Rockfish GC Tournament and Blue Crab Arts and Crafts Festival was a match made in heaven at the Chesapeake Cay Croquet Club

From June 29 to July 2, 2023, the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club hosted the 2023 Rockfish Golf Croquet Tournament.  Players from all over the U.S. came for good croquet and great times.  During the tournament, on Saturday and Sunday, the club hosted the first annual Blue Crab Arts and Crafts Festival.  The festival was held in a park-like grove of pine (in the shade) and the GC tournament was within sight on the courts. The two events blended extremely well.

While croquet competitors were competing, festivalgoers stopped to watch and ask questions.  There was always a crowd of festival spectators.  Many said they had never seen a real croquet game before, and many were very impressed.  The Club gave free golf croquet lessons and organized games for anyone who wanted to give it a try.  About 75 people took advantage and played for the first time.  Chesapeake Bay offered a membership special and signups for league play to all who came and CBCC picked up over 30 new members and more are trickling in as a result of the festival.

The festival organizing team was made up of CBCC croquet players, Audrey Bingham, Brenda Feiner, Cathy Vavala, Cynthia Fowler, Doug Fowler, John Priest, Kimberly Ruffo, Lynn Pendleton, Lynne Blankenship, Macey White, Nancy Crouch, Pam Groh, Penn Pendleton, Sandra Phillips and Steve Thurston.  Months of preparation paid off in a spectacularly smooth-running event. The original goal was to have 30 vendors and 1,000 participants.  When the dust settled, the festival had 68 arts and crafts vendors, seven food vendors and over 2,000 attendees.  To inject a croquet theme into the festival, vendors were given a 50 percent rebate on their registration fee if they had at least one croquet-related item for sale.  Over half of the vendors had croquet items for sale and many were quite unique. 

In the Rockfish tournament, everyone started with hi-low doubles and singles to follow.  In doubles, there were six teams in Championship Flight, and five teams in First Flight.

In Championship play, Marc Stearns (right) & Tom Bown (not pictured) made it to the finals as the second seed battling with the tournament favorites Bo Prillaman (left) & MaryCarol Stearns (center).  It may have been a cold drive home for Marc as he and Tom Bown upset the favorites to win.

01. Marc Stearns/Tom Bown
02. Bo Prillaman/Mary Carol Stearns
03. Rick Darnell/Ned Sperry
04. Nancy Crouch/Caryl Firth
05. Lisa Maloney/Pam Groh
05. Michael Heath/Jim Watrous

In First Flight Doubles, Damon Hagan( left)/David Scott (second from right)  came in as the number 1 seed and challengers Clyde Anderson (middle)/Jennifer Falchi (second from left) came in as the number 2.  Anderson and Falchi rose to the challenge and took first-place honors.

01. Clyde Anderson/Jennifer Falchi
02. Damon Hagan/David Scott
03. Sarah Persons/Kimberly Hagan
03. Paige Brown/Donald Liotine
03. Shep Slater/Bonnie Liotine

In singles, there were nine players in Championship Flight, six players in 1st Flight, and seven players in Second Flight. Championship Flight singles was won by newbie David Scott (left), winning best 2 of 3 over seasoned veteran Bo Prillaman (center) TD Macey White (right).

01. David Scott
02. Bo Prillaman
03 Nancy Crouch
03. Caryl Firth
05. Michael Heath
05. Lisa Maloney
05. Ned Sperry
05. Marc Stearns
09. Rick Darnell

First Flight singles was won by Jim Watrous (center) in two straight over Pam Groh (left).

01. Jim Watrous
02. Pam Groh
03. Tom Bown
03. Mary Carol Stearns
05. Clyde Anderson
05. Sarah Persons

In Second Flight singles, newbies Shep Slater (left) and Paige Brown (right) rose to the final game. Brown won a nail-biter 7-6.

01. Paige Brown
02. Shep Slater
03. Jennifer Falchi
03. Damon Hagan
05. Kimberly Hagan
06. Donald Liotine
06. Bonnie Liotine