Category: Newsletters

WCF July 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

Council approved amendments to the Equipment Regulations on 21 July 2015 by 47-0 (Topic 44) and amendments to the Event, Refereeing and Sports Regulations on the same date by 46-2 (Topic 45).  The new versions are available on the WCF website.

What has happened in June and July?

The main event was the very successful holding of the Women’s Association Croquet World Championship at Nottingham.  36 players took part and Miranda Chapman, representing England, defeated Gabrielle Higgins, also representing England, in five games (-10, +4, -23, +26, +26tp) became the new champion.  Many congratulations to both players and to the club and its organising committee for putting on such an enjoyable, efficient and well-publicised event.

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 Invitation Date was Sunday, 28 June 2015 and the Response Date is Sunday, 30 August 2015.  More details are available on the WCF 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.  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.  The Invitation Date will be in August 2015 and more details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under 21 GC World Championship

The Management Committee has accepted the ACA bid to host both events 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.  Interest in holding Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 has been expressed by two venues in England.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 323:           Membership enquiry from Pakistan

MC 325:           Membership enquiry from Greece

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 May 2015

MC 283:           2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship, July 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 314:           Women’s GC World Team Championship

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

MC 319:           WCF Event Regulations

MC 320:           WCF Equipment Regulations

MC 321:           WCF Refereeing Regulations

MC 322:           WCF Sports Regulations

MC 324:           2017 AC World Team Championship

Outlook for August and September

The main activity will be completing a set of minor improvements to the WCF Equipment and Event Regulations and submitting them to the WCF Council under the “dot release” procedure.  On the World Championship front, the 2016 ACWC Response Date will occur on 30 August and lead to the publication of the Ranking and Wild Card Places shortly after 14 September.  The formal Invitation Date for the 2016 GC World Team Championship will also be published in this period although there have already been extensive discussions with the teams expected to take part.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 14 August 2015

WCF May 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

The WCF Council approved two recommendations from the MC, namely that Palestine’s Observer Membership be terminated (Topic 42) and to adopt a policy confirming that Regulations applicable to a WCF Event should not be varied in relation to that Event during its lifecycle (Topic 43).

What has happened in April and May?

The MC is pleased to report that the Event Agreement for the 2016 AC World Championship has been signed, that the 2016 GC World Team Championship will be held in England.  The Australian Croquet Association has offered to host the 2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under-21 GC World Championship at Cairnlea in Victoria.  Details are given below.

Forthcoming WCF championships

2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Nottingham from Saturday, 25 July to Saturday, 1 August 2015 with a field of 36 players.  The names of the 32 players with Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places are available on the WCF website under World Championships.  The remaining four places will be determined by the Qualifying Tournament to be held at the Nailsea Croquet Club, near Bristol, from Saturday, 18 July to Monday, 20 July 2015.

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 Invitation Date is expected to be in June 2015 and more details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

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.  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.  The Invitation Date is expected to be in July 2016 and more details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

2017 Golf Croquet World Championship and Under 21 GC World Championship

The ACA has offered to host both events 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.  Interest in holding Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 has been expressed by two venues in England.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 251:           2014 Women’s GCWC

MC 278:           Review of croquet activity among Members.

MC 282:           2015 GCWC

MC 284:           New WCF web-site

MC 285:           2015 Under 21 GCWC

MC 311:           Regulation policy

MC 312:           2015 GCWC Qualifier Places

MC 315:           Management Committee vacancy

MC 316:           Refereeing Regulations – amendment of Reg 3(d)

MC 317:           WCF anti-doping policy – response to Scottish CA

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 May 2015

MC 283:           2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship, July 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 314:           Women’s GC World Team Championship

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

MC 319:           WCF Event Regulations

MC 320:           WCF Equipment Regulations

MC 321:           WCF Refereeing Regulations

MC 322:           WCF Sports Regulations

MC 323:           Membership enquiry from Pakistan

Outlook for June and July

The main activities will be completing a set of generally minor revisions to the WCF Event, Equipment, Refereeing and Sports Regulations and submitting them to the WCF Council.  A first draft of revised WCF Statutes will be considered by the MC and it is planned to submit them to Council in July or August.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 4 June 2015

WCF March 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

The WCF Council is currently deliberating on two topics with a closing date of 12 April. Topic 42 is a recommendation from the MC that Palestine’s Observer Membership be terminated as, unfortunately, it seems that there has been no organised croquet activity there for some time. Topic 43 is a recommendation from the MC to adopt a policy confirming that Regulations applicable to a WCF Event should not be varied in relation to that Event during its lifecycle.

