MacRobertson International Croquet Shield : Wikis (The Full Wiki) 4 External links History In the early 1920s, Australian confectionery maker and philanthropist, Sir Macpherson Robertson played croquet as his pastime. He enlisted returned World War I veterans to take up concessions for his products and encouraged them to try croquet also, believing it to be a teaching aid for developing skills in self discipline and risk management. Eventually, a pool of players were participating in regular tournaments. In 1925, with a growing interest in the sport, he established the MacRobertson Shield, an international tournament of croquet "Tests" between Australia and England. The Victorian Croquet Association sent a team of four players to England to contest the inaugural tournament. England won easily and Robertson presented the Shield personally. In 1927-8 an England team played in Australia and was narrowly defeated. In 1930, New Zealand was invited to participate in a series between themselves and Australia, with Australia winning comfortably. The first triangular series was held in 1935 in Melbourne as part of the Melbourne centenary celebrations. More than a thousand spectators saw Australia retain the Shield.

1937 saw the Australian team go to England where the home team won convincingly. In 1993, a United States team was admitted into the tournament. The 2006 tournament was held in Australia at the Rich River Golf Club Resort near Echuca, Victoria - Moama, New South Wales on the Murray River from 18 November to 3 December 2006. The 2010 Series In 2010, Great Britain will host the series where it will be played at 5 different venues. Fri 6 – Tue 10 August: Great Britain v USA at Bowdon, Cheshire and Australia v New Zealand at Heaton Park, Manchester Thu 12 – Mon 16 August: Great Britain v New Zealand at Nottingham and Australia v USA at Roehampton Wed 18 – Sun 22 August: Great Britain v Australia and New Zealand v USA both at Surbiton Each team will be represented by 6 players and each test will be the best of 21 matches comprising 12 singles and 9 doubles.

Also in 2010, for the first time, the 4 MacRobertson Shield countries will be joined by 13 other countries in an inaugural WCF World Association Croquet Team Championship. The MacRobertson Shield will be Tier 1 and the other 13 entries will be split into two further Tiers based on playing strength. Mon 16 - Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 1: The next four countries will play at the Hurlingham Club, London. Mon 16 -Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 2: The next four countries will play at the Compton Croquet Club, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Wed 18 - Sat 21 August: Tier 3: The remaining five countries will play at the Sussex County Croquet Club. Past Results Map of MacRobertson International Croquet Shield - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki MacRobertson International Croquet Shield: Map Advertisements Map showing all locations mentioned on Wikipedia article: 2003 MacRobertson International Croquet Shield logo The MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world.

It is currently competed for by Australia , Great Britain and the United States . It is known affectionately as the MacRob. The series is now played in rotation between the competing countries every three or four years. History In the early 1920s, Australian confectionery maker and philanthropist, Sir Macpherson Robertson played croquet as his pastime. He enlisted returned World War I veterans to take up concessions for his products and encouraged them to try croquet also, believing it to be a teaching aid for developing skills in self discipline and risk management. Eventually, a pool of players were participating in regular tournaments. In 1925, with a growing interest in the sport, he established the MacRobertson Shield, an international tournament of croquet "Tests" between Australia and England. The Victorian Croquet Association sent a team of four players to England to contest the inaugural tournament. England won easily and Robertson presented the Shield personally. In 1927-8 an England team played in Australia and was narrowly defeated. In 1930, New Zealand was invited to participate in a series between themselves and Australia, with Australia winning comfortably.

The first triangular series was held in 1935 in Melbourne as part of the Melbourne centenary celebrations. More than a thousand spectators saw Australia retain the Shield. 1937 saw the Australian team go to England where the home team won convincingly. In 1993, a United States team was admitted into the tournament. The 2006 tournament was held in Australia at the Rich River Golf Club Resort near Echuca, Victoria MacRobertson Shield 2003 Australia Trevor Bassett Trevor Bassett recently completed his Graduate Diploma in Financial Planning and is now a qualified Financial Adviser. Since commencing croquet in 1990 as a ten year old, he has won three National titles and 12 State titles. Trevor’s most notable achievements in the last 12 months include winning the Victorian Open Doubles and Singles, making the final 32 of the Worlds, and making the semi-final of the Worlds plate event. Martin Clarke Martin is a member of the Mandurah club, just south of Perth, and formerly played at Geraldton.

