Hughes Wins 2011 Delaware Invitational

Championship Finalists / Click for full gallery / Photo by John WarlickHeld May 26-29 | Wilmington Country Club | Photo Gallery

By Ben Rothman

Another beautiful weekend in Wilmington, Delaware, greeted the twenty-four participants in this year's Delaware Invitational. Tom and Joan Hughes were kind enough to open up their home for the welcoming reception again this year and provide shelter from the heavy heat that weighed down the practice day. Barry Gibson, the tournament co-host, welcomed a few select players to compete at the DuPont Country Club to alleviate the double banking concerns of tournament Director, Ben Rothman. The heat held back during the actual competition but the players left it all on the court. Handicaps were lower than last year, players were better and there were several games that went to the peg compared to zero last year.

The field was split into three flights of singles and two flights of doubles with assigned partners. While Jim Hughes aimed to repeat his championship victory, he would have more than the usual Delaware players to contend with as former rookies-of-the-year Micah Beck and Justin Berbig made their Delaware debut in the Championship flight

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USCA Nine-Wicket Croquet Nationals Final Day Report

Nick Zink (left) and Matt Smith (right) received doubles champion trophies.
Tournament director Matt Griffith (center) presented.

Six partner teams battled it out starting at 8:00 a.m. on the final day of the USCA Nine-Wicket Nationals, but in the end Matt Smith and Nick Zink of Warrensburg, Missouri made a comeback win to take the doubles title over Matt Griffith and Billy Bob Breeden in a 27-23 thriller (more details to come on this match later).

In the first round, John Warlick and Paula Mol were able to advance with a win over George Cochran and Howard Menzel. In the other match, defending doubles champs Matt Baird and Art Parsells defeated Don Brooks and John Nichols.

In the semi-finals, Warlick and Mol battled Smith and Zink, but lost a close one 23-20. On the other field, Griffith and Breeden survived against Baird and Parsells 30-29. It featured an interesting final turn with Parsells needing to score 14-point wicket and 15PW for the tie. Hitting the stake would have secured a win. After splitting his partner yellow ball and clearing 14PW, Baird and Parsells discussed and opted for a takeoff to 15PW. Unfortunately the takeoff was a little long and created a short angle shot that Parsells attempted but missed. That secured the one-point victory for Griffith and Breeden.

In the third place game Baird and Parsells defeated Warlick and Mol.