Sonoma Croquet

United States MacRobertson Shield Team Announced

2006-01-31T08:53:00.000-08:00

Johnny Mitchell, chair of the USCA Selection Committee has just announced the US MacRobertson Shield Team:

(In alphabetical order)

Damon Bidencope
Bob Cherry
Danny Huneycutt
Rich Lamm
Jeff Soo
Jerry Stark

1st Alternate – Mike Jenner
2nd Alternate – John Taves
3rd Alternate - Paul Bennett

Bennett, Lamm and Stark will be playing at the North American Open at Sonoma Cutrer from May 14 to May 20, 2006.

North American Open Purse Announcement

2006-01-18T15:21:00.000-08:00

The Sonoma Cutrer Croquet Club announces:

NORTH AMERICAN OPEN 2006
May 15 – May 20, 2006
Sonoma-Cutrer Winery, Windsor, California
Association rules purse tournament, sanctioned by USCA, in conjunction with the Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation’s annual Croquet Invitational.
$3000 first prize
$1250 second prize
$1000 third prize
$250 to medallists (first and second block finishers) if not first, second or third
$250 to plate winner

How American-Rules Deadness Was Created

2006-01-09T12:48:00.000-08:00

Read about it here:

http://www.croquetworld.com/Game/carryover.asp

An Interview With Herbert Bayard Swope, Jr.

2006-01-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Bob Alman's brilliant interview with Herbert Bayard Swope, Jr. Read it here:

http://www.croquetworld.com/News/inventing.asp

Bryan Lloyd-Pratt

2006-01-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

An excellent and amusing article from www.croquetworld.com:

http://www.croquetworld.com/People/Lloyd-pratt.asp

Reg Bamford on Egyptian Golf Croquet and Practicing

2006-01-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

From a recent posting by Reg Bamford on the Nottingham Board:

Here are some observations - and some interesting sequences of play - from the Egyptian Open in 2005:

1. They ALL play with an Irish grip. I didn't see one player with a Solomon or Standard grip (and this included watching the final stages of a local competition). I suspect that this is because they haven't been exposed to these other grips, or that they are simply taught the "Egyptian way" when they learn to play (even though that learning process only takes about 3 minutes). I don't believe that this Irish Grip, though, gives them any sort of advantage over someone player with a Solomon or Standard.

2. They ALL hit the ball VERY hard, with the exception of Salah who is very much a "touch" player. This also manifests into shot selection - he'll rather lag up than shoot.

3. With the exception of Khalid, their mallet shafts tend to be about 3/4 the length of a "normal" length shaft. If we assume that the ideal length of the shaft results in the top of the shaft coming up to the height of one's wrist when standing upright, then theirs may come up to the tips of their fingers (i.e. theirs are about 6 inches shorter).

3. With the exception of Khalid (who grips near the top of the shaft), they all tend to grip quite low down the shaft. Most start their stance with their grip a third of the way down the shaft, and then just before they start their backswing, they lean forward, and drop their hands lower down the shaft. The result is that they end up gripping about half-way down the shaft. This allows for a very whippy action, with the result that they can strike the ball very hard. In one game, I saw a Walid scatter shot bounce off another ball, and take-off high into the air. It went like a bullet over the 4 foot perimeter fencing, and fly - head high - between two spectators sitting next to the court. Very serious injuries would have occurred if it had struck one of them on the head. Normally, players will warn spectators of their intention, and it is not uncommon to see spectators being asked to move away from the line of a shot.

4. Many of them have interlocking, or overlapping, fingers in their grip. Take Ahmed Nasr (the current World Champ) as an example. Imagine that you interlock your own fingers, with your palms facing upwards. The shaft will be squeezed between the middle fingers and the ring fingers so that four fingers are in front of the shaft, and four fingers behind. Then squeeze the palms together around the shaft. The two thumbs rest against the front of the shaft.

5. None of them "cast" over the ball. This may be because they've never been exposed to it, or because they're concerned of the risk of flicking the top of the ball while casting - deemed a shot in GC.