He won the Australian Doubles title in 2002 with Alan Sands and previously represented Australia in the MacRobertson Shield in New Zealand in 2000. He works in hardware retailing. Bruce Fleming, Team Captain Bruce Fleming is Captain of the Australian team. He started playing croquet in 1982 and has won numerous titles at State and National level in Australia including the Men’s Open Singles and the Gold Medal event at the 2003 Australian Championships. He has played in three Trans Tasman series and in the MacRobertson Shield in New Zealand in 2000. He played in the recent tournament at the Resort at the Mountain, Oregon. Bruce is Operations Manager for the Australian National Electricity Market Control Centres located in Brisbane and Sydney. Stephen Forster Stephen is thirty-nine years old. He and his wife Julie have two children: Zach who is eleven, and Eden, eight. Stephen is a chef at Geelong Hospital. He has played competitive croquet for twenty-eight years and has represented Victoria nine times (4 times as captain). He was runner-up in the Australian Doubles 2002 and runner-up in the Australian Open 2003.

This is Stephen’s first time on the Australian MacRobertson Shield Team. Simon Hockey Simon is twenty-four years old and employed as a stores manager. Simon began playing croquet at age eight, sixteen years ago with his mother. He was a member of the victorious South Australian state team this year. He has won the Australian Treasurers Plate, Z event in this year’s Australian Nationals as well as in 2001. He won First Eight in President’s Eights, 2001. Simon’s highlights have been his selection to Sonoma Cutrer in 2000, the Trans Tasman team against New Zealand in 2001, and 3rd place in the New Zealand Open in 2003. He is looking forward to the MacRobertson Shield. George Latham, Team Manager & Coach George Latham, Team Manager/Coach, is a retired teacher from Melbourne Australia. He played in the 1986 and 1990 MacRobertson Shield, won each Australian title, and is still competitive. George enjoys coaching at all levels and is Coordinator of Victoria's Schools Croquet Program. He is currently planning the new 12-court Victorian Croquet Centre in Melbourne.

Stephen Meatheringham Stephen has been playing croquet for about 10 years and represented Australia in the 2001 WCF World Championships. He is the current New South Wales captain and won the 2002 Canberra Open. Great Britain Mark Avery Mark is 37 years of age, and lives and works in the family business in East London. He first played tournament croquet in 1980 as a fourteen year old. This will be his third MacRobertson Shield. His first appearance was in 1986. Major domestic successes include the Opens Singles Championship in 1987, two Open Doubles Championships, and the Chairman’s Salver. Mark has also been the Western and Northern Champion. As with many top players, his fast, graceful style and accurate croquet strokes belie the difficulty of the game. Matthew Burrow Matt is a 23 year old Jerseyman born and bred. He is in his ninth croquet season and started playing after winning a set of lessons one summer. The past 12 months have been particularly successful as Matt won the 2002 European Championships and the 2003 Resort Invitational. His earlier successes include both the Jersey and Irish Opens.

He was a medalist at Sonoma Cutrer and last year represented Great Britain in the Solomon Trophy. He has always wanted to play in the MacRobertson Shield Tournament. Being in West Palm Beach for the 2003 Tournament is a dream come true. Matt is always one to watch. He never gives up and will fight till the end. The Jerseyman is a risk taker where there is justifiable gain. This makes him stand out from the rest. With Mathew, you can always expect the unexpected. Chris Clarke Chris is 32 and has been playing croquet since the age of 13. This is his fourth MacRobertson Shield. Since the 2000 event, Chris has won the Open Doubles twice, once with David Maugham and for the seventh time with Robert Fulford. Chris is single and takes advantage of his freedom to attend 40 horse race meeting every year, and listen to excuses from his trainer as to why his horse won’t be running every week. Chris is a bookmaker and in his spare time works as a cost analyst at a haulage company. Phil Cordingley, Team Manager Phil is a 50 year old single IT Consultant living in North London.

He first played tournament croquet in 1980, and has played the game at all levels since. Internationally he captained England in the Home Internationals and represented Great Britain on numerous occasions in the Solomon Trophy. Major domestic honors include the British Open Doubles Championship, the Western Championship and the Chairman’s Salver. Now increasingly involved in the administration of the game, he is Chairman of the CA Selection Committee and Tournament Director of the 2005 World Championships to be held in Cheltenham, England. Robert Fulford, Team Captain Robert is the current and five time Croquet World Champion. He recently regained his ranking as the World No. 1 croquet player. Robert started playing in 1985. Since Robert first played on the team in 1990, Great Britain has won every MacRobertson Shield. This is his first time as Captain. Robert has played in Florida many times before, including playing in the Solomon Trophy and in the mid-nineties the Club Teams. David Maugham David Maugham is a 34-year-old Computer Technician living and working in Manchester. He has played competitive croquet since 1985.

He reached the top level in 1990, and since then has won numerous honors including the President’s Cup three times, the Sonoma Cutrer World Championship three times, the Australian Open, and the US Open. He has participated in three winning MacRobertson Shield teams for Great Britain. His crowning achievement came in the 2000 Shield, when he won the final, deciding game with a TP. Stephen Mulliner Stephen Mulliner, 50, is married to Sarah with four children (Lucy, Andrew (both 20 years old), Jonathan (18), Charlotte (14)). He is Head of Performance & Compensation Management at Old Mutual plc, the international financial services group, and non-executive chairman of James Smith Estates plc, a property investment company. His interests outside croquet include golf, tennis, running, hunting, and local politics. He has just completed a year as Mayor of his home town of Haslemere, Surrey. Stephen has been playing tournament croquet since 1975 and this will be his 5th MacRobertson Shield appearance since 1982.

Recent major achievements include victories in the 2000 British Open Championship, the 2001 Sonoma World Croquet Championship, the 2000 and 2001 British Open Golf Croquet Championships, and 4th place in the 2000 World Golf Croquet Championship in Cairo. New Zealand Greg Bryant A second time MacRobertson Shield Rep (first time 1993) Greg Bryant is the current President’s Top 10 Invitation champion and the Southern Premier Silver badge holder. He has played in four World Croquet Championships and also represented New Zealand at Sonoma-Cutrer on three occasions. He holds two NZ open doubles titles, three English silver Medals and two NZCC silver Mallets. He has yet to reach his crowning achievement in croquet. When he is not playing croquet, Greg who lives in Nelson and works in the transportation industry, takes full advantage of the climate to engage in adventure sports, including mountain biking and scuba diving. Dennis Bulloch Two time national Doubles Champion and one time Men’s Champion, Dennis is a player of long standing having taken up croquet in Dunedin, NZ in the late sixties.

He recently sold his restaurant of seven years and has moved to Blenheim near the top of the South Island. Dennis regards his crowning achievement as coming third in the World Championships in England in 2001. He has twice represented NZ at Sonoma Cutrer and holds two Gold and one Silver Mallet as well as two English Silver and one Bronze Medal. Dennis has been an international referee, a national coach and was a member of the New Zealand Croquet Council Executive for 13 years. In this event.... perhaps a dark horse! Kevin Fellows, Team Coach An economist from Wellington, Kevin Fellows is known to many of the MacRobertson Shield players as the Manager of the WCF World Croquet Championships in Wellington in December 2002. He has been team manager, team facilitator and coach for New Zealand representative teams in 1999, 2001 and 2003. Kevin shows his love of the sport in listing his interests first, second and third as croquet (followed by wood-working, gardening and sailing). He was delighted to see his protégé Toby Garrison come runner-up in the 2002 World Championships.

Kevin has been active for most of his 23 years playing croquet as a coach, international referee and member of NZCC committees for coaching, high performance, laws, tournaments and handicapping. Toby Garrison, Team Captain Even though he is the youngest in the New Zealand MacRobertson Shield Team, Toby Garrison is no stranger to international play. This will be his second time in the MacRob team—2000 being the first time. Toby has represented New Zealand at Sonoma Cutrer 1997, 1998 & 2000, the Trans Tasman Test Series in 1999 & 2001 and the World Championships in 2001 & 2002—where he came runner up. He was the NZ Open Champion in 2001 and a doubles champion in 1998 & 2001 with Dennis Bulloch. Toby is a bank officer in one of the foremost trading banks in Wellington and identifies his coach, Kevin Fellows as his greatest influence in the sport. Sport plays a large part in Toby’s life as does Music.

