Congratulations Team USA
The USA team played superbly throughout and had a well deserved win in the recent World Team Championships. Their squad of five players included the last 3 Singles GC World Championships, Ben Rothman (captain), Matthew Essick and Blake Fields. They were ably supported by Tom Balding and Stephen Morgan.
The Egyptian team had a great run through to the final. They also sent a squad of five players, featuring Mohamed Nasr, the 2026 Singles Champion as their captain, and top ranked and experienced players: Khaled Kamel, Mohamed Taha, Mohamed Walid and Yasser Sayed. In Cairo, Egypt play with different equipment and hoops, and normally later in the day, so it was great to see them playing closer to their best when dealing with overseas conditions.
Bronze medal went to the home nation, Australia. The three Fletcher brothers were supported by Ed Wilson. They all played superbly but were outclassed by Egypt in the semi-final. New Zealand fought hard in the 3rd/4th place play-off but narrowly lost, Australia taking home the medal with a 5 to 4 win.
The relegation match was between Ireland and Spain. Spain had been unable to send their top players and were keen not to go back into Division 2 which they won in 2021. Unfortunately unable to send their top players, due to work and family responsibities, the spaniards had to work hard.
Nicolas Denizot (Captain), was supported by his mother, Begoña Elzaburu (is this the first time a mother and son have played in the World Teams?), Juan Ojeda and Julian Gutierrez.
It came down to the final hoop, of the final game, in the final match. Begoña vs Rob O’Donoghue were 1 game all, 4 matches all, and it went to a thrilling 13th hoop. Well done Begoña for holding her nerve, playing some good positional shots, and winning for the spaniards.
The event was filmed every day by 'You Tube Live Sports' and the videos can be watched in full on their site. Links to all the footage can be found in the WCF YouTube channel - go to Playlist GC World Teams Championships.
Full Results can be found on CroquetScores
A huge thank you to PFC Mallets for sponsoring the championship, and also to the many other companies that supported the event.
We couldn't hold these events without the many hard-working volunteers. Your efforts help make WCF Championships successful. Thank you so much.
Some photos from the week.
The link for the livestream HAS MOVED
To access it go to YouTube and search for The Openshaw Shield 2025.
It's being aired by YouTube Live Sports. https://www.youtube.com/@Youtubelivesports
Each day is split into 3 separate live feeds.
The WCF PFC Mallets GC World Teams Championship, competing for the Openshaw Shield is the fourth occurrence of this contest. It will be held between Monday, 17th to Sunday 23rd February 2025 at the Northern Tasmanian Croquet Centre, St Leonards, Tasmania.
The team entry fee for this event is £588 per team (based on 7 days, teams of 4, @ £21 per player per day).
8 full-sized courts will be available, to host the 8 teams of 4 players who will compete. The competing teams, all of whom have confirmed their attendance, are:
New Zealand (Holders)
Australia
Egypt
England
Ireland
South Africa
Spain
USAEvent Conditions and Information:
Rules: the latest editions of the Rules at the time of the event (currently Edition 6, 2022) and any Official Rulings on the Rules of Golf Croquet that may be issued prior to the commencement of the event, will be used.
Lawns: these are anticipated to be 11-12 Plummers in speed. The courts do not have lighting, however, at this time of year there is thirteen (13) hours of daylight.
Balls: WCF approved balls – type to be confirmed at least six months
prior to the event start date.
Hoops: Quadway, set to WCF Tournament standards
Click the image to access the dedicated Event Website
To see all the previous winners, visit the Championship archives and Roll of Honour:
