Arizona Croquet Club American Rules Singles Club Championship 11 February 2001 Tournament Director: Paul Bennett Court Day Time Player Opponent ----------- ----- --------- --------------------------------- ---------------------------------- Fournier Sun 8:30 AM Paul Bennett VS Pat Roach Fournier Sun 8:30 AM Rory Kelley VS Don Fournier Fournier Sun 10:00 AM Paul Bennett VS Don Fournier Fournier Sun 10:00 AM Rory Kelley VS Pat Roach Fournier Sun 11:30 AM Paul Bennett VS Rory Kelley Fournier Sun 11:30 AM Pat Roach VS Don Fournier Kraft Sun 8:30 AM Ren Kraft VS Stan Patmor Kraft Sun 8:30 AM Patty Dole VS Jim Hermann Kraft Sun 10:00 AM Patty Dole VS Stan Patmor Kraft Sun 10:00 AM Ren Kraft VS Jim Hermann Kraft Sun 11:30 AM Ren Kraft VS Patty Dole Kraft Sun 11:30 AM Stan Patmor VS Jim Hermann Tournament format and rules: USCA American Rules... Singles ... No bisques ... 2 blocks - winners to advance to "Exhibition playoff" next Sunday, Feb 18th at PRO-AM winner based upon wins, net pts, gross pts, toss of coin. Other details: We will use the USCA 1995 Blue book with experimental rules 2 and 3. The hoops will be gauged as best as we can to 3-11/16". Barlow GT balls All players must agree to have fun. Forfeiting of games will not be allowed. A Penalty of $15 will be strictly enforced. Entry fee is $15 per player. USCA sanctioning and tracking points. Call Paul Bennett @ 602 956-8966. Results of Block Play Fournier Block Name Wins Net Pts Bennett 3 +29 Kelley 2 +30 Fournier 1 -24 Roach 0 -35 Kraft Block Name Wins Net Pts Kraft 3 +32 Dole 2 +6 Patmor 1 -3 Hermann 0 -35 Scores Bennett 23 Roach 20 Kelley 26 Fournier 2 Bennett 26 Fournier 5 Kelley 26 Roach 15 Bennett 26 Kelley 21 Fournier 26 Roach 5 Kraft 26 Patmor 20 Dole 23 Hermann 9 Dole 26 Patmor 13 Kraft 26 Hermann 21 Kraft 26 Dole 5 Patmor 26 Hermann 10 Final Bennett 23 Kraft 13 American Singles Summary The weather in Arizona this time of year is OUTSTANDING! The players are getting ready for the Arizona Open 2001 and this years American Singles Club Championship is our club's warm-up event for the great Arizona Open. Play was divided onto two playing fields. The Fournier lawn hosted one block of four players and the Kraft lawn another four players. The round robin format was welcome by all. On the Fournier lawn, Donny and Rory started out by with some fairly miraculous shots making by Rory. I witnessed at least 5 hoop shots run from about 16 feet out. No problem. In fact, as I began playing Donny in the 2nd match, Don commented that I must have taken on some luck from Rory after glancing off a hoop and roqueting a ball near my hoop. Rory did not seem to give Don a chance in his first game. Paul on the otherhand, sat down beside Don for the better part of his first game as Pat took 20 points and getting ready to put the nail in the coffin. Paul hit from cross court hoping to keep blue partner dead and unable to clear 3 back, but instead runs around with yellow to rover and sets red a lovely second break. Paul takes the second break around win 23-20. In the second set of games, Paul and Rory take victory to end up playing each other in the third game. Rory clears blue thru hoop 1 and read follows. Black sets up in front of 1 and yellow stays back to take advantage. Rory plays a great out game and Paul remains for hoop 2 and Rory for 4 when black comes in and sets up for blue. Blue takes the break around thru rover and cannot set a break for black (yellow is still out), but instead leaves black the blue ball at hoop 2. Red narrowly misses and black begins a 2 ball break around to 1 back where Rory picks up red but fails to set up for 1 back. Yellow still cannot come in and sets up instead. Red misses and black goes on to clear 3 back and try for 4 back. Paul finally brings in yellow with black near 4 back and yellow sets red a good leave. Blue hits off into the corner and red takes a break around to the peg and sets yellow a leave. Yellow takes the last break around to win the game to have Paul advance to next week's playoff. Meanwhile at Kraft's court, Kraft is battling within his block with a similar set of stories. After getting a slightly rough start, Stan gets things going and takes a break around to get 20 points, Ren has 3 pts, but gets things organized and takes 2 breaks around to win 26-20. Meanwhile, Dole beats old friend Jim Hermann. Ren, thinking that he might have it easy, after witnessing Jim wipe a coat of dust off his mallet, finds Jim has found himself croquet once again. Jim is scores 21 pts while Ren gets the win with 26-21. Meanwhile Dole has beaten Patmor, 26-13. The matchup of undefeated, Dole versus Kraft, is wrapped up by Kraft's resounding victory 26-5. Meanwhile Patmor defeats Jim 26-10. All in all the play was good and the weather was fantastic. Final Day, February 18th. The winners of each block played on February 18th, the following Sunday after the PRO-AM event. Ren Kraft and Paul Bennett played head to head. Kraft began with blue shy of number 1 and red knocked blue clearing the way for black which went through #1 and yellow followed. Yellow set up at #2 and black took a strike at yellow, but missed and yellow cleared #2 and yellow went on north boundary near #3. Blue had inched into the jaws of #1 and red followed closely. Black setup at #2 and yellow setup at #3. Blue faulted trying to tap red away from hoop while staying close and red brought both balls into the game and started a 3 ball break which ended at hoop 6. The game proceeded immediately to Kraft's favor and all went well until 2 back when Kraft got stymied and Bennett was back in after a roquet out to black in corner #3. Bennett managed to take red through one more hoop and break down at 1-back. Kraft joined up in corner #4, and Bennett hit yellow into corner #4 leaving 3 balls together with red at 1-back and blue for #2. Kraft managed the impossible by leaving blue wired 2 inches from red on the side of #2. Bennett was able to clear and get red onto 3-back, but deadness became the issue and yellow, blue and black got 3 ball dead before Paul had another good break and put Kraft in trouble. At the end with Bennett peeling penult and leaving a poor groom to end the game, Kraft hits in. Gets blue to 1-back and black in peeling position at 2-back. But blue sticks in 1-back and the game is lost on time to Bennett. PTB