His crowning achievement in croquet is to be selected twice for the MacRobertson Shield. Charles Jones, Team Manager Charles Jones finishes his four-year term as President of Croquet New Zealand in time to accompany the New Zealand MacRobertson Shield team to Florida as the Team Manager. Charles managed the MacRobertson Shield team in 2000 and the New Zealand Trans-Tasman test teams in 1995 and 2001. Charles is a notable croquet player in his own right and represented New Zealand in the NZ v Great Britain Rep match in 1979 as well as the World Golf Croquet Championships in 1998. He is currently the Wellington Open Doubles Champion, the Wellington Challenge Series Double champion and the Wakatipu Open Champion. Now that he is retired Charles is enjoying his croquet, golf, music, cooking and work as a Justice of the Peace. He is delighted to be part of the first MacRobertson shield series to be played in the United States. Peter Parkinson Peter began playing croquet in 1990 after he retired as a school teacher.

Although he believes he is still working towards his greatest achievement in croquet, Peter has claimed a number of national titles en route to being part of the 2003 MacRobertson Shield team. Notable successes are winning the President’s 16 Invitation event in 2000, two Silver mallets in 2002 & 2003 and an English Silver Medal in 2002. He also won the 2002–3 Southern Premier silver Badge. He is also a referee. The greatest influences on Peter’s play have been books by Wylie and Csikszentmihalyi. Peter’s interests include building sports cars, classic motorbikes, music, wine and travel. John Prince A truly familiar face at the MacRobertson Shield challenges, John Prince has probably represented his country in the event more times than any other player. This will be John’s 10th MacRobertson Shield—and he will play his 100th game in the Shield challenges.

He has also played in the WCF Championships twice, been New Zealand Open Champion 8 times, won the President’s Invitation 9 times, NZ Men’s Championship 9 times and the New Zealand Doubles Championship 11 times. He regards his crowning achievements as being the playing captain for New Zealand’s winning MacRobertson Shields teams in 1979 and 1986. Ashley Heenan has been his greatest influence in the game, a fact that becomes obvious from the time you see John put a ball on the lawn. John is an artist and a bank officer and lives in Christchurch. John Versey, reserve It is a long way to Florida from Napier, New Zealand should he be called on, but John Versey, a school teacher, is in no doubt that his crowning croquet achievement to date is being selected as the non-travelling reserve for the New Zealand team and his dedication to his preparation is no less rigorous than for the rest of the team.

A player since 1988 John is quiet about his path to selection but his win in the plate event at the New Zealand Open in January 2003 followed by winning the WCF qualifying tournament in Nelson in December 2002 makes his place unsurprising. Brian Wislang Brian Wislang is an orchardist who grows apples in Richmond in Nelson. His croquet-playing career began in 1979 and he has previously represented New Zealand in the MacRobertson Shield in 1996 and 2000. Brian won the Bronze Medal at the 2002 World Croquet Federation Championships in Wellington, New Zealand. He has played in the Trans-Tasman Tests in 1991 and 2001 and at Sonoma Cutrer in 1993, 1995 and 2000. Brian has been a New Zealand doubles champion and was runner-up in the New Zealand Open in 1996 and 2002. He holds refereeing and coaching qualifications and regards his crowning achievement as partnering John Prince in a notable win over England at the 2000 MacRobertson shield.

Along with golf and yachting Brian is probably more honest than the rest of us in that he acknowledges a hobby/interest as just wasting time—which he presumably does very well with his wife Adrienne and his two adult sons. United States Curtis Drake Curtis Drake is 38 years old and lives in Owensboro, KY with his wife Charlotte and their daughter Courtney. He owns a structural steel fabrication shop, and his hobbies are work and croquet. His first American rules tournament outside Kentucky was the February 2000 Arizona Open where he won First Flight Singles and Open Doubles. He played his first international rules tournament in July of 2001. It was the Minnesota Open and he won the tournament. Curtis has never played in the MacRoberston Shield, but he was selected to play on the Solomon team in 2002 and was selected to go to the World Championships in New Zealand in 2002. There he was the highest placing American. Jack Fournier Jack Fournier, twenty-one years old (but turning 22 Nov. 12), graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia last August with an economics major and a mathematics/computer science interdisciplinary major.

Jack was a senior in high school during the 2000 MacRobertson Shield, and therefore finished college in only three years. He is justifiably quite proud of this accomplishment and is now deciding what career to pursue. He is considering commercial real estate development. Interests outside croquet include golf, skiing, weight training, and both Ayn Rand’s fiction and non-fiction. Jack began playing croquet in 1988, and this will be his second MacRob appearance. His major tournament wins include two US Opens, two North American Opens, one USCA International Rules National Championship, and one Sonoma-Cutrer World Croquet Championship. Jack was also founder and captain of the University of Virginia Club Croquet Team, which won 3 National Collegiate Championships, and one USCA National Club Teams Championship. Wynand Louw Wy Louw is thirty years old and lives in Gainesville, Florida. He is a certified public accountant and Manager of Inventory Accounting at Regeneration Technologies. Wy grew up in South Africa, but married a 4th generation Floridian and moved to the US in 2000. He and his wife Lisa expect their first child in December.

