Two thirds of the way through the block stage, there is still all to play for for most of the field. One of the interesting features of this tournament (and one that more tournaments should emulate) is how the block rounds are ordered. With four players advancing from each block, the critical games should be those between the players in the middle of the blocks, in the #3 through #6 positions. Those players have already played the remaining players and will effectively play mini-blocks tomorrow.
Read MoreClark: ACWC18 Not Off to Great Start #03
I spent today at Paraparumu – a 4 lawn club with the top two lawns running around 10 seconds and the bottom two around 11 seconds. Regrettably, players partners and other spectators were banned from using the clubhouse. This is not the sort of hospitality that Croquet New Zealand expects from host clubs.
Read MoreSoo: Plimmerton is Tops For Challenging Conditions #02
The tournament opened with fine weather: mostly sunny and moderately breezy all day. With ground still damp from the recent rain, the notorious Atkins hoops are quite easy to run, up to a moderate angle. Conditions are most challenging at Plimmerton, with extreme variation in pace and significant slopes. Unsurprisingly, this is where games have been longest, and three games are pegged down.
Read MoreClarke: Plenty of Upsets on Day One #02
After visiting all five venues on yesterday's practice day, I spent most of day one at Waikanae with a short visit to Plimmerton in the early afternoon.
Waikanae is the furthest venue at about one hours drive outside Wellington and has a pretty five lawn club. The front four lawns are soft, green and over-watered, running at 10.8 seconds whilst lawn 5 is an excellent lawn with different grass and firmer subsoil, running at 12.2 seconds.
Read MoreSoo: AC Worlds Player Journal #01
Just getting to Wellington proved challenging on a stormy Thursday, when many flights had to abort approaches into the airport and divert to Christchurch, and other flights were simply cancelled. Luckily for us our flight made it in on a rather exciting first approach.
Read MoreClarke: 2018 AC Worlds Preview
The 2018 WCF Association Croquet World Championship starts this Saturday in Wellington, NZ. Five clubs are being used and I’ll try to send photos from each of them as the event progresses. There are eight blocks of 10 players with the top four qualifying for the knockout from each block, with ties on wins being broken with play-off games, so net points are irrelevant.
Read MoreVideo: Setting Hoops-2016 AC Worlds
Video by Jim Nicholls of groundsman Bill Mead and Tournament Referee Stephen Howes setting one of the 72 hoops at the 2016 WCF Association Croquet World Championships in West Palm Beach, Florida.
CMOZ: White to Play
Your Croquet Moment of Zen for April 2016:
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Croquet Cuppers
After 11.5 hours of watching croquet this past Sunday and a good chunk on Saturday, I've certainly been suffering from an AC Worlds hangover as I try to get back on track. It was mentally draining, so I can't imagine how Stephen Mulliner and David Maloof must have felt this week. It was tough to go three years between AC Worlds, so thankfully the next worlds are just two years and will be held in New Zealand.But as the incredibly diverse and vibrant sport of croquet rolls on, many will have noted St. John's edged Navy 3-2 in the Annapolis Cup in the midst of the AC Worlds. With the nine-wicket Annapolis Cup generally drawing 2,000 spectators, it is known as the biggest spectator croquet event in the world. So, now England
Read MoreAC Worlds: Mulliner 3, Maloof 2
Screenshot from the Livestream. Note that 66 viewers were still tuned in. (L to R) USCA President Johnny Mitchell, Stephen Mulliner and David Openshaw
THE COMEBACK KID
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA -- In a final that had everything, England's Stephen Mulliner repeated his Saturday performance and once again came back from an 0-2 deficit to American David Maloof to claim his first WCF World Association Croquet title. The scoreline went down as 22-26, 9-26, 26-21, 26-19, 26tp-0 for Mulliner in an 11.5 hour epic that stretched out from the morning start to an under the lights finish at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The entire final was broadcast via Livestream by Sherif Abdelwahab. Simon Jenkins brought audio commentary to the live feed in the afternoon and did what must have been six or seven hours of stellar solo commentary (minus a brief break provided by Reg Bamford). The live feed carried through to the awards and in what was unprecedented step forward for the sport. At it's peak, the Livestream broadcast had 144 viewers, while the text commentary also remained strong with 121 followers at peak. Add to that 200 spectators at the venue.
Other winners on day included Ian Lines for the Plate, James Death for the Bowl and Stephen Forster for the Shield.
FULL CROQUETSCORES.COM KNOCKOUT BRACKET: croquetscores.com/2016/ac/wcf-world-championship/main-ko
WCF EVENT REPORT: www.worldcroquet.org.uk/index.php/latest-news/195-stephen-mulliner-is-the-new-ac-world-champion
TEXT COMMENTARY: croquetscores.com/2016/ac/wcf-world-championship/commentaries/7649