# Robert Fulford (croquet player)

Robert Ian Fulford (born 1969) is a leading English croquet player who has dominated the sport since the turn of the 1990s.

## Life and career

Born in Colchester, England, he was educated at Colchester Royal Grammar School and Durham University followed by the University of Essex.
Fulford also coaches croquet, particularly in Australia and the Chattooga Club in North Carolina. Robert has made croquet videos with Australian croquet expert Kevin Brereton in which Robert teaches both basic and advanced break tactics. He has won the Association Croquet World Championship 6 times:
* 1990 at The Hurlingham Club, England
* 1992 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, Rhode Island, USA
* 1994 at Carden Park, Cheshire, England
* 1997 at the Moorabinda Croquet Club, Bunbury, Western Australia
* 2002 in Wellington, New Zealand
* 2023 at The Hurlingham Club, England
Fulford has also won the President's Cup twelve times (1989, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018), the Open Championship eleven times (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015) and the Men's Championship four times (1990, 1998, 2006, 2011).

## Career statistics
### Major tournament performance timeline

Key :
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
| World Championship | | | 4R* | W | SF | W | | W | F | | W | | | |
| Open Championship | 2R | 1R | 4R* | F | W | W | QF | SF | F | W | SF | W | F | SF |
| Men's Championship | A | QF | SF | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | W | A | A |
| Presidents' Cup | 5= | 6 | W | 2 | 4= | 2= | 5= | A | A | A | 3= | W | W | A |
| Win-loss | 1-1 | 2-2 | 5-2 | 13-1 | 8-1 | 10-0 | 2-1 | 8-1 | 9-2 | 6-0 | 12-2 | 10-0 | 4-1 | 3-1 |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| World Championship | F* | W | | | F | | | SF | 3R | |
| Open Championship | F* | A | W | W | 2R | W | W | W | SF | QF |
| Men's Championship | F | A | F | 2R | A | W | A | A | A | A |
| Presidents' Cup | W | W | 3= | 2 | 5= | W | 4= | W | W | W |
| Win-Loss | 8-2 | 5-0 | 8-1 | 5-1 | 5-2 | 9-0 | 5-0 | 8-1 | 4-2 | 2-1 |
| Tournament | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | SR | W–L | Win % |
| World Championship | | 3R | 3R | | | A | | A | | | | | W | | 6 / 15 | 50–9 | 84.7 |
| Open Championship | F | F | QF | W | W | A | F | QF | A | A | F | A | A | SF | 11 / 32 | 113–21 | 84.3 |
| Men's Championship | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | | A | A | A | A | 4 / 10 | 32–6 | 84.2 |
| Presidents' Cup | W | W | 6= | 2 | A | 2 | 2= | W | A | 2= | A | A | A | A | 12 / 28 | | |
| Win-Loss | 8-1 | 4-2 | 2-2 | 4-0 | 4-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 4-1 | 0-0 | 5-0 | 2-1 | 21 / 58 | 195–36 | 84.4 |
$^*$ The 1989 and 2001 World and Open Championships were combined events.
The President's Cup is played as a 8/10 player round-robin and the number indicates the final position achieved.

