WCF December 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
Amir Ramsis (EGY) retired as WCF President on 31 December 2019 on completing his second four-year term of office and Luis de Gortazar (ESP), Mike Orgill (USA) and Samir Patel (ENG) all retired by rotation. Luis and Mike decided not to stand for re-election.
Ian Burridge (WAL) and Mike Cohn (AUS) were nominated as candidates for the post of WCF President and Ian was elected by 42 votes to 18.
Harold (Hal) Denton (USA), Begoña Elzaburu (ESP), Samir Patel (ENG) and Amir Ramsis (EGY) were nominated for three places on the WCF Management Committee. Samir, Hal and Amir were elected to serve until 31 December 2023 with 44, 41 and 37 votes respectively with Begoña only just behind with 36 votes.
The WCF also voted on three subjects in December. Statute changes were approved as Topic 80, including the limitation of the Secretary-General’s tenure to two four-year terms and creation of the post of Deputy Secretary-General to be appointed for the last year of a Secretary-General’s term to facilitate a smooth handover. Topics 81 and 82 dealt with the approval of the 2020 Budget and the re-election of Brian Havill as the WCF’s Independent Examiner.
What has happened since September?
The Secretary-General visited the newly-formed Algarve Croquet Club in Portugal to provide coaching and to discuss the formation of a new Portuguese croquet governing body. It is hoped that a Portuguese Croquet Association will be formed and that Portugal will be represented in the Tier 3 of the 2020 Golf Croquet Golf Croquet World Team Championship.
The WCF Hall of Fame is to be relaunched in 2020 and the Management Committee decided that the process should be initiated by nominating Bryan Dawson (AUS) to be inducted as the first new member since 2014. in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the sport as the manufacturer of the Dawson Ball, the premier competition ball for over 20 years.
The Australian Croquet Association has bid to hold the next Over 50 Golf Croquet World Championship in Bunbury, Western Australia from 15 to 23 October 2022. The bid has been accepted in principle and, all being well, will lead to the first time this popular event has been held outside Egypt.
The Croquet Association followed this by bidding to hold the next but one Association Croquet World Championship in London from 16 to 24 July 2022. The Hurlingham Club will be the headquarters with other London clubs providing additional courts. This bid has also been accepted in principle.
As noted above, Amir Ramsis completed his term as WCF President on 31 December 2019. In his eight years in office, Amir has assiduously attended most of the WCF Events in that time to welcome the players, assist with presenting the trophies and to express the appreciation of the WCF to all the Event Hosts. His enthusiasm and support for both codes of the game will be warmly remembered by all who have met him.
Forthcoming WCF championships
2020 Golf Croquet World Team Championship – Tier 1
Tier 1 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. The eight teams will represent Australia, Egypt, England, Ireland, New Zealand (the holders), South Africa, Sweden and the USA.
2020 Golf Croquet World Team Championship – Tier 2
Tier 2 will be held in southern Spain from 11 to 16 May 2020. Real Club de Golf Vista Hermosa is located in Puerto de Santa Maria, near Cadiz, and will be the headquarters with additional courts provided by Sherry Golf Jerez and Real Club de Golf Novi Sancti Petri. The eight teams will represent the Czech Republic, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Scotland, Spain, Switzerland and Wales.
2020 Golf Croquet World Team Championship – Tier 3
Tier 3 will be held in England at the Guildford & Godalming Croquet Club in Surrey from 15 to 18 July 2020. The competing teams are expected to represent Iran, Mexico and Portugal.
2020 Association Croquet World Championship
The 2020 ACWC will be held Croquet Centre near Melbourne from 15 to 23 February 2020. 76 places have been awarded and four more will be available to the top placed players in the Qualifying Tournament.
Membership and RCO enquiries
The Iran Croquet Association was awarded Recognised Croquet Organisation status in November.
Management Committee topics
Topics recently completed or closed
MC 386: Commonwealth Games
MC 406: Croquet Mexico
MC 408: Iran Croquet Association
MC 414: 2019 elections
MC 417: Purchase of trophies 2020-2022
MC 418: Statute changes
MC 420: Artificial surfaces
MC Topics currently open
MC 352: 10-year World Championship schedule
MC 392: 2020 GCWTC Tier 2 (ESP), Tier 3 (ENG)
MC 393: 2020 WACWC
MC 394: 2021 U21 GCWC (NZL)
MC 395: 2021 GCWC (NZL)
MC 396: 2021 ACWTC Tier 1 (MacRob)(AUS) (was MC 384)
MC 397: 2021 ACWTC Tier 2 (ENG)
MC 405: S-G succession
MC 407: Portugal
MC 411: Banking arrangements
MC 412: 2022 ACWC (ENG)
MC 421: Future strategy and Business Plan
MC 422: Development Working Group
MC 423: Handicapping
MC 424: MC conference calls
MC Topics currently under administration
MC 365: Hall of Fame relaunch
MC 377: GC Rankings Regulations
MC 390: 2020 GCWTC Tier 1 (Openshaw Shield) (NZL)
MC 391: 2020 Association Croquet World Championship
MC 424: Golf Croquet Country Rankings
Outlook for January and beyond
A membership survey will be carried out to assist in drawing up a new Business Plan for publication in April. The new President, Ian Burridge, is keen to make development a more active part of the WCF’s overall function.
Stephen Mulliner
Secretary-General
20 January 2020