Author: Debbie Lines

2018 AC World Championship – Winner: Paddy Chapman (NZL)

The 16th WCF Association Croquet World Championship
Venue: Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club, Wellington, New Zealand
Dates: 3 – 11 February 2018

Champion: Paddy Chapman (New Zealand)

Finalist: Reg Bamford (ZAF)

Paddy Chapman (New Zealand) defeated Reg Bamford (South Africa) +7tp, -26tp, -26tp, +15tp, +17tp to become the new Association Croquet World Champion.  The final was held at Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club in Wellington, New Zealand in damp and rather slow conditions which, at times, threatened to delay play.  Fortunately, the rain held off sufficiently to allow the final to be completed before an expected weather front brought heavy rain.

Bamford attempted a sextuple in game 1 which came to grief when an unkind slope caused a gentle roquet to miss.  This cost him the opening game but excellent shooting and routine triple peels gave him the next two games.  He again took an early innings in game 4 and reached 4-back with a Diagonal Spread Leave and the most likely outcome seemed yet another 3-1 win for Reg after dropping the first game, the pattern of both his quarter-final and semi-final victories.

Chapman had missed lift shots from A-baulk in games 2 and 3 but now switched to shooting at the ball by the peg from the end of A-baulk.  He hit and went to 4-back with two POPs and a New Standard Leave which placed Reg's backward ball near hoop 2.  Bamford just missed the 20 yard lift shot with that ball from B-baulk into corner 4.  This gave Chapman a good starting position for a standard triple peel and he completed it confidently to square the match.

Game 5 followed similar lines to game 4 with Bamford reaching 4-back with a Diagional Spread Leave and Chapman again choosing to shoot at the peg ball from the end of A-baulk.  Again he hit and went to 4-back with another New Standard Leave with Reg's hoop 1 ball again near hoop 2.   Bamford did not shirk the challenge and again lifted his backward ball to B-baulk to take the 20 yard shot that, if he hit, would give him an excellent chance for his own triple peel to win the game, match and title - and the achievement of once again holding both the Golf Croquet and Association Croquet world championships simultaneously, the feat he had achieved in April 2013.

Bamford took great care in preparing for the shot but, once again, it missed by a tiny margin on the right and Chapman, a previous finalist in 2013 and semi-finalist in 2016, was presented with the chance to complete his third triple peel of the final and become World Champion.  The break was not without a couple of moments of concern but Paddy coped calmly with the challenges, completed a straight rover peel and pegged out to great acclaim from the watching crowd.

The semi-finalists and bronze medal winners were Jose Riva (Spain) and Stephen Mulliner (England), the defending champion.

The Shield was won by Greg Fletcher (Australia), the Bowl by Jonathan Powe (England) and the Plate by Stephen Morgan (USA)

Full results are available athttps://croquetscores.com/2018/ac/wcf-world-championship

February 2018 Newsletter

WCF February 2018 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. 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

The Council approved the 2017 Treasurer's Report and the 2018 Budget (Topic 65) and elected Brian Havill (ENG) to be the Independent Eaxminer for 2018 (Topic 66).

What has happened since November?

The 2018 AC World Championship was held in Wellington, New Zealand from Saturday, 3 to Sunday, 11 February 2018. Paddy Chapman (New Zealand) defeated Reg Bamford (South Africa) +7tp, -26tp, -26tp, +15tp, +17tp in a gripping final to become the new Association Croquet World Champion.

The semi-finalists were Jose Riva (ESP) and Stephen Mulliner (ENG), the defending champion, and the winners of the Shield, Bowl and Plate events were respectively Greg Fletcher (AUS), Jonathan Powe (ENG) and Stephen Morgan (USA).

The Golf Croquet Ranking Review Working Group produced a report recommending that the WCF assume responsibility for the Golf Croquet rankings and that a new algorithm and automatic start grade adjustment be adopted. The Report and other proposals relating to GC ranking will be submitted to the WCF Council.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2018 Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship

The event will be held in Cairo from Saturday, 6 to Saturday, 13 October 2018. The formal Invitation to Members was published on 18 December 2017 with a Response Date of 1 April 2019.

2019 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

The event will be held in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand from Saturday, 2 February to Saturday, 9 February 2019. The formal Invitation to Members will be published in April 2018.

2019 Under 21 Golf Croquet World Championship

The event will be held at the Nottingham Croquet Club, England from Saturday, 20 to Wednesday, 24 July 2019.

2019 Golf Croquet World Championship

The event will be held at the Sussex County Croquet Club, England from Saturday, 27 July to Sunday, 4 August 2019.

Membership and development enquiries

Enquiries have been received from the Iran Croquet Association and from Sri Lanka.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 361:         Development

MC 366:         Consolidation of bank accounts

MC 370:         2020 GC WTC Tier 2 enquiry

MC 373:         Management Committee elections

MC 375:         Trophies 2018-2019

MC 374:         MacRobertson Shield repairs

MC 378:         2018 Budget and 2017 Treasurer’s Report

MC 379:         Enquiry from the Iran Croquet Association

MC 380:         Proposal for a publicity booklet

MC Topics currently open

MC 352:         10-year World Championship schedule

MC 353:         Golf Croquet Ranking Review Working Group

MC 371:         Format of World Team Championships

MC 376:         Statute and Regulation amendments

MC 377:         GC Ranking development

MC Topics currently under administration or pending

MC 325:         Enquiry from the Corfu Croquet Club

MC 354:         2018 Association Croquet World Championship

MC 362:        2019 U21 GCWC and GC World Championship

MC 367:         Hall of Fame

MC 367:         Portugal

MC 368:         2018 Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 369:         2019 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 372:         WCF Facebook presence

Outlook for February and beyond

The MC’s main focus will be on submitting amendments to the WCF Statutes and Regulations to Council, scoping and progressing the GC rankings project, finalising the 10-year World Championship schedule and administering the 2018 Over-50 GCWC and the 2019 Women’s GCWC.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General

5 March 2018

November 2017 Newsletter

WCF November 2017 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.  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

The Management Committee elections closed on 3 December 2017. Peter Landrebe (AUS), Roberts Stafeckis (LVA) and Geoff Young (NZL) were re-elected.

What has happened since August?

There have been no WCF events since the AC World Team Championship Tiers 2 to 3 were completed at Sussex County Croquet Club, England on 22 July 2017.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2018 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Wellington, New Zealand from Saturday,3 to Sunday, 11 February 2018.  47 Ranking Places and two Wild Card Places were announced on 27 August 2017. Membership Places were announced on 24 September.

2018 Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship

Egypt has been confirmed as the Event Host for October 2018. The event will be held in Cairo from Saturday, 6 to Saturday, 13 October 2018.

2019 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

New Zealand has been confirmed as the Event Host.  The event will be held in Hawkes Bay from Saturday, 2 February to Saturday, 9 February 2019.

2019 Under 21 Golf Croquet World Championship and Golf Croquet World Championship

England has been confirmed as the Event Host for both events. Venues and dates will be available shortly.

Membership enquiries

There are none active at present.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 366:          Consolidation of bank accounts

MC 370:          2020 GC WTC Tier 2 enquiry

MC 373:          Management Committee elections

MC 375:          Trophies for 2018-2019 events

MC Topics currently open

MC 352:          10-year World Championship schedule

MC 362:          2019 Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 368:          2018 Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 369:          2019 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

MC 371:          Format of World Team Championships

MC 372:          WCF Facebook presence

MC 373:          2020 GC World Team Championship Tier 2

MC 374:          MacRobertson Shield repairs

MC 376:          Statute and Regulation amendments

MC 377:          GC Ranking development

MC 378:          2018 Budget and 2017 Treasurer’s Report

MC Topics currently under administration or pending

MC 353:          Golf Croquet Ranking Review Working Group

MC 354:          2018 Association Croquet World Championship

MC 361:          Development

Outlook for December and beyond

The MC’s main focus will be on finalising the 10-year World Championship schedule and managing or overseeing the final arrangements for the 2018 ACWC in Wellington including pre-event communication with the players. Other priorities are beginning the administration of the 2018 Over-50 GCWC in Egypt in October and the 2019 Women’s GCWC in New Zealand and agreeing dates for the 2019 U21 GCWC and GCWC in England.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General

12 December 2017

GC Rules 5th Edition – Consultation Draft published

The WCF Golf Croquet Rules Committee has published a Consultation Draft of the proposed 5th Edition of the WCF Rules of Golf Croquet together with a Consultation Draft Commentary.  The documents may be found here.

Comments on the Draft are welcomed from all interested parties and should be made via the relevant Member or its Golf Croquet Rules Committee.

The Consultation Period ends on 1 May 2018 and it is hoped that the final form of the 5th Edition will be in force by 1 September 2018.

 

 

Paddy Chapman is the new AC World Champion

Paddy Chapman (New Zealand) defeated Reg Bamford (South Africa) +7tp, -26tp, -26tp, +15tp, +17tp to become the new Association Croquet World Champion.  The final was held at Kelburn Municipal Croquet Club in Wellington, New Zealand in damp and rather slow conditions which, at times, threatened to delay play.  Fortunately, the rain held off sufficiently to allow the final to be completed before an expected weather front brought heavy rain.