6. They ALL insist on the hoop being firmly in the ground if a hoop shot is attempt. They will ask the ball-boy or referee to knock the hoop further into the ground (or even do it themselves with their mallet) before they attempt a hoop shot. This is quite contrary to what AC players do (and prefer?). Personally, I've always found that loose hoops are easier to run, but there may be a specific GC reason for their practice.

Another area that I'll comment on is their supposed ACCURACY:

Their top players ARE accurate, but I believe that fundamentally they're just as accurate as AC's top shots are. However, you cannot dispute that Egyptian GC players have raised the stakes in what is considered as good shooting vs what is considered as great shooting. When they are playing well, the 8-yard hoop shot (I believe this to be the definitive shot in GC, and a benchmark of accuracy. It's a shot you've got to make consistently) is played with 80% success. For an AC player, that may appear unimaginable - top AC players may consider a 5 yard hoop shot at around 50%(?).

Let me relate to a sequence of shots in my quarter final game against Ahmed Nasr: I had won hoop 6 with BLUE. He took position in front of 1 back on the boundary (a standard play, given that he then can't be scattered) with RED. I took position alongside his ball on the boundary with BLACK. He then played YELLOW to between 1 back and 2 back(!). I then tried to block his RED ball by taking position in front of 1 back with BLUE. He then ran 1 back with RED. I took position at 2 back with BLACK. He ran 2 back with YELLOW(!). I then took position in front of 3 back with BLUE (on the boundary). He does the same with RED. I then learn my lesson, and play BLACK to between 3 back and 4 back. He does the same with YELLOW. I then run 3 back with BLUE. All in all, 4 hoops in 12 shots.

Let me relate another sequence of play in the same match - but a different game. I run hoop 3 with BLUE from the boundary, and fortuitously run hoop 4 in the same shot(!). Ahmed takes position at hoop 5 with RED. I take position at hoop 5 with BLACK. His YELLOW ball is on the South boundary 5 yards East of the mid-point (he got to this position by scattering one of my balls at hoop 3). He runs hoop 5 with YELLOW(!). I take position at hoop 6 with BLUE. Ahmed runs hoop 6 with RED to the boundary(!). I go to the boundary in front of 1 back with BLACK. YELLOW takes position between 1 back and 2 back (2!!). BLUE takes the same position. RED shoots at 1 back from end of B baulk (where it finished up after running hoop 6, and almost runs the hoop (!!!). BLACK runs 1 back from the boundary. 4 hoops in 6 shots, and 5 hoops in 11 shots (but so nearly could have been 10 shots!!). Now this wasn't a practice game - it was a knockout match in a money tournament, and the primary source of income for Ahmed who is a croquet pro. For the record, I got my revenge on Ahmed, winning 7-4, 7-2. Very sweet revenge, I must add, after my 7-6, 7-6 loss to him at the Worlds.

I strongly agree with Stephen Mulliner's assertion (made in a previous posting) that continuous shooting during a game of Golf Croquet DOES increase one's accuracy. The continual shot-making enables a player to "find" his swing and get it "grooved". I can also relate this to my own experiences in practice. My practice routines do not vary, and I've used them for the last 3 years: 16 shots on a swing trainer, 16 8-yard hoop without the trainer, and 16 shots at the peg from the side boundary. I do around 10 such circuits during a practice session, and nothing else. At the start of the session, my success % for the 8-yard hoop shots will be around 30%, and my peg shot % will be around 40%. By the end of my practice session, my 8-yard hoop shots will be around 95% (my best is 32 in a row) , and my peg shots will be just under 100% (my best is 64 in a row). So here's the lesson: you can ONLY achieve those sorts of % at the END OF A PRACTICE session, and not at the beginning. And if you transfer this theory to the courts, you can only reach your "purple patch" during, or at the the end of, a game of GC. That said, I'm currently working on one or two ways of replicating this at the BEGINNING of a game of GC or when taking the lift shot in AC. It will involve some sort of mental conditioning and a mild form of self-hypnosis (which I've used successfully in the past), but it's still work-in-progress.

