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WCF June 2014 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee has been doing recently and what is on the agenda for the coming month.  Your comments are always very welcome.  It is also made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

There were no Council debates or decisions in June.

What did we do in June?

The main activities were progressing the five forthcoming WCF championships and drafting the amendments to Statutes 300 to 307 which should shorten and simplify these provisions.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2014 Over-50 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Cairo from Sunday, 5 October to Saturday, 11 October.

2014 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Cairo from Sunday, 16 November to Friday, 21 November.

2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the United Croquet Club, Christchurch, New Zealand from Sunday, 1 February to Thursday, 5 February 2015.  Members have requested 10 Membership Places, 29 names were put forward for 16 Ranking Places and three names for Wild Card Places.

2015 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the Mount Maunganui Croquet Club and other clubs in the Bay of Plenty region, North Island, New Zealand from Saturday, 7 February to Sunday, 15 February 2015.  A Qualifying Event will be held from Tuesday, 3 February to Thursday, 5 February 2015.  Members have requested 31 Membership Places and 107 names were put forward for 41 Ranking Places.

2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Nottingham from Saturday, 25 July to Saturday, 1 August 2015.

Topics completed or closed in June

MC 287:           ACWTC Tier 2.1 hosting – it was agreed that Wales could offer to host the 2017 event at an English club such as Cheltenham.

Topics open or pending as at 30 June

MC 278:           Review of croquet activity among Members.

MC 279:           Request for coaching assistance from the Croquet Federation of India.

MC 280:           Request for financial assistance from the Italian Croquet Association.

MC 282:           2015 Golf Croquet World Championship, February 2015.

MC 283:           2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship, July 2015.

MC 284:           New WCF web-site – opportunity to review content and archiving.

MC 285:           2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship, February 2015.

MC 286:           Statute 301-306 amendments.

MC 288:           CroquetScores agreement.

Outlook for July

The main activity for the month will be progressing the five World Championships that will be held over the next 13 months.  The MC will shortly agree the final form of the Statute 300-306 amendments to be put to Members before the end of the month.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 15 July 2014

WCF July 2014 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee has been doing recently and what is on the agenda for the coming month.  Your comments are always very welcome.  It is also made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

Two matters were taken to Council in July.  The Croquet Federation of Belgium applied to upgrade its membership from Observer Member to Associate Member and this put to Council as Topic 21.  I am pleased to report that this was approved on 17 August.  Topic 33 concerned proposed amendments to Statutes 301 to 309 intended to re-organise and shorten the text without any significant change in intent.  These Statutes deal with the versions of croquet recognised by the WCF, responsibility for the relevant laws and rules and the regulation of individual’s ability to represent countries in WCF and other international events.  Council has been asked to respond with comments on these proposals by 28 September 2014.

What else did we do in July?

In addition to the matters above, the main activities continued to be the progressing of the five forthcoming WCF championships.  The Response Date and Allocation Date for the 2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship and the 2015 Golf Croquet World Championship itself, which are the first events to use the new allocation process set out in the WCF Sports Regulations Appendices 1 and 2, fell on 13 and 27 July respectively and were followed by the announcement of Ranking Places and Wild Card Places on 10 August.

It became necessary to find a replacement for Bernard Neal on the Hall of Fame Committee who has decided to retire.  The MC wishes to express its appreciation to Bernard for his work on the Committee, with particular reference to his attention to detail.  Andrew Hope (Scotland) has since kindly agreed to fill the vacancy.  The requests for coaching and financial assistance from India and Italy were not proceeded with.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2014 Over-50 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Cairo from Sunday, 5 October to Saturday, 11 October.

2014 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Cairo from Sunday, 16 November to Friday, 21 November.

2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the United Croquet Club, Christchurch, New Zealand from Sunday, 1 February to Thursday, 5 February 2015.  Members have requested 10 Membership Places, 29 names were put forward for 16 Ranking Places and three names for Wild Card Places.

2015 Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the Mount Maunganui Croquet Club and other clubs in the Bay of Plenty region, North Island, New Zealand from Saturday, 7 February to Sunday, 15 February 2015.  A Qualifying Event will be held from Tuesday, 3 February to Thursday, 5 February 2015.  Members have requested 31 Membership Places, for which nominations have to be made by 14 September 2014 and 41 Ranking Places and two Wild Card Places were awarded.  Full details can be found on the WCF web-site under World Championships.

2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Nottingham from Saturday, 25 July to Saturday, 1 August 2015.  The lifecycle of this event will begin on

Topics completed or closed in July

MC 279:           Croquet Federation of India coaching request.