His hobbies are reading, old movies, and, he has a slight interest in chess. Wy has played croquet since 1989. He hasn’t won the US Nationals yet, but he hopes to push Jacques Fournier and US croquet to greater heights. This will be his first MacRobertson Shield appearance. He has represented South Africa against Ireland, Japan and Britain, but this will be his first appearance for the US. He won the South African Open twice and the North Carolina Open in 2002. Wy was runner-up to Fournier in the 2002 International Rules Nationals and runner-up in the 2002 USCA Rules National Doubles. He reached the North Carolina Open semi-finals in 2003 losing to the eventual winner, Kenster Rosenberry in 3 games. Wy’s favorite piece of croquet trivia about himself is breaking Stephen Mulliner’s run of 14 consecutive quarterfinal appearances in the British Open in 1995 after being TPO’ed by Stephen in game 3. According to Wy, Stephen hasn’t forgiven him yet.

Kenster Rosenberry Kenster Rosenberry is a 49 year old computer professional at Penn State University, located in the heart of Pennsylvania. When not on the croquet court he enjoys biking, fishing, tennis, squash, chess, billiards, and sleight-of-hand magic. Kenster became captivated with six-wicket croquet in the late 80’s when he and his wife Maryann Curione happened upon a croquet tournament while visiting the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. They were both immediately intrigued by the sport. So much so, that, having yet to play the game, they would return to Newport many times in the early 90’s specifically to watch croquet. In 1995, his wife bought him a Solomon mallet for Christmas. The following Spring they built a half-sized court in their backyard. Over the next five years, Kenster played a handful of tournaments. But in 2000, he started entering many more competitions. It was then that Jeff Soo introduced Kenster to team events. Subsequently, Kenster has played on two Solomon Trophy teams and one Carter Challenge Team. This will be his first MacRobertson Shield.

Kenster enjoys all forms of croquet: American Rules, Association Croquet, Golf Croquet, and his particular favorite, One-ball. Jerry Stark, Team Captain Jerry Stark is forty-eight years old and lives in Middletown, California. He is married to Donna, and has two children: Jessie (25), and Zac (17). His hobbies include croquet, darts, golf, and watching Zac wrestle and play football. Jerry has been the Director of Croquet at Meadowood Napa Valley for fourteen years. Jerry started playing serious backyard croquet in 1978 in Kansas City. Numerous local victories included the Thick Joe Open and the Rockville Classic. When he found the real tournament game in Phoenix, he moved there and started playing six wicket croquet in 1983. He is the “old man” on the US Team and has played in all four of the MacRoberstson Shield events participated in by the USA. He has represented the USA in eight of the WCF World Championships, seven Solomon Trophy Teams, and two Carter Challenge Teams. He has competed in eight Sonoma Cutrer World Championships. Jerry is a member of the USCA/CFA Croquet Hall of Fame.

John Taves John Taves is forty years old and married to Anne. They have two boys Jay, eight years old, and Chris, four. John runs two companies: Pick A Time and Pacific Northwest Software. PNWS provides IT consulting services. Pick A Time is a startup that provides an online appointment system. Corporations use it to allow their employees to make appointments for flu shots, and other health programs, and to sign up for educational classes. Schools use it to provide online class registration and parent/teacher conference scheduling. You will see him with his laptop for most of this tournament because schools are using the system right now. John has been playing Croquet since 1990. He was selected to the 1996 and 2000 MacRobertson Shield. In the 1996 tournament he became the first American to achieve a winning record at a MacRob tournament. The last tournament he played began on 9/11/01. It was the USA Nationals, and he came in first.