U.S. Solomon Team Announced

2005-02-12T20:38:00.000-08:00

The United States Croquet Association selection committee announced the Solomon Team yesterday. The players are Damon Bidencope, Bob Cherry, Curtis Drake, Danny Huneycutt, Jeff Soo, and Jerry Stark. This is a very strong team, a team that could compete in the MacRobertson Shield. The first and second alternates are Paul Bennett and Rich Lamm, too very capable dudes. The Solomon Cup will be played at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California from March 24 - 27. It is a team competition between the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom named in honor of the great British player John Solomon.

Best of luck, guys!

Slightly Off-Topic, But Relevant: David Duval's Fall

2005-02-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2005/02/12/SPGR3BA8D61.DTL

Keith Aiton Weighs In Sextuple Tactics

2005-02-04T09:31:00.000-08:00

From the Nottingham board:

Just to show that there is more than one way to skin a cat: Croquet oppo to 3, rush peelee to 2. Take off to 1, make 1 with a rush N and set up escape ball S and E of 2. Make 2 off peelee, peel 1b ideally all the way to 2b. Rush escape ball N of 3 and croquet it to 4. Make 3 and rush N and W of peelee (assuming peelee is not close to 2b). Croquet escape ball S and E of 2b, rush peelee N and E of 4, croquet it in front of 2b. Make 4 and rush to S of 2b. Croquet pioneer to 6. Peel 2b and obtain rush to 5. Make 5 with a rush S of peelee. Croquet pioneer to 1b and obtain rush on peelee N of 6. Croquet peelee in front of 3b. Make 6 and rush to S and E of peelee. Croquet pioneer to 2b. Peel 3b with a roll to 1b. Make 1b with a rush S and E of peelee. Croquet escape ball to 4b (the only remote pioneer!) Rush peelee S and W of 2b. Croquet peelee to 4b. Make 2b with a rush to E of 4b. Croquet pioneer a couple of yards W of 4b. Make peel and obtain rush to 3b. Make 3b with a rush to N and E of 4b (you might not manage this so a roll may be required). Croquet escape ball/pivot/pioneer to penult, obtain rush on peelee to 4b pioneer. Croquet peelee in front of penult obtaining rush to 4b. Make 4b and finish with a straight double.There are probably three places where I may choose to rush to the next peeling hoop instead of croqueting to it as described above. (1) If the 1b peel has gone almost all the way to 2b (I may even attempt the 2b peel with a take off to the pioneer at 4). (2) From 2b to 3b if I don't have enough room to send the pioneer to 1b and get a rush N or if the pioneer at 6 is particularly good. I can usually get the peelee positioned adequately with a ropey rush and a thick take off. (3) If the 3b peel has gone most of the way to 4b then I will rush to 4b (or the peelee) after 1b and rush the peelee to 4b and take off to the pioneer at 2b.To anticipate someone commenting "but you're rushing all over the place", yes, but never with a need to be particularly accurate, so long as enough room is left to play a croquet stroke.

If you think this method requires accurate croquet strokes, well, DUH!I am not claiming this is a better method than the one described by Rob, just an alternative. Personally I aspire to playing like Rob and Reg, ie rushing to a standard that makes it possible to peel a hoop and the next time you roquet the peelee rush it to peeling position. It's also useful to be able to rush to a hoop from 14 to 25 yards away and make it under sufficient control to obtain a rush to wherever you want. As far as I know only Rob and Reg can do both of those consistently at the moment.By virtue of trying things out and practising a lot it is possible to gain confidence that you can complete a TP even if the first peel is done going to 3b. Once you are confident of that then the sextuple becomes a realistic target.

PS As an aside I don't think it will be long before the "supershot" opening gets refuted by people consistently hitting it and going round on a 2 ball break.