MC 280:           Italian Croquet Association financial assistance request.

MC 286:           Statute 301-306 amendments – sent to Council.

MC 289:           Upgrade of Belgium membership status – sent to Council.

Topics open or pending as at 31 July

MC 278:           Review of croquet activity among Members.

MC 282:           2015 Golf Croquet World Championship, February 2015.

MC 283:           2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship, July 2015.

MC 284:           New WCF web-site – opportunity to review content and archiving.

MC 285:           2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship, February 2015.

MC 288:           CroquetScores agreement.

MC 290:           Appointment to Hall of Fame Committee following Bernard Neal’s retirement.

Outlook for August

The main activity for the month will continue to be progressing the five World Championships that will be held over the next 13 months.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 21 August 2014

WCF October 2015 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee has been doing recently and what is on the agenda in the near future.  Your comments are always very welcome.  It is also made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

Version 4.7 of the Event Regulations came into effect on 9 October 2015.

What has happened in October?

The 2016 GC World Team Championship Response Date passed on 18 October with confirmations of participation from all eight Tier 1 teams and nine expressions of interest in Tier 2.  Consideration is being given to the possibility of holding a four team Tier 3 event.

The 2016 ACWC Closing Date passed on 25 October with 26 out of 30 requested Membership Places being taken up.

The MC elections nomination period closed on 31 October.  There are two candidates for the post of WCF President (Ian Burridge (Wales) and Amir Ramsis (Egypt)) and four candidates for three MC places (Luis de Gortazar (Spain), Mike Orgill (USA), Samir Patel (England) and Amir Ramsis (Egypt).  Full and Associate Members will have until 6 December 2015 to cast their votes and the successful candidates will begin their four-year terms of office on 1 January 2016.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2016 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the National Croquet Centre, West Palm Beach, Florida from Saturday, 16 April to Sunday, 24 April 2016.  The Qualifying Tournament will be held from Monday, 11 April to Thursday, 14 April 2016 and entry details will be posted on the WCF website in due course.  The current entry list is available now on the WCF website under World Championships.

2016 Golf Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1 will be held at the Surbiton Croquet Club in south-west London from Sunday, 15 May to Saturday, 21 May 2016.  The competing teams are Egypt (holders), England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Wales and USA.

Tier 2 will be shared between the Bath Croquet Club and the Camerton & Peasdown Croquet Club from Sunday, 15 May to Friday, 20 May 2016 with the intention that players from teams in both tiers can meet for a combined championship celebration on Friday, 20 May 2016.  The competing teams are Australia, Belgium, Czech-Moravian Republic, Germany, Latvia, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.

2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under 21 GC World Championship

Both events will be held at the Victorian Croquet Association headquarters at Cairnlea, in the western suburbs of Melbourne.  The Under 21 will run from Saturday 18 to Wednesday 22 February 2017 and the Qualifying Tournament from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 February 2017.  The main event will begin on Saturday 25 February 2017 and end on Sunday 5 March 2017.  The Invitation Date is expected to be in April 2016.

2017 Association Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1, the MacRobertson Shield, will be held at Mission Hills Country Club, Palm Springs, California from 18 April 2017 to 4 May 2017.  Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 will be held at Sussex County Croquet Club in England from 17 to 22 July 2017.  The Invitation Date for the lower tiers is expected to be in October 2016.

Membership enquiries

The MC has received enquiries from Georgia, Greece and Pakistan.  Roberts Stafeckis, a MC member from Latvia, visited Georgia in late October to provide initial coaching and assess the situation.  His report to the MC is positive and an application for Observer Membership is expected.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

None

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 October 2015

MC 291:           Appointment of GC Ranking Officer and Assistant Ranking Officers

MC 295:           2016 Association Croquet World Championship, April 2016

MC 313:           2016 GC World Team Championship, May 2016

MC 318:           2017 GCWC and Under 21 GCWC, February 2017

MC 320:           WCF Equipment Regulations

MC 324:           2017 AC World Team Championship, April 2017

MC 326:           WCF Event Income

MC 327:           Membership enquiry from Georgia

MC 328:           Membership status of France

MC 329:           Management Committee elections

MC 330:           WCF GC Rules Committee

MC 331:           International Laws Committee

MC 332:           International Croquet Academy, May 2016

Outlook for November

Activities will focus on the last quarter communications with Members, namely the accounts, the Management Committee report and the Business Plan.  There will also be a submission of minor amendments to the WCF Equipment Regulations to the WCF Council under the “dot release” procedure.  The Presidential and MC elections will close early in December.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 3 November 2015

WCF February 2016 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee has been doing recently and what is on the agenda in the near future.  Your comments are always very welcome.  It is also made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

Topic 50: Consultation on Statutes 107.3 and 107.4 which deal with the operation of the WCF Golf Croquet Rules Committee.  This closed on 6 March 2016 and the results will be published shortly. 

