Mac Rob - preview

  from Bob Alman's website (http://www.croquetworld.com)

Croquet's most prestigious team event will be played at 
the Mission Hills Croquet Club in the Coachella Valley 
of Southern California, near Palm Springs, in April and 
May of 2017: the top tier of the World Croquet 
Federation's World Team Championships, known as the 
MacRobertson Shield.

The Tournament Director is Rhys Thomas, long-time USCA 
player on International Teams.  The Tournament Referee 
will be Liz Fleming of Australia, also a strong 
competitor in past years.  Tournament Manager is Leo 
Nikora, founder of the Maui Croquet Club, webmaster of 
the USCA's CroquetAmerica.com, and a stalwart of the 
Mission Hills Croquet Club. 

The three-week event is very long because each of the 
four teams must compete against each other team in a 
series of test matches.  Each Test match consists of 21 
matches combining singles and doubles play. 

Weather can determine whether all the Tests are played 
to their conclusion.  In the past, once the order of 
finish has been decided, the final games and matches 
have sometimes been left unplayed, by mutual agreement 
of the national teams involved.

SEVEN LAWNS FOR THE SHIELD AT MISSION HILLS  

The Mission Hills Country Club has 10 lawns--seven 
normally set up for croquet, and three for tennis.  
During tennis tournaments, more lawns may be set up for 
tennis.  During croquet tournaments, more lawns may be 
set up for croquet.   This arrangement, benefiting both 
sports as well as the country club, was achieved during 
the club presidency of Jim Butts, enabling Mission Hills 
to host to host big events for both grass court tennis 
and croquet. 

The MacRob will be contested on seven lawns.  One grass 
tennis court will be used by members during the big 
event.  

Rodoni hoops, specially designed for sand-based courts 
and constructed by Wayne Rodoni in the 90's for many 
clubs in the west, designed to maintain stability in 
sand-based courts, will be in place on all the lawns.

Dawson International balls will be used, as specified in 
the tournament regulations.

The last international event at Mission Hills was the 
Solomon Trophy matches between Great Britain and the 
USA, in 2009--the occasion of the first of two US wins 
in the series.

The MacRobertson Shield began in the 20's as a contest 
between Australia and England.  New Zealand was added to 
the series in 1930, and the US in 1993.    It is 
considered the Ryder Cup of croquet, held every three or 
four years in one of the competing countries.   In 2010, 
it became the top tier of the World Croquet Federation's 
World Team Championships, now been expanded to include 
all the WCF member countries.   

New Zealand won the last MacRob, in 2014, as host of the 
Test matches, and the five before that were won by the 
UK/England.   Australia last won in 1935.  The United 
States has yet to win.

This year, odds makers would likely expect England to be 
strongest, with odds something like this:

England 4/11
Australia 9/4
New Zealand 10/1
USA 16/1

AND THE TEAMS ARE...

The New Zealand Croquet Association selected Jenny 
Clarke (Captain), Greg Bryant, Paddy Chapman, Aiken 
Hakes, Joseph Hogan, and Paul Skinley.

The English Croquet Association selected Jamie Burch, 
James Death, James Hopgood, David Maugham, Stephen 
Mulliner, and Samir Patel (Captain).

The Australian Croquet Association selected Ian Dumergue 
(Captain), Greg Fletcher, Malcolm Fletcher, Robert 
Fletcher, Simon Hockey, and Stephen Forster; and 
alternates Trevor Bassett, and Dwayne McCormick.  (It's 
the first time any country has fielded a team of three 
brothers.)

The United States Croquet Association selected in 
January 2017 six players, two reserves, and two 
alternates.

Jeff Soo
Ben Rothman
Danny Huneycutt
David Maloof
Matthew Essick 
Stuart Lawrence

Rich Lamm  -  reserve
Steve Morgan  -  reserve
Paul Bennett -  1st alternate
Sheriff Abdelwahab  -  2nd alternate

CROQUET WORLD ONLINE MAGAZINE will report the action 
from Mission Hills, recruiting as many players and 
observers as we can.  The event  Website is up and 
running at www.2017macrobertsonshield.com.

- Bob Alman, Editor
  CROQUET WORLD ONLINE MAGAZINE