Bamford attempted a sextuple in game 1 which came to grief when an unkind slope caused a gentle roquet to miss.  This cost him the opening game but excellent shooting and routine triple peels gave him the next two games.  He again took an early innings in game 4 and reached 4-back with a Diagonal Spread Leave and the most likely outcome seemed yet another 3-1 win for Reg after dropping the first game, the pattern of both his quarter-final and semi-final victories.

Chapman had missed lift shots from A-baulk in games 2 and 3 but now switched to shooting at the ball by the peg from the end of A-baulk.  He hit and went to 4-back with two POPs and a New Standard Leave which placed Reg’s backward ball near hoop 2.  Bamford just missed the 20 yard lift shot with that ball from B-baulk into corner 4.  This gave Chapman a good starting position for a standard triple peel and he completed it confidently to square the match.

Game 5 followed similar lines to game 4 with Bamford reaching 4-back with a Diagional Spread Leave and Chapman again choosing to shoot at the peg ball from the end of A-baulk.  Again he hit and went to 4-back with another New Standard Leave with Reg’s hoop 1 ball again near hoop 2.   Bamford did not shirk the challenge and again lifted his backward ball to B-baulk to take the 20 yard shot that, if he hit, would give him an excellent chance for his own triple peel to win the game, match and title – and the achievement of once again holding both the Golf Croquet and Association Croquet world championships simultaneously, the feat he had achieved in April 2013.

Bamford took great care in preparing for the shot but, once again, it missed by a tiny margin on the right and Chapman, a previous finalist in 2013 and semi-finalist in 2016, was presented with the chance to complete his third triple peel of the final and become World Champion.  The break was not without a couple of moments of concern but Paddy coped calmly with the challenges, completed a straight rover peel and pegged out to great acclaim from the watching crowd.

The semi-finalists and bronze medal winners were Jose Riva (Spain) and Stephen Mulliner (England), the defending champion.

The Shield was won by Greg Fletcher (Australia), the Bowl by Jonathan Powe (England) and the Plate by Stephen Morgan (USA).

 

 

 

 

 

GC World Team Championship format

Tier 1

The Competition is played over seven consecutive days from Sunday, 15 May to Saturday, 21 May 2016.  Days 1 to 3 are the Block Stage and days 4 to 7 are the Knock Out Stage.  All matches between doubles pairs or between players are best-of-three games and each game is a standard best-of-13 point game.

Block Stage

The eight teams are ranked by the average grade of the top four players named in each squad on the Team Seeding Date which is Sunday, 17 April 2016.  They are then divided into two block of four.  Block A consists of the teams seeded 1st, 3rd, 6th and 8th.  Block B consists of the teams seeded 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th.  This seeding also ranks the teams from 1 to 4 within each block.

In each block, the teams play a Test Match against each of the other three teams in the block in the following order:

Day 1:      Seed 1 v Seed 3, Seed 2 v Seed 4

Day 2:      Seed 1 v Seed 4, Seed 2 v Seed 3

Day 3:      Seed 1 v Seed 2, Seed 3 v Seed 4.

Each Block Stage Test Match consists of six matches, namely two doubles matches and four singles matches.  If a team wins the majority of the matches played, it scores two block points.  If the teams share the matches played, each team scores one block point.  At the end of the Block Stage, the teams are ranked in descending order of block points scored and the top two proceed to the Knock Out Stage semi-finals.  The Playing Regulations contain play-off procedures in the event of ties for first or second place.

Knock-out Stage

Days 4 and 5: Winner of Block A v Runner Up of Block B, Winner of Block B v Runner Up of Block A

Each semi-final Test Match consists of 13 matches, namely three doubles matches and ten singles matches.  Six are played on day 4 (two doubles matches and four singles) and seven on day 5 (one doubles and six singles). 

Days 6 and 7: Final and 3/4th Test Matches

The Final Test Match consists of 13 matches (as described above).

The 3/4th Test Match may consist of either 9 matches or 13 matches as the Tournament Manager decides after consulting the teams involved.

If a 9 match Test Match is played, it consists of three doubles matches and six singles matches.  Six are played on day 6 (two doubles and four singles) and three on day 7 (one doubles and two singles).

Plate event

All Plate Test Matches consist of seven matches, namely one doubles match and six singles matches.

Day 4: Block A 3rd v Block B 4th, Block A 4th v Block B 3rd

Day 5: Block A 3rd v Block B 3rd, Block A 4th v Block B 4th

The results of these matches are combined with the matches between the teams in the Block Stage to generate a notional all-play-all block.  The teams are then ranked 1 to 4 based on the results of the notional block.

Day 6: Team 1 v Team 4, Team 2 v Team 3

Day 7: Day 6 winners (5/6th Test Match), Day 6 losers (7/8th Test Match).

