TIGHT GP RACE FOR 2014: With 2014 in the books, that brings another USCA Grand Prix to a close. The standings show that Jeff Soo edged out Ben Rothman with 22,225 points to Rothman's 19,515. Based on Rothman's three national titles (USCA Singles, GC Singles and GC Doubles) versus Soo's two titles (AC Singles and USCA Doubles), it could again spell controversy for the USCA which uses the Grand Prix to select the USCA Player of the Year.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Fletcher Wins Fourth Australian Open
AUSTRALIAN OPEN: Robert Fletcher claimed his fourth straight Australian Open singles title with a 3-0 win over Kevin Beard (26tp-0, 26tpo-14, 26tpo-13) at the Victorian Croquet Centre, Cairnlea, Victoria. The event was held November 18-23 and Fletcher went 14-0 and is the world number one AC player with a 2787 dynamic grade and a 71-9 record for 2014. Full bracket.
HANEKOM INTERVIEW: CWO has an extended interview with new Women's GC World Champion Judith Hanekom. Excerpt:
Morning Coffee: South Africa Rules GC
HANEKOM WINS WOMENS GCWC: Judith Hanekom from South Africa took down New Zealand's Jenny Clarke 7-3, 4-7, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5 to become the fifth holder of the WCF Women's Golf Croquet World Championship. The event played out the over the past week in Cairo, Egypt.
Morning Coffee: CWO Interviews Soo
CWO INTERVIEWS JEFF SOO: An extended interview with American legend Jeff Soo has been posted on the the Croquet World Online site. Lots of good stuff. Here's an excerpt before you jump in:
Golf Croquet is a boon, nothing mixed about it. The health of croquet isn't measured by how many dues-paying members there are, but how much croquet is being played. Golf Croquet has a much broader appeal than Association Croquet or American rules. Maybe if the USCA put more work into the development Golf Croquet events we'd get more members. Right now there's very little on the calendar.
Morning Coffee: World GC Qualifier
The WCF has space is available in the 2015 Golf Croquet World Championship Qualifying Tournament for USCA players. If you are interested in playing, please contact Eric Sawyer ecsccs@sbcglobal.net or Martin Selman martynselman@yahoo.com before December 7,
Morning Coffee: USCA 9W Nationals Primer
The USCA returns to Kansas City today to host the 2014 Nine Wicket National Championship at Liberty Memorial. It is arguably the most visible setting the sport has enjoyed since the days of Wimbledon. I suppose there is Central Park, but even those courts are sort of hidden away. Players will be in wide-open view near the Memorial and the National WWI Museum which all rests at the southern part of downtown Kansas City.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: USCA Names 2015 GCWC Players
Sherif Abdelwahab
The USCA has announced Sherif Abdelwahab, Stephen Morgan, Matt Griffith and Carl Uhlman as selections for the 2015 WCF World Golf Croquet Championship to be held February 7-15, 2015 in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Abdelwahab, earned a ranking position in the event, while Morgan was awarded one of the wildcard positions.
Morning Coffee: Clarke Croquet
When I heard that Chris and Jenny Clarke were launching a croquet instruction website, I was definitely skeptical. Oxford Croquet has it all covered, right? I was pleasantly surprised though as I took my first spin through. Essentially, what I see is more plain-spoken approach that is concise and with adequate amount of graphics. The format is nice as a sort of page by page navigation and I could see that translating easily into a print book (that I would gladly purchase). I am hoping there is a save my place function that I will discover in my next visit.
Morning Coffee: Foot in Wicket
Jim Bast submitted the following story from the 2014 MacRobertson Shield:
Danny and I were in a doubles match against Paddy Chapman and Chris Clarke of New Zealand at the United Club in Christchurch. My ball was near hoop four and it was our turn to play. After consideration of multiple options it was clear to us that I had to shoot at the opponents’ balls near hoop three.
Morning Coffee: USCA's Croquet Week Is On
David McCoy beat Matt Griffith 7-5, 7-6 to claim the championship flight at the Croquet Week GC tournament. In first flight, Mike Sexton beat Bill Bromley 7-4, 7-1 for first place. (Full Results)
Croquet Week continues on with the annual planning meeting on Tuesday. Friday night is the annual awards ceremony, but the main event is the Club Teams Championship which kicks off Wednesday.
The USCA National Club Teams Croquet Championships will be held on the lawns at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on March 12-16. Ninety players from clubs throughout the United States are expected to compete in five flights in this doubles only event on the Center’s courts. Teams not only compete for victory in their respective flight but are also competing for the coveted Lyons Trophy, which is awarded to the top clubs in three divisions.