Jim Bast submitted the following story from the 2014 MacRobertson Shield:
Danny and I were in a doubles match against Paddy Chapman and Chris Clarke of New Zealand at the United Club in Christchurch. My ball was near hoop four and it was our turn to play. After consideration of multiple options it was clear to us that I had to shoot at the opponents’ balls near hoop three.
The Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship will be held at the United Croquet Club, Christchurch, New Zealand from February 1-5, 2015.
The Golf Croquet World Championship will be held at Mount Maunganui Croquet Club and other clubs in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand from February 7-15, 2015. A Qualifying Tournament will be held from 3-5 February 3-5, 2015 at Morrinsville Croquet Club, New Zealand.
If you would like to be considered for selection to one of these events, or have any questions, please contact Eric Sawyer (ecsccs@sbcglobal.net) by no later than June 15th.
With the USCA AC National Championship wrapping up this weekend at Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California, it's a good time to ponder whether or not the landscape of US croquet is shifting. Vote for the event that you think is perceived to carry the most important title for American croquet players.
David McCoy beat Matt Griffith 7-5, 7-6 to claim the championship flight at the Croquet Week GC tournament. In first flight, Mike Sexton beat Bill Bromley 7-4, 7-1 for first place. (Full Results)
Croquet Week continues on with the annual planning meeting on Tuesday. Friday night is the annual awards ceremony, but the main event is the Club Teams Championship which kicks off Wednesday.
The USCA National Club Teams Croquet Championships will be held on the lawns at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 12-16. Ninety players from clubs throughout the United States are expected to compete in five flights in this doubles only event on the Center’s courts. Teams not only compete for victory in their respective flight but are also competing for the coveted Lyons Trophy, which is awarded to the top clubs in three divisions.
If you watch the video above, it's clear why members of the world croquet nation have been grinding their teeth over the past week or so. How did curling get so lucky? Why does croquet get relegated to that little dark corner as the quirky, quaint throwback to another time? The injustice of it all.
I've watched a few different email conversations sprout up around the topic and at least one has angled into a "we need to" or "we should" thread that may be accurate but likely will have little impact. I don't know that I can truly assess the issues that affect the progress of the WCF and the associations of Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand, but I believe that I can speak to the challenge that the USCA faces.
John Blamire submitted this satirical piece for the USCA's Croquet News magazine this past fall. As space has become increasingly tight in each issue, this turned out to be too long to make the cut. After an apology, I offered to post the piece on Croquet Network and John agreed. Enjoy -- Dylan Goodwin
by - John “the Professor” Blamire
Before Dawn.
Croquet was a popular sport long before the dawn of recorded history which makes its origins hard to find and interpret. However the discovery of mammoth tusks arranged in the form of hoops or wickets starting at the time of the Cromagnons in the Pathetolitic era gives us our first clue as to when the game first started and how it got its name. “Magnon” means "player" and “Cro” means "the game", so Cromagnons were "players of the game" and they took it very seriously.