Tier 2

The Competition is played over six consecutive days from Sunday, 15 May to Friday, 20 May 2016.  Days 1 to 3 are the Block Stage and days 4 to 6 are the Knock Out Stage.  All matches between doubles pairs or between players are best-of-three games and each game is a standard best-of-13 point game.

Block Stage

This is identical to the Tier 1 Block Stage described above.

Knock-out Stage

Day 4: Winner of Block A v Runner Up of Block B, Winner of Block B v Runner Up of Block A

Each semi-final Test Match consists of 7 matches, namely one doubles match and six singles matches. 

Days 5 and 6: Final and 3/4th Test Matches

This is identical to days 6 and 7 of the Tier 1 Knock Out Stage described above.

Plate

All Plate Test Matches consist of seven matches, namely one doubles match and six singles matches.

Day 4: Block A 3rd v Block B 4th, Block A 4th v Block B 3rd

Day 5: Block A 3rd v Block B 3rd, Block A 4th v Block B 4th

The results of these matches are combined with the matches between the teams in the Block Stage to generate a notional all-play-all block.  The teams are then ranked 1 to 4 based on the results of the notional block.

Day 6: Team 1 v Team 2 (5/6th Test Match), Team 3 v Team 4 (7/8th Test Match)

 

2018 Association Croquet World Championship

The 2018 Association Croquet World Championship (“ACWC”) will be held at the Kelburn Croquet Club in Wellington, New Zealand (and other venues) from Saturday, 3 February to Sunday, 11 February 2018 in accordance with version 4.8 of the Event Regulations and version 8.8 of the Sports Regulations.

The Event Capacity is 80.  The current entry list may be found here.

EVENT WEBSITE

The event website may be found at: http://www.sporty.co.nz/2018acworldchampionships

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT

A Qualifying Tournament will be held from Tuesday, 30 January to Thursday, 1 February 2018 at the Rose Gardens Croquet Club, Palmerston North.  The four highest-placed finishers will gain places in the ACWC.  Applications may be made to Jake Inwood at croquet@croquet.org.nz

TIMETABLE

The remaining key date is shown below.

QUALIFYING TOURNAMENT CLOSING DATE: Sunday, 14 January 2018

This is the last date on which entries can be received to fill any vacancies in the Qualifying Tournament.  It is also the last date on which any returned Membership Places can be replaced by a player from the same country.

Following the passing of the Cut-Off Date on 17 December 2017, any future withdrawals will filled by increasing the number of Qualifier Places.  The Reserve List is no longer in operation.

2021 GC World Team Championship Tier 2

20 responses.

Question 1: Was the pre-event organisation and information provided satisfactory?

Yes 100%

One response requested that pre information should highlight that the the Player Briefing & Opening Ceremony is the day before the first day of play.

Question 2: Did you attend the player briefing? If so, was the information well-presented and useful? Was the scheduling of the briefing convenient?

Yes: 18 - 90%
No: 2 - 10%

Question 3: Were the official functions e.g. Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Tournament Dinner etc well organised and enjoyable?

Very good:  15 - 75%
Good: 3 - 15%
Satisfactory: 2 - 10%
Poor: 0
Very Poor: 0

Extremely favourable comments overall. Some preference for a sit-down meal as opposed to the stand-up function.

Question 4: Were the transport arrangements satisfactory?

Yes: 19 - 95%
No: 1 - 5%

The transport to the social events was particularly well received.

Question 5: Was your number of games each day too many, not enough or about right?

100% responded that this was about right.

Question 6: Was the overall duration of the event too long, too short or about right?

Too long: 3 - 15%
Too short: 1 - 5%
About right: 16 - 80%

Comments relating to too long were from working players with limited annual leave.

Question 7: Was the event well-managed?

100% replied that Yes, the event was well-managed.

Comments were mainly around the timely notification of scores on the various websites and notice boards.

Question 8: Was the event well-referee'd?

100% replied Yes

The use of video refereeing was well received.

Question 9: Were the courts of suitable quality?

Yes: 19 - 95%
No: 1 - 5%

There were quite a few comments made regarding the Sherry Golf Club, advising that the lawns at this venue were not really up to stand. The other two clubs had great reviews.

Question 10: Were the balls of suitable quality?

Yes: 19 - 95%
No: 1 - 5%

Question 11: Were the hoops well set?

Yes: 19 - 95%
No: 1 - 5%

Some comments that they were not very difficult but that was primarily due to the ground conditions.

Question 12 How would you rate the venues overall, including facilities and catering?

Very good: 17 - 85%
Good: 3 - 15%
Poor: 0
Very poor: 0

Question 13: How would you rate the event overall?

Very good:  18 - 90%
Good: 2 - 10%
Satisfactory: 0
Poor: 0
Very Poor: 0

Comments made were all very positive.

2018 ACWC entry fees

2018 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 Tuesday, 24 October 2017.  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