What has happened in March?

The player surveys from the three recent Golf Croquet World Championships have now been analysed. A total of 37 players replied (Women’s GCWC 10, U21 GCWC 5 and GCWC 22) and the MC is grateful to them all for expressing their views. A summary is available on the WCF websites.

Perhaps the most interesting results were in relation to questions asking for comments on the use of the Atkins Quadway hoops, the use of the Block Seniority Method for seeding the knock-out stage and about the GC wrong ball law, Rule 11. The use of Atkins hoops in the U21 GCWC and GCWC was supported by 17 players and opposed by six (four did not comment) and the Block Seniority Method was approved of by 28 players and disapproved of by nine. The wrong ball rule was supported by 23 players and disapproved of by 14.

The dates of the next Association Croquet World Championship in April 2016 were settled and are given below. An active discussion of how best to stage the Golf Croquet World Team Championship was required after Egypt suggested that March 2016 in Cairo would not be feasible. The MC is pleased to report that the (English) Croquet Association has agreed to host both Tier 1 and Tier 2 in May 2016.

Keith Aiton resigned from the MC and Samir Patel has been co-opted to fill the vacancy. Samir and three other MC members will retire on 31 December 2015 but will be eligible for re-election. Keith was first elected in 2007 and the MC is very grateful to him for his years of service to the WCF.

The new web-site has been delivered with a more interesting and marketing-focussed home page and simpler navigation. It is now active and can be found at http://www.worldcroquet.org.uk. The current and new web-sites will be run in parallel until the new site is fully populated with archive data. Suggestions regarding the layout and content will be welcome.

Recent and forthcoming WCF championships

2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Nottingham from Saturday, 25 July to Saturday, 1 August 2015. The Event capacity has been increased to 36 players. The names of the 32 players with Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places are available on the WCF website under World 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. Please note the revised dates which are six days earlier than announced last month in order to oblige the NCC. The Invitation Date is expected to be in June 2015. More details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

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. Tier 2 will be held elsewhere in southern England from 14 or 15 May to 20 May 2016 with the intention that players from teams in both tiers can meet for a combined championship celebration.

MC Topics completed or closed in March

MC 251:           2014 Women’s GCWC

MC 278:           Review of croquet activity among Members.

MC 282:           2015 GCWC

MC 284:           New WCF web-site

MC 285:           2015 Under 21 GCWC

MC 311:           Regulation policy

MC 312:           2015 GCWC Qualifier Places

MC 315:           Management Committee vacancy

MC 316:           Refereeing Regulations – amendment of Reg 3(d)

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 March 2015

MC 283:           2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship, July 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 314:           Women’s GC World Team Championship.

Outlook for April

The main activities for the month will be focussed on the Statute Review and the early administration of the 2016 ACWC and 2016 GC WTC.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 3April 2015

WCF October 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 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

Three WCF Topics were published to Members and two have reached their closing dates and received responses.  Topic 33 concerned proposed amendments to current 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.  Comments have now been received from several Members and these are now under review.  Topic 34 received Member support for a MC proposal to advertise future WCF Topics on the WCF website and e-mail lists.  The text of the Topic will be published on the WCF website so that individuals with an interest or experience in the subject-matter will be able to pass on their views to their WCF Member and so help to develop that Member’s contribution to the Topic discussion.  This will be trialled throughout 2015.  Topic 35 is open and seeks Members’ views on the appropriate refund policy to adopt when players withdraw from a World Championship having already paid their entry fee.

What has been happening since July?

