The 2nd WCF Golf Croquet Team Championship - Tier 1
Venue: Surbiton Croquet Club, England
Dates: 15 May - 21 May 2016
Champion: New Zealand (Duncan Dixon, Chris Clarke, Jenny Clarke, Phillip Drew)
Finalist: Egypt (Ahmed Nasr, Mohamed Karem, Mohamed Nasr, Hamy Erian, Amr Baher)
3rd: England (Stephen Mulliner, Lionel Tibble, William Gee, Rachel Rowe, Tobi Savage)
4th: Ireland (Jack Clingan, Simon Williams, Charlie von Schmieder, Patsy Fitzgerald, Evan Newell)
5th: United States of America (Ben Rothman, Danny Huneycutt, Sherif Abdelwahab, David Bent, Rich Lamm)
6th: Sweden (Anton Varnas, Lewis Palmer, Simon Carlsson, Joi Elebo)
7th: South Africa (Reg Bamford, William Louw, Judith Hanekom, Victor Dladla)
8th: Wales (David Walters, John Evans, Ian Burridge, Chris Williams, Peter Balchin)
Full results are available at https://croquetscores.com/2016/gc/golf-croquet-world-team-tier-1-at-surbiton
Commentary
New Zealand held a 4-2 lead overnight but saw the match tighten to 5-4 after the morning doubles and two singles. A crowed of well over 100 watched the final four singles.
Ahmed Nasr kept Egyptian hopes alive by defeating Duncan Dixon 7-4, 7-6 but, in the bottom singles, where Egyptian hopes were probably highest, it was the turn of Jenny Clarke and Phillip Drew to rise to the occasion.
Jenny defeated Mohamed Nasr 7-4, 5-7, 7-3 and Phillip beat Hamy Erian 7-6, 7-6. This gave New Zealand an unassailable 7-5 lead and the match between Chris Clarke and Mohamed Karem was abandoned at 6-6 in the second game, the first having gone to Chris 7-5.
The New Zealand team was presented with their winner's medals by Amir Ramsis, the WCF President and the Openshaw Shield by David Openshaw himself. Quiller Barrett, the President of the Croquet Association, paid a warm tribute to the great efforts made by the teams of vounteers at the host clubs of Surbiton, Bath, Camerton & Peasdown and Guildford & Godalming.