Sextuple Wisdom from Robert Fulford

2005-02-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Extract from ongoing thread on the Nottingham Board:

>From: "Pete Trimmer" <Pete.Trimmer@ukes.aerospace.gknplc.com>>When you're good enough to attempt sxp's, you'll be happy to take your>peels when you're for 3b. I know Rob used to prefer to leave it to 3b>rather than rushing to 2b, but may be changing his mind these days. Reg>is always desperate to get his peels in ASAP; he'd probably want to peel>4b getting a rush to 1 if he got the chance...

From: "Robert Fulford":
Happy to try to peel 4b getting a rush to 2b if confident of having escape ball nicely placed roughly a yard west of 4b so peg is relatively out of play and close enough to 4b that getting dolly rush isn't hard. Can't say it's a case to rushing to 2b rather than 3b because I still leave my 3b pioneer near 4b. Used to be less agressive at getting earlier peels done so rarely had opportunity to be nicely set up for peel before 2b.Still learning but following is the nearest thing to plan A for my sextuples currently for those who are interested.Peel 1b peel ideally right down to 2b after 2 getting rush to north boundary. Play split stopshot sending escape ball to besides 2b going to hoop 3 pioneer. At least jaws 2b getting rush to 4. After 4 leave pioneer behind just NW of 3b as escape ball, take off to peelee. Probably have hoop 5 pioneer between 5 and 2b so could have been used to peel 2b then if necessary. Tap peelee so easy to send to 3b getting rush to 5. Make 5 and rush to S boundary between corner 3 and in front of 3b. Send pioneer to 1b getting rush to peeling position. Peel getting rush to 6. Don't tend to leave myself space to get the peelee up to 4b that shot as would have less options peeling going to escape ball furthur away, downside is never get 4b peel before 1b. Try to get a rush out of 6 to west of 4b so can then place escape ball taking off to peelee (If I don't get this rush tend to give up on peeling before 2b and send pioneer to 2b). Having taken off to the peelee, any kind of rush NWish allows a relatively easy shot sending peelee to 4b going to 1b. After 1b could rush to a spot where can send pioneer to 3b getting rush on peelee but prefer to rush close to peelee and leave 3b pioneer 2 yards S and a yard W of 4b. If the peel jawses (and remember can't play peel as straight stopshot) having pioneer at 3b doesn't look that great, won't be able to send peelee to right in front of penult and hoop 3 is going to be in the way of the thick take off. Obviously if peel fails completely can try again before 3b with pioneer at 4b. If peel jawses or goes through before 2b as Robin says can do delayed double.*Probably the most critical shots for me in the whole sextuple are getting the 1b peel through cleanly down to 2b and then placing the escape ball for the rush across to 4. Sending out escape ball from 28 yards and would really like to play 2b peel with straight stopshot so not much room for error. Starting to experiment with making the sextuple leave so my hoop 1 ball is near corner 3 and partner is about 3 yards from 4b so it is technically wired from both oppos. If the opponent misses have space to send their ball SE of 2 so can possibly peel 1b going to that ball before 2. Only want to go for this peel if positive it will go through but if you can get it through some distance gives much better chance of being well set up for peel getting rush to 4.

2005-01-31T16:31:00.000-08:00

Practicing on a late winter Saturday....1.29.05.

Is Good Shooting Better Than Good Break Play?

2005-01-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

CROQUET COACHING: Is Good Shooting Better than Good Break Play?
29 January 2005
Kihei, Hawaii, USA
by Leo Nikora

Martin Murray: There is little doubt that the current game gives more credit for good shooting than for good break play.
Stephen Mulliner: The accuracy of the statement rises with the standard of the players. At the bottom end of the ranking scale (i.e. below 2000) good shooting is less important and, where beginners are concerned, it is far less important then skill in break-playing.
Dave Kibble: Think about it like this: if you get the innings almost every time there's a chance but break down occasionally, then you'll probably win more games than if you usually don't get the innings but don't break down very often when you do.
David Maugham: At the top level, the state of the lawn makes the difference. Unfortunately a lot of clubs use watering systems, which means that the speed of the lawns tends to be slow and the ground is soft, so hoops have much more give in them, as a consequence it is rare for good players to break down, and the contest relies more on shooting. In the unfortunately rare instances where there is a top level tournament at a venue which doesn't use (or can be persuaded to stop using) a watering system during a spell of hot, dry weather, the ability to play accurate breaks becomes much more important that the ability to shoot straight.
Jonathan Kirby: for good players in easy conditions it is true. If you assume that the innings changes hands either when the outplayer hits a shot or about three quarters of the time when a player breaks down (the other quarter when they break down but don't leave a short shot) then, provided that the players break down less than about twice a game, increasing your hitting percentage is more important than reducing the number of mistakes.