### Major championship finals: 41 (26 titles, 15 runners-up)

| Outcome | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score |
| Runner-up | 1990 | NZ Championship | Joe Hogan | -26tp -17tp |
| Winner | 1990 | Men's Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +26tp +7tp -6tp +14 |
| Runner-up | 1990 | Open Championship | Stephen Mulliner | -23 -24tp |
| Winner | 1990 | World Championship | Mark Saurin | +26 +24tp |
| Winner | 1991 | Open Championship | Chris Clarke | +14otp +26tp -8 +26tp |
| Winner | 1992 | World Championship | John Walters | -5tp +4tp +12tp |
| Winner | 1992 | Open Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +26tp -14otp +14 -12tpo +26tp |
| Winner | 1993 | NZ Championship | Bob Jackson | +21tp +12 |
| Winner | 1994 | Australian Championship | Rohan Carter | +24tp +3 |
| Winner | 1994 | World Championship | Chris Clarke | -12tpo +12tp +18tp +13 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | NZ Championship | Bob Jackson | -26 -26 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | World Championship | Chris Clarke | -18tp +12tpo -26tp +26tp -26 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -24tp -26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp |
| Winner | 1996 | Open Championship | Aaron Westerby | +24tp -26tp +26tp -13tpo +26tp |
| Winner | 1997 | World Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +17 -3tpo +9otp +11otp |
| Winner | 1990 | Men's Championship | Phil Cordingley | +4 +14tp +24 |
| Winner | 1998 | Open Championship | Jacques Fournier | +26tp +22tp +25tp +26tp |
| Runner-up | 1999 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp -26tp |
| Winner | 2000 | NZ Championship | Chris Clarke | +26tp +26tp |
| Runner-up | 2001 | Men's Championship | Reg Bamford | -3 +8tp -8 +20tp -17qnp |
| Runner-up | 2001 | World Championship | Reg Bamford | +16tp -17sxp +2 -26sxp -26qp |
| Winner | 2002 | World Championship | Toby Garrison | +26tp +26tp -17tp +15tp |
| Runner-up | 2003 | Men's Championship | Pete Trimmer | -16tp -18tp -26tp |
| Winner | 2003 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +26tp +12 +18tp |
| Winner | 2004 | Open Championship | Pete Trimmer | +26tp -26tp -18tp +16 +26tp |
| Winner | 2005 | NZ Championship | Ronan McInerney | +26tp +26 |
| Runner-up | 2005 | World Championship | Reg Bamford | -17tp -26sxp -17sxp |
| Winner | 2006 | NZ Championship | Paul Skinley | +26sxp +25sxp +26tp |
| Winner | 2006 | Men's Championship | Jack Wicks | +26tp +26tp +26tp |
| Winner | 2006 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -2qp +25sxp +26qnp -8sxp +1 |
| Winner | 2007 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +26tp +25sxp -16tp +26sxp |
| Runner-up | 2008 | NZ Championship | Rutger Beijderwellen | -26qp -17tp +26 -26tp |
| Winner | 2008 | Open Championship | Samir Patel | +16qp +17 +26tp |
| Winner | 2011 | Men's Championship | Paddy Chapman | -25tp +20tp +26tp +4 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +18tp -26sxp -17 -26sxp |
| Runner-up | 2012 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -25sxp +14tp -24sxp -24sxp |
| Winner | 2014 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +16 +5qp +18qp |
| Winner | 2015 | Open Championship | Paddy Chapman | +20 +7 |
| Runner-up | 2017 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +25sxp, +3, -20sxp, -26sxp, -19sxp |
| Runner-up | 2021 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +3sxp, -25sxp, -24sxp, -19sxp |
| Winner | 2023 | World Championship | Matthew Essick | -17tp, -17tp, +4tp, +26tp, +8otp |

## Style

Fulford's playing style includes the ability to play a range of shots. His tactic of peeling an opponent's ball through hoop 1 makes a triple peel as hard as possible for the opponent. His sextuple peels are also more frequent than those of any other player. Robert Fulford uses an Irish grip [rather like a golf grip] and employs "casting" [swinging mallet over the ball] about three times before each shot. He has strong wrists which makes the Irish grip work for him without it causing the R.S.I. that the grip is sometimes blamed for. In fact, Robert admits that he has quite a wrist-dominated technique which contradicts most coaching manuals that advise minimal wrist involvement.

## World Championship results

Fulford has played in the following AC World Championships:
* 1989: Round 4: (lost to John Prince +26tp, -17, -26tp)
* 1990: won (beat Mark Saurin +26, +24tp)
* 1991: S/F (lost to John Walters -14otp, -26tp)
* 1992: won (beat John Walters -5tp, +4tp, +12tp)
* 1994: won (beat Chris Clarke -12tpo, +12tp, +18tp, +13)
* 1995: runner-up (lost to Chris Clarke -18tp, +12tpo, -26tp, +26tp, -26)
* 1997: won (beat Stephen Mulliner +17, -3tpo, +9otp, +11otp)
* 2001: runner-up (lost to Reg Bamford +16tp, -17sxp, +3, -26sxp, -26qp)
* 2002: won (beat Toby Garrison +26tp, +26tp, -17tp, +15tp)
* 2005: runner-up (lost to Reg Bamford -17tp, -26sxp, -17sxp)
* 2008: S/F (lost to Chris Clarke +26tp, +26tp, -11tpo, -17, -26)
* 2009: Round 3: (lost to Ben Rothman -14, -15tp, -17)
* 2012: Round 3: (lost to Marcus Evans +26tp, -20tp, +26sxp, -3tp, -25qnp)
* 2013: Round 3: (lost to Andrew Johnston +17tp, +12tp, -26, -15, -15)
* 2023: won (beat Matthew Essick -17tp, -17tp, +4tp, +26tp, +8otp)