Solomon Cup Challenge

30 Jun - 3 Jul 2004

2004 SOLOMON TROPHY 
SET TO BE EXHIBITION MATCH
by Phil Cordingley
 (from the Croquet Association Website news)

The 2004 Solomon Trophy competition will take place 
from Wednesday 30th June to Saturday 3rd July inclusive 
at Heaton Park, Manchester, with play commencing at 
09:30 each day.

The Solomon Trophy was inaugurated in 1985 and is 
competed for annually, with the right to host 
alternating between the US and Great Britain. GB has 
won each of the 14 encounters to date, their best wins 
being 20 matches to nil at Surbiton in 2001, and 20 - 1 
at Cheltenham in 1988.

The (British) Croquet Association Selection Committee 
has chosen Matthew Burrow, Chris Clarke, Robert 
Fulford, John Gibbons, Jonathan Kirby and David Maugham 
to represent Great Britain. Robert Fulford will captain 
the side. This is an extremely strong team, containing 
as it does-five time World Singles Champion Robert 
Fulford, former World Singles Champion Chris Clarke, 
and two other members of the team that retained the 
World Team Championship (MacRobertson Shield) in 
Florida last November - Matthew Burrow and David "The 
Beast" Maugham. In contrast to these four, John Gibbons 
and Jonathon Kirby are making their first appearance 
for GB, and have an early opportunity to impress, with 
a view to selection for the next World Team 
Championship to be held in 2006.

The USCA Selection Committee has selected Bob Cherry, 
Doug Grimsley, Rich Lamm, Mik Mehas, Kenster Rosenberry 
and Jeff Soo to represent the United States. Jeff Soo 
will captain the American team.  Whilst Kenster 
Rosenberry is the only player who played in the last 
World Team Championship, Jeff Soo and Doug Grimsley 
were reserves, and Mik Mehas and Jeff Soo have previous 
World Team Championship experience.

Heaton Park is being used for the first time as a major 
Croquet Championship venue. Its international pedigree 
is not in doubt, however, as it hosted the lawn bowls 
competitions at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. 
It is the home of Bury Croquet Club. 

XXX

Team rankings, playing order -- Bob Alman

The order of the teams was determined on Tuesday 
afternoon preceding the beginning of competition on 
Wednesday morning.  The traditional test match protocol 
requires that the team captains record the ranking of 
each team, from strongest to weakest, and that those 
rankings be exhanged immediately prior to the games.  

The rankings are signficant, as the singles competition 
is NOT an all-play-all format.  Instead, the top two 
from each teams play against the top two of the other 
team; and likewise the third and fourth on each team; 
and the fifth and sixth.  For example, the team 
rankings below show that Fulford and Clarke, ranked one 
and two respectively for Great Britain, will play 
singles against the Americans Mehas and Soo.  Maugham 
and Burrow (UK) will play against Cherry and 
Rosenberry; and Gibbons and Kirby (UK) will compete 
against Grimsley and Lamm.  

Doubles, on the other hand are an all-play-all 
proposition.

Generally there is an alternation of singles and 
doubles.  The event starts with doubles on the first 
day, and if there is time, some singles scheduled for 
the second day may be started on the first day.

GREAT BRITAIN RANKED TEAM
Fulford
Clarke
Maugham
Burrow
Gibbons
Kirby

USA RANKED TEAM
Mehas
Soo
Cherry
Rosenberry
Grimsley
Lamm

Wednesday play started at 9:30 AM with these doubles 
matches:

Burrow & Fulford  v  Cherry & Rosenberry
Clarke & Kirby  v  Grimsley & Mehas
Gibbons & Maugham  v  Lamm & Soo

[Thanks to Robert Fulford for this information]

Day One Results -- Bob Alman

DAY ONE REPORT -
WITH THANKS TO ROBERT FULFORD

GREAT BRITAIN LEADS US 4-1

Great Britain won all three doubles matches on the 
first day in good time, allowing a start on the singles 
matches scheduled for Day Two.

All the matches in the Solomon are best-of-three in 
both singles and doubles.   Victory in the overall test 
match goes to the team that wins 11 of the 21 scheduled 
matches (nine doubles and 12 singles).  

The US has started out with a much better performance 
in singles than in doubles.  Jeff Soo posted the first 
US win by defeating the GB team captain and world 
champion Robert Fulford in the third game of the match 
with a triple peel - his first victory over Fulford in 
at least several encounters.