Topic 51: The Italian Croquet Federation has applied to change its status from Associate to Observer.  This closes on 20 March 2016.

What has happened in January and February?

Gordon Smith (NZE) has retired as chairman of the WCF GC Rules Committee and Tim King (ENG) has been elected as his successor.  Croquet New Zealand has appointed Brian Boutel as its representative in Gordon’s place and the United States Croquet Association has appointed Jeff Hill to succeed Mohamed Kamal.  We thank Gordon and Mohamed for their many years of service on the committee.  The Official Rulings on the 2013 Golf Croquet Rules have been updated.

Several development initiatives have been launched.  The second Croquet Coaching Academy for WCF Members was announced in January.  It will be held at Sussex County CC, England from 3 to 6 May 2016.  The WCF is also supporting a coach training week in South Africa to be led by Dave Kibble and has organised a one-day AC coaching course immediately before the ACWC in West Palm Beach.  This is for the benefit of local US players keen to improve their AC play and will be run by Colin Irwin.

The MC approved a request for a capital grant of £1,500 from the Scottish Croquet Association to support its Balgreen Club project in Edinburgh.  The SCA has an opportunity to take over disused bowling greens and create a new club.  The WCF grant is conditional on the SCA succeeding in receiving a £10,000 grant from the National Lottery.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2016 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the National Croquet Centre, West Palm Beach, Florida from Saturday, 16 April to Sunday, 24 April 2016.  The Qualifying Tournament will be held from Monday, 11 April to Thursday, 14 April 2016.  The current entry list is available on the WCF website together with a link to the event website.

2016 Golf Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1 will be held at the Surbiton Croquet Club in south-west London from Sunday, 15 May to Saturday, 21 May 2016.  The competing teams are Egypt (holders), England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Wales and USA.

Tier 2 will be shared between the Bath Croquet Club and the Camerton & Peasdown Croquet Club from Sunday, 15 May to Friday, 20 May 2016 with the intention that players from teams in both tiers can meet for a combined championship celebration on Friday, 20 May 2016.  The competing teams are Australia, Belgium, Czech-Moravian Republic, Germany, Latvia, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland.

Tier 3 will be held at the Guildford & Godalming Croquet Club from Wednesday, 18 May to Friday 20 May 2016.  The competing teams are Georgia, Norway, Portugal and Russia.

2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under 21 GC World Championship

Both events will be held at the Victorian Croquet Association headquarters at Cairnlea, in the western suburbs of Melbourne.  The Under 21 will run from Saturday 18 to Wednesday 22 February 2017 and the Qualifying Tournament from Monday 20 to Wednesday 22 February 2017.  The main event will begin on Saturday 25 February 2017 and end on Sunday 5 March 2017.  The Invitation Date is expected to be in April 2016.

2017 Association Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1, the MacRobertson Shield, will be held at Mission Hills Country Club, Palm Springs, California from 18 April 2017 to 4 May 2017.  Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 will be held at Sussex County Croquet Club in England from 17 to 22 July 2017.  The Invitation Date for the lower tiers is expected to be in October 2016.

Membership enquiries

There are none to report.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 330:           WCF GC Rules Committee

MC 333:           Format of Qualifying Tournaments

MC 334:           Colour Vision Deficiency

MC 335:           2016 Business Plan

MC 336:           2016 Budget and Treasurer’s Report

MC 337:           Election of Independent Examiner

MC 338:           GC Rulings

MC 340:           Italy membership category

MC 341:           Development – AC coaching at West Palm Beach

MC 342:           Development – coach training trip to South Africa

MC 343:           Development – SCA capital grant application

Topics open, pending or under administration on 29 February 16

MC 291:           Appointment of GC Ranking Officer and Assistant Ranking Officers

MC 295:           2016 AC World Championship, April 2016

MC 313:           2016 GC World Team Championship, May 2016

MC 318:           2017 GCWC and Under 21 GCWC, February 2017

MC 324:           2017 AC World Team Championship, April 2017

MC 326:           WCF Event Income

MC 328:           Membership status of France

MC 331:           International Laws Committee

MC 339:           WCF Event and Sports Regulations

MC 344:           Development – further projects in 2016

Outlook for March

The main focus will be on final preparations for the ACWC and GC WTC and continuing with the Statute review.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 4 March 2016