But this is completely ignoring the mental side of the game which affects both things and which Reg is usually so good at, hence my original comment.

Martin Murray: I'm not sure I understand the maths behind that argument. More relevant, I would suggest, is that, in easy conditions, "good players" don't break down on first breaks or triples very often, so the most important factor is the ability to take the two chances to hit in in each game. The fact that Reg and Robert can do sextuples regularly doesn't help them sufficiently to beat people like Trevor Bassett and Mark McInerney who can do triples nine times out of ten.

Reg's relative lack of success in the last two years can largely be ascribed to indifferent shooting, particularly after a long session reading the paper. A contributory factor to this may be the frustration he feels (and shows) at a missed lift shot followed by a triple by his opponent. That's when he gets enthusiastic about Golf Croquet!

Robert says he's not a good shot either, but he (in NZ at least) seems to be able to get his opponents to miss! A rule change forcing the likes of Bassett, McInerney, Garrison, and Trimmer to attempt sextuples would make indifferent shooting insignificant compared to Reg and Robert's superiority at break play.

Revised WCF Golf Croquet Rules Released

2005-01-28T09:59:00.000-08:00

WCF Media Release
28th January 2005

Following the recent deliberation of the WCF Golf Croquet Rules Committee, the revision of the WCF Rules of Golf Croquet (2005 Edition) has been completed.

Gordon Smith, Chairman of the Committee commented:-
“This month has seen the completion of the second major revision of the World Croquet Federation's Rules for playing Golf Croquet. An interim version was released in March 2004 reflecting the progress made to that time. The interim version sparked a large amount of often contradictory comment, all of which was considered, as the Committee balanced the two conflicting aims of removing ambiguity and keeping the game and rules simple. Our success will be judged by the enjoyment players have as the game continues to develop. Words of thanks are necessary for Tony Hall, of Australia who very ably chaired the Committee from its start until late last year, Bill Arliss of England, Amir Ramsis of Egypt, Peter Payne of Switzerland and Dave Bent of the United States all of whom contributed to discussion and our conclusions. Thank you for your efforts. Thank you also to earlier members of the Committee who got the process started and to the many people who made large and small contributions to our deliberations. I hope you all feel the results do justice to all the effort made”.

The Rules will apply to all sanctioned WCF Golf Croquet Championships with immediate effect.

The full Rules can be found at:-
http://wcfcroquet.org/Files/WCFRulesofGolfCroquet(2005Edition).doc Microsoft Word Format
http://wcfcroquet.org/Files/WCFRulesofGolfCroquet(2005Edition).pdf PDF Format

Brian Storey
WCF Secretary General

2005-01-24T20:01:00.000-08:00

Late Sunday afternoon.

Sunday Practice

2005-01-24T19:44:00.000-08:00

The croquet year begins slowly and quietly in Sonoma County. After the first two weeks of the year were washed away by rainstorms, there finally came a day to practice. After practicing the corner hoop approach to hoop one and the simultaneous load of hoop two, the court's dew recorded the work done.

Ireland Announces WCF Players

2005-01-22T13:44:00.000-08:00

22 January 2005
WCF Media Release
By Brian Storey

The Croquet Association of Ireland has nominated three top class players to represent them in the forthcoming Mitsubishi 2005 World
Croquet Championship.

All three play at the Carrickmines Club, Dublin, Ireland and will present a stern test for any opponent.

