Croquet INNOVATIVES TOURNAMENT

ALL SPECTATORS WELCOME!

Introduction: This tournament introduces Peel Croquet, and Peel and Peg. These are new games that present unique and interesting challenges to players of Association Croquet.

The tournament is sponsored by the Croquet Foundation of America to enhance and broaden the appeal of Croquet. It will be held at the National Croquet Center in Palm Beach, Florida, starting Tuesday morning – March 20 and ending Sunday afternoon – March 25.

Participation is limited to eight players and includes five who competed in the 2016 and/or 2018 AC World Championships. Brief biographies are provided at the end of this memo.

Non-participants are invited to watch, and encouraged to kibitz!

Game Summaries: Complete rules are available at:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B1oR68tZxaukbTY5aUg0RmthaG8?usp=sharing.

Peel Croquet: This game follows AC rules but requires periodic peels (or “leeps” – reverse peels!) to extend a break. All non-striker balls can be peeled/leeped and thus, in general, three peels and three leeps are possible at the start of every turn. Multiple balls can be peeled during a turn to extend the break, but a ball can only be peeled or leeped – not both – during a single turn. In standard play a peel/leep must occur while striker is making no more than 2 hoops (3 hoops in handicap play) for his own ball. Failure to peel/leep on a timely basis is end of turn.

Peel and Peg: In this game teams take turns running breaks that last no more than four hoops. Points are scored only with peels, and only if they are accompanied with a Peg-Out of two balls, one of which must be striker. A turn begins with the choice of the striker ball (which can be any ball) and a lift-to-position. The remaining balls are all potential peelees. Peeling hoops are pre-specified (by random draw). One or more peels can be accomplished in any order – with one, two or even three different peelees – during the same turn. Game is to 17 points. 1 point is scored for one peel (and peg-out) in a turn, 2 for two, 4 for three, 8 for four, and 16 for five.

            Format: There will be singles-play for Peel Croquet (one round of block play and then a playoff). There will be doubles-play for Peel and Peg (a changing partner, round-robin format).

The first and last days will have two sessions, while days 2-5 will have three. Sessions are scheduled to last up to 2.5 hours. There will be breaks for coffee, lunch, and tea.

            Director: Howard Sosin: 203-650-4903 or howard@sosin.net

PARTICIPANTS

Sherif Abdelwahab: Sherif is 56 years old and from Providence Rhode Island. He has 11 national championship and 8 runner-up titles. Sherif has represented the USA in 13 world championships, many as team captain. He was selected to represent the World vs. Egypt. He is looking forward to the challenges of these new games.

Ian Harshman: Ian is 41 years old and lives in Wellington, Florida. Ian first began playing tournament level croquet in 2014 and has risen to #26 in the United States in Association Laws Croquet and #36 in golf croquet. Ian's home club is the Carambola Croquet Club at his home residence in Wellington.

Simon Jenkins: Simon is British, but now lives in South Carolina with his dog Twix. Simon competed in his first World Championships two years ago and attained his proudest achievements by making the playoffs and then beating Ben Rothman. He has just completed his second world Championships in New Zealand.

Danny Johnston: This will be Danny's second time visiting the USA to play croquet, having previously represented Ireland at the 2016 Association Croquet World Championships in The National Croquet Centre. A research scientist at Oxford University, Danny is looking forward to participating in the event which seeks to push the boundaries of AC. A keen exponent of peeling, developed over years of hi-low doubles play, he hopes the new rules will amply reward this fascinating aspect of the game.

Stephen Mulliner: Stephen has been playing tournament croquet since 1976 after discovering the game at Cambridge University. He plays Association Croquet (International Rules) and Golf Croquet with equal enthusiasm and has won numerous national titles at both codes in many countries. He lives in Haslemere, Surrey UK with his wife, Sarah, and, when not playing croquet, is either administering it as Secretary-General of the World Croquet Federation or taking part in local politics as a borough councillor.

Jeff Soo: Jeff lives in Durham, North Carolina, where he is a computer programmer and croquet instructor. He started playing croquet in 1994 and has since won many US national championships (including the 2018 Association Croquet Championship), and often played on the US Croquet Team.

Michael Todorovich: Mike is from Boca Raton, Florida and was the USCA Rookie of the Year in 2008. He has won the USCA National Seniors Championship as well as the Beach Club, Peyton Ballenger and NCC Club Championship American Rules Tournaments. In Association Croquet he has won the North Carolina Open and is the only American ever to achieve the Association Rankings Most Improved Player of the Year recognition.