Author: Debbie Lines

June 2019 Newsletter

WCF June 2019 Newsletter

The newsletter provides a summary for WCF Members of what the Management Committee (MC) has been doing recently and what is on the agenda in the near future. 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 none.

What has happened since March?

The issues dealt with by the MC are set out in the list of MC topics that have required attention and resolution and can be found at the end of this Newsletter.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2019 Under 21 Golf Croquet World Championship

The 2019 Under 21 Golf Croquet World Championship will be held at the Nottingham Croquet Club from Saturday, 20 July to Wednesday, 24 July 2019. 24 players representing Australia, Egypt, England, Germany, Latvia, New Zealand, Spain and the USA will take part.

2019 Golf Croquet World Championship

The 2019 Golf Croquet World Championship will be held at the Sussex County Croquet Club from Saturday, 27 July to Sunday, 4 August 2019. 69 players representing 19 countries have places and a further seven places will be awarded to the highest finishers in the Qualifying Tournament.

2020 Golf Croquet World Team Championship – Tier 1

Tier 1 of the 2020 GCWTC will be held at the Nelson-Hinemoa Croquet Club on the north coast of New Zealand’s South Island from 6 to 12 January 2020. Australia, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and the USA have all confirmed their intention to send a team.

2020 Association Croquet World Championship

The 2020 ACWC will be held at the Victorian Croquet Centre near Melbourne from 15 to 23 February 2020. Formal invitations to participate were sent to Members in April 2019.

Membership and RCO enquiries

There are no current Membership enquiries but several croquet bodies which are potential candidates for RCO status are in contact with the WCF, hailing from China, Greece, India, Iran, Mexico, Montenegro and Pakistan.

Management Committee topics

Topics recently completed or closed

None

MC Topics currently open

MC 352:       10-year World Championship schedule

MC 386:       Commonwealth Games

MC 392:       2020 GCWTC Tier 2 (ESP)

MC 393:       2020 WACWC (was MC 382)

MC 394:       2021 U21 GCWC

MC 395:       2021 GCWC

MC 396:       2021 ACWTC Tier 1 (MacRob)(AUS) (was MC 384)

MC 397:       2021 ACWTC Tier 2 (ENG)

MC 404:       Balls and ball-testing

MC 405:       S-G succession

MC 406:       Croquet Mexico

MC 407:       Portugal

MC 408:       Iran

MC 409:       WCF GC Rules Committee remit

MC 411:       Banking arrangements

MC 412:       2022 ACWC (ENG)

MC Topics currently under administration

MC 362:       2019 U21 GCWC and Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 365:       Hall of Fame relaunch

MC 377:       GC Rankings development

MC 390:       2020 GCWTC Tier 1 (Openshaw Shield) (NZL)

MC 391:       2020 Association Croquet World Championship (was MC 381)

Outlook for July and beyond

The MC’s priorities will be on development via the RCO dimension, managing the final approach to the 2019 Under 21 GCWC and the 2019 GCWC and issuing the formal invitations for the 2020 GC WTC Tier 2/3.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General

5 July 2019

Photos and history 1963-1990

MacRobertson Shield Winners

1963 - England
1969 - England
1974 - Great Britain
1979 - New Zealand
1982 - Great Britain
1986 - New Zealand
1990 - Great Britain and Ireland

This booklet gives a history of the MacRobertson Shield, up to 1963: Booklet: International croquet tests for the MacRobertson Shield

Photos courtesy of John Prince. These and many others can also be seen on the United Croquet Club photo archive: https://unitedcroquet.com/photos/

1963 England: Humphrey Hicks, William Ormerod, Brian Lloyd-Pratt, David Curtis, Jean Warwick, John Solomon, Patrick Cotter and Bobby Wiggins

New Zealand 1963 at Hamilton, Les Middlemiss, Herbie Ford, John Prince, Ralph Browne, Jean Jarden, Tony Stephens and Arthur Ross

 

 

1979 Colin Pickering, Australia at Gore

England 1969 William Ormerod, Nigel Aspinal, John Solomon, Maurice Reckitt, Bernard Neal, Roger Bray, Douglas Stracman

NZ 1974 Roger Murfitt, Alan Anderson, John Prince, Bob Jackson, Cliff Anderson, Lil Rawlinson, Gordon Rowling

1979 British team L to R: Martin Murray, David Openshaw, Nigel Aspinal, Bobby Wiggins, Bernard Neal, Michael Heap and William Prichard

1979 New Zealand vs Australia test. Back row L to R: Grace Edwards, Diane Weisner, Colin Pickering, Ron Sloane, Roger Murfitt, Joe Hogan, Bob Jackson, Paul Skinley Front row L to R: Mark Prater, Bill Smith, John Prince, Alan Anderson

Warm up match prior to the 1996 MacRobertson Shield series. Back row l to r - 1996 team - Chris Clarke, Stephen Comish, David Maugham, Ian Burridge, Robert Fulford, Debbie Cornelius Front row l to r - 1982 team - William Prichard, Martin Murray, Stephen Mulliner, David Openshaw, Andrew Hope, Keith Wylie

 

 

2020 GC WTC Tier 1 teams

Tier 1 of the Golf Croquet World Team Championship is contested for the Openshaw Shield.

The Championship will next be held from 6 to 12 January 2020 at the Nelson-Hinemoa Croquet Club in Nelson, South Island, New Zealand.