Mark McInerney, age 21, is the youngest of the McInerney brothers. He started playing at age 8 under the tutelage of his father.
He was taught well, becoming Irish Champion in 2004 with other honours as Irish Doubles Champion 2003, Irish Silver Medal 2001,
2004, Resort Invitational winner 2003, 2004 European Golf Croquet Champion 1999 & 2003. In the last WCF World Championship he won
his block but lost in the 1st round of the knock-out.

Ronan McInerney, age 25, has played croquet since he was 10 years of age. An ever present Irish team member since 1994, 3-times
Irish Singles Champion & winner of many other Irish tournaments.
This year he has already shown top form by being Runner-up in the 2005 New Zealand Open. In the last WCF World Championship he was a quarter finalist.

Simon Williams, age 42, He began playing the game in 1982. Backbone of the Irish International team since 1987, he has is 4-times Irish Singles Champion, Doubles, Silver Medal several times, European Champion 1996, Chattooga Challenge winner 1995, S. of England
champion 2000. He was a Quarter-finalist in the last two WCF World Championships.

Many observers will fancy a quiet bet on one of the Irishmen to pick up the Wimbledon Cup at the end of the tournament.

The Mitsubishi 2005 World Croquet Championship is being held in Cheltenham, England from 6th - 14th August 2005 with matches also being played at Bristol, Edgbaston (Birmingham), and Nailsea.

Current World Croquet Rankings

2005-01-21T10:41:00.000-08:00

Current World Croquet Rankings

Good to see Damon Bidencope, who was the first club pro at Meadowood in St. Helena, back in the upper levels of the ranking list after his win at the eights in Florida.

Resort Invitational Announced

2005-01-20T09:17:00.005-08:00

The Resort Invitational is a small invitational that boasts the highest concentration of croquet talent of any tournament held in the United States.

Here is the list of players who will be competing in the Resort Invitational June 8-12, 2005 at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches, Oregon. Current world ranking listed before each name.

1. Robert Fulford - England
2. David Maugham - England
3. Reg Bamford - South Africa
5. Mark McInerney - Ireland
6. Bob Jackson - New Zealand
7. Trevor Bassett - Australia
11. Jonathan Kirby - Scotland
12. Toby Garrison - New Zealand
20. Damon Bidencope - USA

The format is double round robin nines no time limit double banked using Sunshiny balls and Australian CC metal clips! The top two finishers in the block and the 3rd and 4th place finishers play best of three for the prizes. As usual send me your predictions for the final finish with delicious jams and preserves from our farm and art from our art stash as the prize. Send to arkleyta@open.

Tremaine Arkley
Tournament Director

Arizona Open Announcement

2005-01-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

Stan Patmor has announced the details of the 2005 Arizona Open. This is one of the longest running croquet tournaments in the United States and has seen many memorable champions and games. Last year the tournament was held in Palm Springs because courts were not available in Arizona. This year the tournament apparently returns to Arizona (Phoenix area), although Stan does not specifically mention the venue site in the announcement. Stan's details:

March 8 through March 12 (Tuesday through Saturday)
American rules, singles and doubles, "A" & "B" flights
$185 fee includes nightly Toast & Tallies, Opening reception, Finals lunch and court side beverages
With only 4 courts the entries are limited
TD Rory Kelley ROT Ren Kraft
Your check in my hand gets you into the tournament
Contact: Stan Patmor (602) 955-1547 or patmor@fastq.com

2005-01-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Wayne Wong, our newest Sonoma-Cutrer member, gets a play-by-play from Reuben Edwards during Reuben's pick-up game with Charles-Eric Vilain. Charles-Eric is the president of the Croquet Federation of Belgium and was passing through northern California on a business trip. Wayne Wong is also a member of the Oakland Croquet Club and is just beginning his journey in the world of croquet. Reuben Edwards is the webmaster of the United States Croquet Association croquet magazine http://www.croquetworld.com/home.asp.

2005-01-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

Charles-Eric Vilain at hoop five against Reuben Edwards at Sonoma-Cutrer on January 16. For information about croquet in Belgium, or contact information about the Croquet Federation of Belgium please see http://www.tf-u.com/croquetb/info_en.htm