The main activity was the administration and preparation for the five forthcoming WCF championships and details of these events are given in the following section.  Other MC matters included seeking agreement for the long-term support of CroquetScores and agreeing that the WCF should seek to appoint a Golf Croquet Ranking Officer to complement the role of the existing AC Ranking Officer and to appoint Assistant Ranking Officers for both AC and GC to reduce the “key person” risk that currently exists.  The scope of the forthcoming WCF Statute Review has been under consideration and is expected to include a review of the existing WCF and MC sub-committees as well as the role of the WCF in relation to the MacRobertson Shield and the International Laws Committee.

Recent and forthcoming WCF championships

2014 Over-50 Golf Croquet World Championship

This was held at the Egyptian Croquet Federation lawns and at the Gizera Croquet Club in Zamalek, Cairo from Sunday, 5 October to Saturday, 11 October.  36 competitors from Australia, Egypt, England, Ireland, Latvia, Scotland, Spain, South Africa and USA took part and enjoyed glorious weather.  16 players progressed to the knock-out stage.  The second Over-50 Golf Croquet World Champion is Salah Hassan of Egypt who defeated Hazem Mahmoud, also of Egypt, in the final.  Salah is a former double Golf Croquet World Champion, in 1997 and 2000.

2014 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Cairo from Sunday, 16 November to Friday, 21 November.  The Event Capacity is 40 players and competitors will represent Australia, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland and the USA.

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.  The Event Capacity is 28 and Ranking Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Egypt, England and New Zealand.

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.  The Event Capacity is 80 and Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.  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 Event capacity is 32 players and the Response Date by which Members must inform the WCF if they wish to be awarded Membership Places is Sunday, 23 November 2014.

MC Topics completed or closed

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 for comment as Topic 33.

MC 287:           Hosting of 2017 AC WTC Tier 2.1.

MC 289:           Upgrade of Belgium membership status – approved by Council.

MC 290:           Appointment of Andrew Hope to Hall of Fame Committee.

MC 292:           Review of WCF and MC sub-committees – incorporated in Statute Review.

MC 293:           Member consultation practices – resolved through WCF Topic 34.

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 October 2015

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.

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

MC 288:           CroquetScores agreement.

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

MC 294:           Governance Working Group.

MC 295:           2016 Association Croquet World Championship – USCA bid expected soon.

MC 296:           Review of methods of making economic foreign payments.

MC 297:           Entry fees refunds policy – submitted to Council as Topic 35.

MC 298:           2010 MacRobertson Shield medals – MC agreed to award these retrospectively.

MC 299:           2015 WCF Annual General Meeting – will be held during 2015 GCWC.

MC 300:           2015 Business Plan to be published in draft to Members in November.

MC 301:           Statutes 301 to 304 – Topic 33 comments to be incorporated in revised draft.

MC 302:           Advertising of consultations and proposals – approved under Topic 34.

MC 303:           2014 Hall of Fame inductees to be announced in 2014Q4.

Outlook for November

The main activities for the month will be continuing to administer the forthcoming World Championships, finalising the revision of Statutes 301 to 307 for submission to Council, beginning the review of the WCF Statutes and preparing the 2015 Business Plan and Budget.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 2 November 2014

WCF November 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 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 35 sought Members’ views on the appropriate refund policy to adopt when players withdraw from a World Championship having already paid their entry fee and resulted in a decision that refunds net of transaction costs would be made.  The last quarter of the year generates three regular administrative WCF Topics, namely the review of the Business Plan (Topic 36) and Budget (Topic 38) and the election of an Independent Examiner (Topic 37) for the forthcoming year.  All are currently open.  An application from the Uruguay Croquet Federation to become an Observer Member has been received and is currently before Council (Topic 39).  Lastly, the Management Committee has recommended to Council that the trial of reaching Council decisions by e-mail voting should be ended and that this should become an approved method on a permanent basis.  This is also before Council as Topic 40.

What has been happening in November?

The month began with final preparations for the 2014 Women’s GCWC (see below for a brief report) and quickly progressed to the finalisation of the Business Plan, which included a detailed Development Report, and the Budget for 2015 so that they could be submitted to Council.

