket croquet.
Read MoreGreenwich Croquet Club Elects New President
Passing of the MalletGREENWICH, CT -- After eight years as President of the Greenwich Croquet Club, Greenwich CT, Barbara Leeming (left) retired and passed the mallet to newly elected President, Lee Kennedy (right) setting a new club tradition. The mallet will be aptly named the Leeming President’s Mallet to be held by Kennedy until the next president is elected. The official ceremony took place at the club’s annual Christmas Dinner Party in Greenwich on December 14.
Other officers and directors elected included William Dordelman, Vice President; William Duncan, Treasurer; Ian Sidey, Secretary; Ann Hall Elser, Director; and Cynthia Chang Scanlan, Director. Kennedy, a resident of Sleepy Hollow NY will be the eighth president since the club was founded in 1988, and is also an original member of the Sorrento Croquet Club in Maine. More information about the club can be found at www.greenwichcroquet.com.
Norwegian Nine-Wicket Croquet Video
Morning Coffee: Ambitious Goal for 2013
Happy New Year's Eve! We're getting this 39th edition in just under the wire, but I feel like 2012 was a good year for the Morning Coffee newsletter. Growth certainly hasn't been explosive, but it has been steady. At this point, it's clear that it is the crown jewel of the Croquet Network media empire. That's a happy little surprise as the original intent was just to provide a reminder and links to the now defunct Croquet Network print and digital magazine issues.
Read MoreUSCA Publisher's Desk: Vision for the Croquet News
As many of you know, I took over as publisher and editor of the USCA's Croquet News at the beginning of the year. Finally, on this third issue, I've found a way to add in a publisher's letter. Space is of course tight, so the print magazine has a website URL and QR code for mobile devices that directs you to this web posting. We've done the same for Michael Rumbin's Nine-Wicket Update. It's maybe not the most elegant solution, but at least we can say we are giving you a full magazine and more. And, we are absolutely committed to keeping the USCA up to date with all of the latest trends in digital media.
Susan (my wife) has just come in with the mail and I see my advance copies of the issue have arrived. Hopefully that is a good sign that USCA members will see their issues later this week and ideally before the holidays arrive. I will note that this issue was challenging. All kinds of events converged on what should have been production week and that along with my desire to cram new elements into this edition nearly sent me over the edge.
Those new elements include a letters section which you will find on page six along with a
Morning Coffee: GC December to Remember
Well, really it's a GC November-December to remember, but you get the idea. Somewhere in the background the U.S. Open came off, but most of the action has been centered around the GC World Team Championships which took up a big chunk of the calendar for the past two weeks with two divisions (16 total teams). Egypt took Division 1 and Wales just wrapped up the Division 2 event with a 4-3 win over Belgium. You can read more about that one below and I especially encourage you to read the CAI (Croquet Association of Ireland) report.