Robert Fulford reports that in the unfinished singles 
matches, Cherry (US) and Burrow (GB) are split and Lamm 
(US) holds a one-zip advantage over Gibbons.  Here are 
the scores after Day One as reported by Robert Fulford:

DOUBLES
Burrow & Fulford beat Cherry & Rosenberry
 +26TP(F)+26TP(F)
Clarke & Kirby beat Grimsley & Mehas 
 +17+3
Gibbons & Maugham beat Lamm & Soo 
 –4+24TP(M)+26TP(M)

SINGLES
Fulford lost to Soo +24SXP-20-26TP
Maugham beat Rosenberry +17+6
Burrow versus Cherry +23-8
Gibbons trails Lamm -12TPO

XXX

Hawkins Commentary, Day One -- Bob Alman

DAY ONE COMMENTARY
by James Hawkins
(from the Nottingham Board)

US players in the Solomon Trophy must have finally 
understood the British obsession with the weather, 
which was - to say the least - changeable, even by 
Manchester standards.  With flooding followed by light 
drizzle, blazing sunshine, stormy winds and heavy 
downpours, this was surely a supreme test of the 
players' ability to adjust to variances in pace.
 
I was unable to watch all of today's play, Day One of 
the event, and understand that results will be posted 
here by someone who stayed right to the bitter end.  I 
did see a couple of games which provided much 
entertainment.
 
Fulford vs Soo started typically, with Fulford taking 
the first break to 1-back.  He peeled both R & Y (Soo) 
to 2, leaving a wide join - in Corner III and a few 
yards down the East Boundary.  Soo shot and missed, and 
RF started the delayed SXP.  At 2, black (peelee) 
became lodged on the wire on the playing side.  Rob 
cannoned it off with yellow anyway, and peeled 1-back 
after.  With his remote hoop 4 pioneer (yellow) at 2-
back, he rushed black full-face into it, leaving peelee 
and pioneer in contact mid-lawn.  The break became more 
and more delayed, and the roquets on escape balls 
longer and longer.  Eventually, he succeeded in peeling 
4-back on the way to 3-back, straight peeled penult 
from 6 inches, and went out with a standard rover peel.
 
Even with an almost total lack of luck Robert ground 
out the sextuple from nothing.  The break never looked 
controlled, but then again it never looked like failing.
 
Game 2, when I left it, had Soo on 4-back with the 
first ball.  Jeff stuck in 3 with the makings of a laid 
triple in front of him.  I didn't wait to see the 
outcome, but it looked poised to swing either way.
[Soo won the match 2-1 - editor]

On the neighbouring lawn was the most drawn-out endgame 
I believe I've ever seen in 20 years.  I only saw the 
last 3.5 hours of play, so can't comment on how they'd 
got there.  Jonathan Kirby (Red) was for penult.  Doug 
Grimsley's Blue was on Peg, with Mik Mehas on 5 with 
Black.  Chris Clarke's yellow had been pegged out some 
time just after lunch.
 
Mehas seemed intent on ultra-defensive play, and played 
to wire Kirby at every opportunity.  Even when open 
Kirby's shooting failed to come good, but the American 
pair made little progress.  Eventually Mehas laid up on 
the west boundary level with 6 (his hoop).  Kirby took 
the east boundary by 4-back.  Mehas finally played a 
decent rush, made 6, made 1-back and played the wrong 
ball.  Kirby took on the 12-yarder at balls in contact, 
hit, took an easy rush which failed, underapproached 
and clanged penult.
 
Mehas clambered round to penult one hoop at a time, and 
laid up with balls on boundaries by hoops 2 and 4.  
Kirby used the lift to take good position at penult.  
Mehas hit him and joined up.  More cat and mouse play 
ensued.
 
Some time later, Black made penult and laid up on the 
south boundary with a fully wired rush to rover.  
Kirby, just off the end of B-baulk, saw this as his 
last shot, and, having nothing else to do, ran penult 
hard.  Stopping at the peg, he shot at the double, hit 
and finished.  All over by 5:15pm.
 
On paper, the GB side is as strong as it could be: four 
of the winning test team, with Gibbons and Kirby nearly 
but not quite on form.  As expected, the visitors are 
underdogs, but they seem not to be as outclassed as 
they would have been a few years ago.  Everything so 
far seems to have been going the way of the home side, 
but only just.  The smart money is still on GB 
retaining the trophy, but success here depends on 
players' adaptability to the vagaries of the British 
summer.
 
Alas, I shan't be around for the next few days, but I'm 
assured that scores at least will be making their way 
here somehow or other.

XXX

Day Two Results -- Robert Fulford

GREAT BRITAIN LEADS 8-2 at the end of DAY TWO. The US 
is putting up a very creditable fight given how out-
manned they appear on ranking.