The Response Date for the 2015 Women’s ACWC passed on 23 November which triggered the process of considering Wild Card Places, Qualifier Places and Ranking Places.  The outcome will be announced on 21 December.

Comments received from Members on the Statute 301 to 309 consultation were incorporated in a fresh draft and have been submitted to the MC.  They should shortly be put forward to Council with the hope that they will be approved before 25 January 2015, the Closing Date for the 2015 Women’s ACWC.  The most significant improvement is that they will bring the provisions regulating the qualification of a player to represent a country into line with the new World Championship allocation process.

A new web-site with a new ISP and more interesting and marketing-focussed home page is under development.  Navigation will also be simplified.  The MC has seen the new design and it is intended to have the new site ready for population with the data on the current site by Christmas.  The plan is to launch the new web-site in the New Year and run two web-sites in parallel for a few weeks before closing the old site.

Recent and forthcoming WCF championships

2014 Women’s Golf Croquet World Championship

This was held in Cairo from Sunday, 16 November to Friday, 21 November.  40 players took part from Australia, Egypt, England, Finland, France, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Scotland and the USA.  It was expected that the top Egyptian ladies would provide the main challenge to Jenny Clarke of New Zealand, the top seed by ranking and the 2011 runner-up.  Jenny duly reached the final in impressive style but found herself facing Judith Hanekom of South Africa.  Judith had made a poor start and only just qualified for the knock-out.  However, she went from strength to strength and defeated four strong Egyptians to reach the final where she won a thrilling five-game final.

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.  The Event Capacity is 28 and Ranking Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Egypt, England and New Zealand.

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.  The Event Capacity is 80 and Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.  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 Event capacity has been increased to 36 players and the announcement of Wild Card Places and Ranking Places will be made on 21 December.  Members must inform the WCF of the names of those who have been allocated Membership Places by 25 January 2015.

MC Topics completed or closed in November

MC 288:           Croquet Scores agreement signed.

MC 294:           Governance Working Group.  Report made to Members.

MC 296:           Use of PayPal balances to make payments resolved.

MC 297:           Entry fee refunds policy.  Decision referred to Council as Topic 35.

MC 298:           ACWTC Tier 1 (MacRobertson Shield) medals.  Decision to award for 2010.

MC 299:           2015 WCF Annual General Meeting.  Will be held during 2015 GCWC.

MC 300:           2015 Business Plan – sent to Council as Topic 36.

MC 302:           Advertising of consultations etc. on the WCF web-site – sent to Council as Topic 34.

MC 303:           Confirmation of 2014 Hall of Fame inductees.

MC 304:           World Championship medals purchase – order placed with new supplier.

MC 305:           Election of Independent Examiner – sent to Council as Topic 37.

MC 306:           2015 Budget – sent to Council as Topic 38.

MC 307:           Application by Uruguay Croquet Federation – sent to Council as Topic 39.

MC 308:           E-mail voting – MC recommendation to approve sent to Council as Topic 40.

Topics open, pending or under administration on 30 November

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.

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

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

MC 295:           2016 Association Croquet World Championship.

MC 301:           Statutes 301 to 304 – Topic 33 comments to be incorporated in revised draft.

Outlook for December

The main activities for the month will be continuing to administer the forthcoming World Championships, submitting the amended revision of Statutes 301 to 307 to Council, beginning the review of the WCF Statutes and completing the Management Committee Report to Members for 2014.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 4 December 2014

WCF December 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 in the near future.  Your comments are always very welcome.  It is made available to all on the WCF web-site and via the Nottingham list and other croquet bulletin boards.

Council debates and decisions

The three regular fourth quarter administrative WCF Topics, namely the review of the Business Plan (Topic 36) and Budget (Topic 38) and the election of an Independent Examiner (Topic 37) for the forthcoming year were all approved.  David Walters had informed us that 2015 would be his last year as our Examiner and we thank him for his years of service.