The teams are as follows:

Australia                 Robert Fletcher, Peter Landrebe (c), Chris McWhirter, Edward Wilson

Egypt                     Amr Alebiary, Hamy Erian, Mohamed Karem, Soha Mostafa, Mostafa Nezar, Yasser Sayed

England                  Richard Bilton, John-Paul Moberly (c), Stephen Mulliner, Tobi Savage

Ireland                   Patsy Fitzgerald, Evan Newell, Robert O’Donoghue, Mark Stephens, Simon Williams (c)

New Zealand          Duncan Dixon, Edmund Fordyce, Joshua Freeth, Felix Webby (c)

South Africa           Reg Bamford, Victor Dladla, Judith Hanekom, William Louw

Sweden                 Simon Carlsson, Joi Elebo, Anders Moldin, Joakim Norback, Lewis Palmer

United States         Sherif Abdelwahab, Danny Huneycutt, David Maloof, Ben Rothman

The eight teams will be seeded according to the average published grade of their four highest-graded players at midnight on Sunday, 8 December 2019.

 

 

2020 GC WTC entry fee payment

Entry fees

Entry fees of £336 per team are due by midnight on Sunday, 3 November 2019.  Payment will be accepted by bank transfer or by PayPal.

Bank transfer

If you have a UK bank account or can transfer money into a UK bank account without significant charges, please pay the entry fee by bank transfer to the WCF bank account below.  In the “reference” or “remark” field, please put your name so it is clear to whom the entry fee relates.

 

PayPal

If a bank transfer is not practicable, please use the button below.  

 

Options

2017 AC World Championship Tier 1 – Champion Australia

The 22nd MacRoberson Shield Test Series
Venue:        United States of America – Mission Hills Country Club, California
Dates:         15 April 2017 – 4 May 2017

Champion:  Australia
Second:      England
Third:         New Zealand
Fourth:       United States of America

For full results visit Croquet Records: Mac2017 

Australia win for first time since 1935

Australia celebrate moments after winning the ACWTC 2017, the first time since 1935

The 2017 Winning Australian team

In the opening Tests of the 2017 MacRobertson Shield contest at Mission Hills Country Club, California, Australia beat England 12-9 and New Zealand inched past USA by 11-10.

Australia led England by 2-1, 5-4 and 7-5 after each of the first three days but, by mid-afternoon on Friday, the scoreline was 8-7 to them but England led in two of the remaining three singles and were 1-1 in the third.  However, the Australians came through all three as winners and recorded their first full victory over England in 82 years - since 1935!

USA made an excellent start against New Zealand but were gradually pegged back so that, on Friday evening, New Zealand led 8-7.  However, with four of the last six singles played, USA had won three and taken a 10-9 lead in temperatures of 100 degrees F.  Fortunes swayed one way and then the other in both of the remaining matches but, eventually, New Zealand clinched both to record a very tense victory.

The second Tests pitched Australia against New Zealand and England against USA.  Australia and England both recorded 14-7 wins.  USA led England 7-6 early on day 9 but then conceded five singles and three doubles matches.

The final Tests saw Australia facing USA and England against the current holders, New Zealand.  England enjoyed a decisive 15-4 victory with two matches on day 15 abandoned because of the heat which had reached over 40 degrees C (104 degrees F) on occasion during the final week.  This gave England a mathematical hope of victory based on the possibility of USA overturning the form book and defeating Australia.  In fact, Australia led 2-1, 6-3 and 8-4 after day 13 and the honour fell to 24-year old Malcolm Fletcher, the youngest member of the Australian team, to score the decisive eleventh point on day 14 and hence ensure that the MacRobertson Shield trophy would return after a gap of 82 years to the homeland of its original donor.

 

2020 ACWC entry fee procedure

2020 Association Croquet World Championship

Entry fees

Players are encouraged to pay their entry fee of £108 as soon as possible and in any event by midnight on Friday, 25 October 2019.  Payment will be accepted by bank transfer or by PayPal.

Bank transfer

If you have a UK bank account or can transfer money into a UK bank account without significant charges, please pay the entry fee by bank transfer to the WCF bank account below.  In the “reference” or “remark” field, please put your name so it is clear to whom the entry fee relates.

PayPal

If it is not possible to pay by bank transfer, please use the PayPal button below.

Number of entrants

2020 ACWC – entry update published

2020 ASSOCIATION CROQUET WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

 

LIST OF COMPETITORS

Following the passing of the Closing Date on 22 September 2019, 20 Membership Places were taken up and one Ranking Place withdrawal had occurred.  One Wild Card place has been awarded and four Qualifying Places have been reserved.  Accordingly, 52 Ranking Places, one Wild Card Place and 20 Membership Places have been awarded to the players listed here.

REPLACEMENT RANKING LIST

The Replacement Ranking List (“RRL”) is now published and may be found here.   Replacement Ranking Places have been offered to the top three players on the list.

2020 GC WTC Tier 2 entry fee payment

Entry fees

Entry fees of £288 per team are due by midnight on Thursday, 30th September 2021. Payment will be accepted by bank transfer (preferred) or by PayPal.

Bank transfer

If you have a UK bank account or can transfer money into a UK bank account without significant charges, please pay the entry fee by bank transfer to the WCF bank account as detailed on your invoice.  In the “reference” or “remark” field, please put your name so it is clear to whom the entry fee relates.

PayPal

If a bank transfer is not practicable, please use the button below which will take you into PayPal.