When I heard that Chris and Jenny Clarke were launching a croquet instruction website, I was definitely skeptical. Oxford Croquet has it all covered, right? I was pleasantly surprised though as I took my first spin through. Essentially, what I see is more plain-spoken approach that is concise and with adequate amount of graphics. The format is nice as a sort of page by page navigation and I could see that translating easily into a print book (that I would gladly purchase). I am hoping there is a save my place function that I will discover in my next visit.
My favorite item was the recommendation for shaft height, which I've never heard before. The concept is that it should roughly come up to your wrist when your arms are hanging at your side. Not sure it works for me as I would have to go with a sub-30 inch mallet. I wouldn't be able to measure in boundary balls.
I would recommend all croquet players bookmark this one. It looks like another key resource for the sport. Visit clarkecroquet.com to check it out.
If you haven't picked it up from the community site, I've posted three videos that show the final 35 minutes of the USCA Midwestern Regional Championship final played in Tulsa, Oklahoma between George Cochran and Matt Smith. They are available on YouTube here: Clip 1, Clip 2 and Clip 3.
The Red Coats are Coming ... The Croquet Foundation of America and the USCA have set November 14, as the date for the 2014 U.S. Croquet Hall of Fame Gala. The 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees will be W. David McCoy and Ervand M. Peterson, PhD. The event will be held at the National Croquet Center. For more info, call 561-478-2300 ext 6.