February 2017 Newsletter

WCF February 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

There were the usual end of year reporting topics and two decisions on the WCF Statutes and the Finance Regulations.  Version 12.0 of the WCF Statutes was approved by Members by Topic 57 on 25 December 2016.  Christian Carter was elected at Independent Examiner for 2017 by Topic 58, also on 25 December 2016.  The 2017 Budget and Business Plan were approved by Topics 59 and 60 on 1 January 2017.  Version 1.3 of the Finance Regulations was approved by Topic 61, also on 1 January 2017.

What happened since November?

As referred to above, the formal reporting to Members was completed and updates to the Finance Regulations and the WCF Statutes were approved by Members.

One of the important elements in the Statutes was the formation of a new WCF Association Croquet Laws Committee which has taken over the functions of the International Laws Committee.  The first voting members of the ACLC are those of the former ILC, namely Elizabeth Fleming (AUS), Graeme Roberts (NZL), Martyn Selman (USA) and Ian Vincent (ENG, chairman).  The GC Rules Committee now contained seven members, namely Brian Boutel (NZL, chairman), Georg Dej (CAN), Luis de Gortazar (ESP), Jeffrey Hill (USA), Gordon Matthews (AUS), Stephen Mulliner (ENG) and Amir Ramsis (EGY).

The 2017 Under 21 GCWC and the main GCWC were held at the Victorian Croquet Centre in Melbourne in February and March.  The standard of play in the Under 21 event reached new heights and Felix Webby, 16, from New Zealand became the new world champion, defeating compatriot George Coulter in the final by 7-3, 7-6, 7-5.

The GCWC entry of 80 contained 19 players aged below 30, of whom 14 qualified for the knock-out stage.  Three of these, Hamy Erian (EGY), Mohammed Karem (EGY) and Felix Webby (NZL), reached the quarter-finals and Erian and Webby went on to the semi-finals.  However, former World Champions Reg Bamford (ZAF, 2013) and Ahmed Nasr (EGY, 2004 and 2008) squared off in the final for a third such meeting, the predecessors being 2008 in Cape Town and 2013 in Cairo.  Perhaps inevitably the match went to the fifth game and Reg Bamford emerged the winner 7-6, 5-7, 7-4, 3-7, 7-4 to regain the title.

The match contained several extraordinary shots but the two that stand out belong to Bamford.  Having been behind for all of game 1, he squared the game at 6-6 but seemed to have blown any chance of saving it when an attempted cut rush to hoop 13 went awry.  However, he hit twice from near 12 and then ran the hoop from near corner 3.  Game 4, although taken decisively by Nasr, contained Bamford’s extraordinary feat of scoring hoop 2 by jumping hoop 1 on the full from the south boundary!

Forthcoming WCF championships

2017 Association Croquet World Team Championship

Tier 1, the MacRobertson Shield, will be held at Mission Hills Country Club, Palm Springs, California from Monday, 17 April 2017 to Friday, 4 May 2017.

Tiers 2.1, Tiers 2.2 and 3 will be held at Sussex County Croquet Club in England from Monday, 17 to Saturday, 22 July 2017.  Tier 2.1 will be contested by teams representing Ireland (holders), Scotland, Spain and Wales.  Tier 2.2 and 3 will be played as a merged event between teams representing Canada, the Czech Republic, Germany, South Africa and Sweden.

2018 Association Croquet World Championship

This will be held in Wellington, New Zealand from Saturday, 3 to Sunday, 11 February 2018.

Membership enquiries

None other than the proposed Greek Croquet Association.

MC Topics recently completed or closed

MC 331:          International Laws Committee

MC 346:          WCF Statutes revision project

MC 348:          WCF trophies – repairs and flight box

MC 355:          New signatories for WCF accounts

MC 356:          Finance Regulation amendments

MC 357:          Election of Treasurer

MC 358:          Formal Q4 business.

MC Topics open, pending or under administration on 28 February 2017

MC 318:          2017 GCWC and Under 21 GCWC

MC 324:          2017 AC World Team Championship

MC 352:          10-year World Championship schedule

MC 353:          Golf Croquet Ranking Review Working Group

MC 354:          2018 Association Croquet World Championship

MC 359:          UK Corporation Tax

MC 360:          AC Laws Committee and GC Rules Committee

Outlook for March and April

The ACLC and GCRC have begun working towards new editions of the AC Laws and GC Rules and the ACLC intends to meet in person during the MacRobertson Shield event in April.  The MC will focus on the completion of the 10-year World Championship schedule and the finalisation of arrangements for the 2017 AC World Team Championship in England in July.

Stephen Mulliner

Secretary-General

9 March 2017