The application from the Uruguay Croquet Federation to become an Observer Member was Topic 39 and achieved a record vote in favour of 58-0!  We extend a very warm welcome to Uruguay and look forward to other South American members in due course.  In Topic 40, Council approved the MC recommendation that e-mail voting should become an approved method of reaching Council decisions on a permanent basis.

The MC consulted the Council earlier in the year under Topic 33 about possible amendments to Statutes 301 to 309, including changes to Statute 303 to cater for the new world championship allocation process.  The responses have been incorporated in amendments proposed to Council as Topic 41 and the Closing Date is 18 January 2015.

What has been happening in December?

The Announcement Date for the 2015 Women’s ACWC occurred on 21 December.  Twelve Ranking Places and one Wild Card Place were awarded.  19 Membership Places and four Qualifier Places take the total to 36.  The Qualifying Tournament will be held at Nailsea Croquet Club near Bristol from Saturday, 18 to Monday, 20 July 2015.

The new web-site has been delivered with a more interesting and marketing-focussed home page and simpler navigation.  Population with data is under way and the plan is to launch the new web-site later this month and run the two web-sites in parallel for a few weeks before closing the old site.

Recent and forthcoming WCF championships

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.  The Event Capacity is 28 and Ranking Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Egypt, England and New Zealand.

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.  The Event Capacity is 80 and Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places have been awarded to competitors representing Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.  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 Event capacity has been increased to 36 players and the announcement of Wild Card Places and Ranking Places will be made on 21 December.  Members who have requested Membership Places must inform the WCF of the names of their players by 25 January 2015.

2016 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the National Croquet Centre, West Palm Beach, Florida from Friday, 22 April to Saturday, 30 April 2016.  The Qualifying Tournament will be held from Sunday, 17 April to Wednesday, 20 April 2016.  More details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

MC Topics completed or closed in December

MC 301:           Topic 33 comments to be incorporated in revised draft.

MC 304:           World Championship medals purchase.

MC 305:           Election of Independent Examiner.

MC 306:           2015 Budget.

MC 307:           Uruguay Croquet Federation membership application.

MC 308:           Adoption of e-mail voting on a permanent basis.

Topics open, pending or under administration on 31 December

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.

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

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

MC 295:           2016 Association Croquet World Championship.

MC 309:           2014 Management Committee report.

MC 310:           Approval of GC Rulings.

Outlook for January

The main activities for the month will be continuing to administer the forthcoming World Championships and beginning the review of the rest of the WCF Statutes.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 11 January 2015

WCF February 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

Council approved the amendments to Statutes 301 to 309, including changes to Statute 303 to cater for the new world championship allocation process on 18 January 2015.  New versions of the Statutes, the Event Regulations and the Sports Regulations are available on the WCF website.

What has been happening this year so far?

New Official Rulings for the 4th (2013) edition of the Golf Croquet Rules were published with effect from 1 January 2015.  The final stages of preparation for the 2015 Under 21 GCWC and the main Golf Croquet World Championship proceeded smoothly and both events were held very successfully in New Zealand.  Many thanks to Croquet New Zealand and to the event management teams led by Gordon Smith and Geoff Young for making it all happen.

Preparations for the next Association Croquet World Championship have begun and will gather pace later in the year.  Discussions are in progress concerning the date and location of the second Golf Croquet World Team Championship following Egypt’s proposal to advance the date from March 2016 to October/November 2015.

The new web-site encountered some minor technical problems which have now been overcome.  It should be fully active before the end of March.  The two web-sites will be run in parallel for a few weeks before closing the old site.

Recent and forthcoming WCF championships

2015 Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championship

This was held at the United Croquet Club, Christchurch, New Zealand from Sunday, 1 February to Thursday, 5 February 2015.  28 competitors from Australia, Egypt, England and New Zealand took part with pre-event expectations focussing on England’s Harry Dodge and the Egyptian squad of four.  However, what transpired was a home victory in very challenging playing conditions of fast courts and very firm Atkins hoops.  In the semi-finals, Egypt’s Marwan El Sabarouti gained revenge for a block defeat by Harry Dodge, winning 4-7, 7-4, 7-4, and New Zealander Josh Freeth defeated fellow-countryman Felix Webby 7-3, 7-5.  The final was extremely close but Josh continued to show admirable control and resolve to edge out Egypt’s Marwan by 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.

2015 Golf Croquet World Championship

This was held at the Mount Maunganui Croquet Club in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand’s North Island from Saturday, 7 February to Sunday, 15 February 2015.  The block stage also made use of clubs at Katikati, Rotorua and Whatekane.  80 competitors arrived from Australia, Belgium, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA.  After two successive non-Egyptian world champions, Egypt sent a large and strong squad to try and recover the title they had held from 1996 to 2008.  Much attention focussed on whether Reg Bamford could defend the title he won so spectacularly in Cairo in 2013.  Or would Ahmed Nasr gain his revenge and a third world title?  Or, perhaps, Hamy Erian, the 25 year old wunderkind of Egyptian croquet, would confirm his class and take his first World Championship.

The reality was fascinating.  Hamy made his way to the semi-finals with his typical efficiency and lack of drama and 12 consecutive match victories.  There he met Chris Clarke, providing a home country representative.  Chris had dropped one block match to another New Zealander, John Christie, but had otherwise looked in excellent form.  He and Hamy had a closely fought semi-final in which the young Egyptian demonstrated his calmness under pressure and won 7-2, 4-7, 7-6, 4-7, 7-3.  In the other half of the draw, Reg had had a tough time against the young New Zealander, Hemi McLaren in the opening round but then made a good start against Ahmed El Mahdi, another top Egyptian who had never made as much impact on a GCWC as the quality of his play would indicate.  Ahmed now caught fire with superb shooting and swept into the semi-final by 4-7, 7-4, 7-1.  There he met England’s Stephen Mulliner who had despatched Ahmed Nasr 7-5, 7-6 in the quarter-final.  However, El Mahdi continued his excellent form and won 7-6, 7-3, 7-6.

The final was dramatic.  Hamy looked invincible as he took the first two games 7-4, 7-5 and Ahmed’s shooting was clearly not operating at the level he had shown in the previous two matches.  However, he clawed back in the third by 7-4 and repeated this in game 4.  Any doubts about Hamy’s confidence were swiftly dispelled as he took a 5-1 lead in the decider.  However, after a prolonged duel at hoop 7, Ahmed began an astonishing run of six consecutive hoops to take the game 7-5 and the title.  Many congratulations to both players for a truly excellent display.

2015 Women’s Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Nottingham from Saturday, 25 July to Saturday, 1 August 2015.  The Event capacity has been increased to 36 players.  The names of the 32 players with Ranking Places, Wild Card Places and Membership Places are available on the WCF website under World Championships.

2016 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held at the National Croquet Centre, West Palm Beach, Florida from Friday, 22 April to Saturday, 30 April 2016.  The Qualifying Tournament will be held from Sunday, 17 April to Wednesday, 20 April 2016.  The Invitation Date is expected to be in June 2015.  More details will be available on the WCF website in due course.

MC Topics completed or closed in 2015

MC 309:           2014 MC Report approved and published.

MC 310:           2015 Official Rulings on the 2013 GC Rules approved and published.

MC 312:           GCWC qualifier places.

Topics open, pending or under administration on 28 February 2015

MC 251:           2014 Women’s GCWC (player survey to be completed)

MC 278:           Review of croquet activity among Members.

MC 282:           2015 GCWC, February 2015 (player survey to be completed)

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

MC 284:           New WCF web-site.

MC 285:           2015 Under 21 GCWC, February 2015 (player survey to be completed)

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

MC 295:           2016 Association Croquet World Championship.

MC 311:           Regulation policy.

MC 313:           2016 GC World Team Championship.

MC 314:           Women’s GC World Team Championship.

Outlook for March

The main activities for the month will be analysing the results of the player surveys for the last three WCF events, continuing to administer the forthcoming 2015 Women’s AC World Championships and continuing the review of the WCF Statutes.

 Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General 3 March 2015