I am new to the sport of http://www.playcroquet.com/index.php>croquet
, as a professionally competitive sport.
I have played backyard croquet and poison
croquet with friends and family, but there
have never been clubs or professional competitions
in my vicinity. I am therefore researching
various tournaments, where and when they
occur, along with how they are played and
how one can enter those tournaments. This
is the first of probably several articles
which I will write on the subject. This
first article will be written on the United
States National Croquet Championships. According
to the United States Croquet Association
website, the tournament occurs from May
31 to June 5. Because the tournament follows
international rules, it is also termed the
USCA International Rules National Championships,
as opposed to the USCA AC National Championships
American Rules, which is held annually in
November and December. This year (2005)
the tournaments were held in Seattle, the
same place they were held in 2001, and hosted
by the Puget Sound Croquet Club.
According to Jeff Soo, who reported
on the National Championships in the Croquet
World Online Magazine, (May 25, 2005),
eleven of the top twenty croquet players,
as determined by the World Ranking, competed
in the tournament. Because of the small
number of lawns available for the tournament,
it is limited to only twenty players per
one flight. Jeff Soo also said that five
of this year’s competitors can claim nine
of the last twelve singles titles in this
event – Leo McBride, John Taves, Bob Cherry,
and Mik Mehas. “Paul Scott has won the
last three doubles titles with two different
partners.” Also, according to Soo, the
games will be played as “straight knockouts,”
meaning that each match is won by the
best out of three games in both singles
and doubles. There will also be a singles
Plate match in “flexible Swiss format.”
Danny Huneycutt, Croquet World Online
Magazine (6 Jun 2005) mentioned that for
the first time in North America, competitors
were allowed to play “plate game, even
prior to being eliminated from the main
event.” The plate games were limited to
two-and-a-half hours while main event
matches, doubles and singles, were limited
to seven-and-a-half hours. Time limits
and other technical changes made the tournament
run smoothly and efficiently.
Entry into the tournament was restricted
to invitation. Players entered the tournaments
by mail invitations, which posted the
requirements for entry; hence, I do not
know all of the requirements for entry.
Since it is the national championships
I would assume that all contestants must
have won other tournaments, which qualified
them for the national championship. The
entry deadline was May 16. Jerry Stark
and Jeff Soo were co-tournament directors
for this years match.
This years’ tournament ended with a
new national champion, Danny Huneycutt,
who beat Paul Scott in a three-game match.
Stark won the Plate knockout over John
Taves. The tournament did receive some
media in Washington where it was held,
giving publicity to the sport of croquet
and providing an opportunity for croquet
players to explain to locals and visitors
about the tournament, and the sport of
croquet itself.
There are many other croquet tournaments
in the United States, Canada, and other
countries. I will write articles about
the other croquet tournaments as well.
For more information about http://www.playcroquet.com/index.php>croquet
or http://www.playcroquet.com/index.php>croquet
sets, go to www.playcroquet.com