Bob Cherry had an excellent win over Matt Burrow in 
their game carried over from Wednesday; in the third 
game Matt went around first but Bob hit the lift and 
finished in two turns with a delayed triple. John 
Gibbons had a good recovery over Rich Lamm to come from 
game down with two delayed triples.

DAY TWO RESULTS

Clarke and Kirby lost to Lamm and Soo -2, -10
Gibbons and Maugham beat Cherry and Rosenberry +12TPO
(M), +9
Burrow and Fulford beat Grimsley and Mehas +26, +26TP(F)

Burrow lost to Cherry +23, -8, -17TP
Gibbons beat Lamm -12TPO, +26TP, +17TP
Kirby beat Grimsley +17TP, +17

Clarke versus Mehas +3TP, -26TP (to finish)

- Robert Fulford


[Editor's note:  Eleven match wins are required to win 
the Solomon Trophy.]

Day Three Results -- Robert Fulford

GREAT BRITAIN WINS SOLOMON TROPHY
IN THE THIRD DAY OF THE FOUR-DAY TEST SERIES


Great Britain
 clinched the Solomon Trophy today by winning all seven 
remaining singles matches.

The United States came very close in two of the 
matches. Mik Mehas and Chris Clarke got  into a pegged 
out ending with Mik for 1-back and Chris for 1-back and 
peg.  Mik developed a great opportunity by rolling up 
to 1-b from corner 3 and then running it from 5 yards 
angled, but ended the turn by sticking in 4-b off 
Chris's 1-b ball with the peg ball nearer 1-b than 
penult. Doug had an even better chance but peeling 
rover going to 3-back peeled partner off the lawn.

Play was heavily interupted by rain/hail and many 
thanks go to the Bury members who set to work with 
squegy gear. Waterlogged conditions early in the turn 
were my excuse for a sextuple ending with a crowd-
pleasing straight quad.

DAY THREE RESULTS IN FULL

Maugham beat Cherry +23-17+26TP
Burrow beat Rosenberry +26TP+17
Gibbons beat Grimsley -8+26TP+6TP
Kirby beat Lamm +2+21TP
Fulford beat Mehas +6+26SXP
Clarke beat Soo +24TP+26TP

Finished from DAY TWO: Clarke beat Mehas +3TP-26TP+4

Great Britain leads US 15-3 after the third day of the 
four-day test match series.

[This posting was very slightly edited from Robert 
Fulford's report on the Nottingham Board]

Complete Final Results -- Bob Alman

FINAL RESULTS OF THE 2004 FOUR SOLOMON TROPHYGREAT 
BRITAIN 17 - UNITED STATES 4

Great Britain won the final day 2-1, with Soo & Lamm 
picking up the final win for the US against Burrow & 
Fulford. Soo finished MVP [most valuable player] for 
the States with three wins in five games.

Maugham and Gibbons scored five in five for Great 
Britain.

DAY FOUR RESULTS

Gibbons & Maugham beat Grimsley & Mehas +16-17+26
Burrow & Fulford lost to Lamm & Soo -10-26
Clarke & Kirby beat Cherry and Rosenberry +23+4

COMPLETE FINAL RESULTS
Burrow & Fulford
 beat Cherry & Rosenberry +26TP(F)+26TP(F)
Clarke & Kirby
 beat Grimsley & Mehas +17+3
Gibbons & Maugham 
 beat Lamm & Soo -4+24TP(M)+26TP(M)

Fulford lost to Soo +24SXP-20-26TP
Maugham beat Rosenberry +17+6
Clarke and Kirby 
 lost to Lamm and Soo -2, -10
Gibbons and Maugham
 beat Cherry and Rosenberry +12TPO(M), +9
Burrow and Fulford
 beat Grimsley and Mehas +26, +26TP(F)
Burrow lost to Cherry +23, -8, -17TP 
Clarke beat Mehas +3TP, -26TP, +4 
Maugham beat Cherry +23-17+26TP
Burrow beat Rosenberry +26TP+17
Gibbons beat Grimsley -8+26TP+6TP
Kirby beat Lamm +2+21TP
Fulford beat Mehas +6+26SXP
Clarke beat Soo +24TP+26TP 
Gibbons beat Lamm -12TPO, +26TP, +17TP

Kirby beat Grimsley +17TP, +17
Gibbons & Maugham 
 beat Grimsley & Mehas +16-17+26
Burrow & Fulford
 lost to Lamm & Soo -10-26
Clarke & Kirby 
 beat Cherry and Rosenberry +23+4

[Croquet World Online Magazine thanks Great Britain 
team captain Robert Fulford for the timely reporting of 
daily scores throughout the event.]

XXX