MacRobertson International Croquet Shield explained MacRobertson International Croquet Shield MacRobertson International Croquet Shield explained The MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world. It is currently competed for by Australia , England , New Zealand and the United States . It is known affectionately as the MacRob or just the Mac. The series is now played in rotation between the competing countries every three or four years. The next series will be held in 2017 in the USA. History In the early 1920s, Australian confectionery maker and philanthropist, Sir Macpherson Robertson played croquet as his pastime. He enlisted returned World War I veterans to take up concessions for his products and encouraged them to try croquet also, believing it to be a teaching aid for developing skills in self-discipline and risk management. Eventually, a pool of players were participating in regular tournaments. In 1925, with a growing interest in the sport, he established the MacRobertson Shield, an international tournament of croquet "Tests" between Australia and England. The Victorian Croquet Association sent a team of four players to England to contest the inaugural tournament.

England won easily and Robertson presented the Shield personally. In 1927-8 an England team played in Australia and was narrowly defeated. In 1930, New Zealand was invited to participate in a series between themselves and Australia, with Australia winning comfortably and the first triangular series was held in 1935 in Melbourne as part of the Melbourne centenary celebrations. In 1993, a United States team was admitted into the tournament. Between 1974 and 2010 the team representing the Croquet Association was named Great Britain and in two series Great Britain and Ireland , because the teams included players from Scotland , Wales and Ireland . From the 2013-14 series the team will be named England and will only included English qualified players. This is following the introduction of the WCF World Association Croquet Team Championship. The 2013-14 Series The 2013-14 series was contested in New Zealand across 4 different venues.

Mon 30 December - Fri 3 January: New Zealand v USA and England v Australia at United Croquet Club, Christchurch England 16 - 5 Australia New Zealand 20 - 1 USA Sun 5 - Thu 9 January: England v USA at Te Mata Croquet Club, Havelock North and New Zealand v Australia at Marewa Croquet Club, Napier England 18 - 3 USA New Zealand 15 - 4 Australia Sat 11 - Wed 15 January: New Zealand v England and Australia v USA at Mt Maunganui Croquet Club, Tauranga New Zealand 13 - 7 England Australia 17 - 4 USA The 2010 Series The 2010 Shield was contested in Great Britain, across 5 different venues.

Fri 6 – Tue 10 August: Great Britain v USA at Bowdon, Greater Manchester and Australia v New Zealand at Heaton Park, Manchester Great Britain 12 - 9 USA Australia 8 - 13 New Zealand Thu 12 – Mon 16 August: Great Britain v New Zealand at Nottingham and Australia v USA at Roehampton Great Britain 11 - 10 New Zealand Australia 7 - 14 USA Wed 18 – Sun 22 August: Great Britain v Australia and New Zealand v USA both at Surbiton Great Britain 14 - 7 Australia USA 5 - 16 New Zealand Each team is represented by 6 players and each test is the best of 21 matches comprising 12 singles and 9 doubles. In 2010, for the first time, the four MacRobertson Shield countries were joined by 13 other countries in an inaugural WCF World Association Croquet Team Championship. The MacRobertson Shield was Tier 1 and the other 13 entries were split into three further tiers based on playing strength.

Mon 16 - Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 1: The next four countries played at the Hurlingham Club, London. Tier 2.1 winner Wales Mon 16 -Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 2: The next four countries played at the Compton Croquet Club, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Tier 2.2 winner Scotland Wed 18 - Sat 21 August: Tier 3: The remaining five countries played at the Sussex County Croquet Club. Tier 3 winner Czech Republic Past results Croquet World Online Magazine | News & Features Personal profiles of American team members With this report, all four captains of the international teams to meet in the 17th MacRobertson Shield test matches in Christchurch in January 2000 have made their opening ploys and flung down whatever gauntlets they have been inspired to fling. At this point, a straightforward statistical projection (based on calculations from the World Rankings) would dictate a finishing order of: (1) Great Britain, (2) New Zealand, (3) Australia, (4) United States.

But few would rule out the possibility of a New Zealand victory on their home turf in the middle of their southern hemisphere playing season. And most would agree that the closest contest is likely to be between the Americans and the Australians. Reporting for Australia: Bruce Fleming The selection of the Australian team was finalised at the end of September. The team is comprised of Helene Thurston and Martin Clarke of Western Australia, Colin Pickering and Brian Dawson of South Australia, Max Donati of Queensland, and myself as Team Captain from Queensland. Our Manager is Peter Tavender from Canberra and our Coach is John Riches from Adelaide. The team is not experienced in MacRobertson Shield croquet, but nevertheless it is still an experienced team by Australian standards. All have had International experience either at Sonoma Cutrer, the WCF World Championships or in the Australia - New Zealand Trans Tasman series. The only player to have played in a MacRobertson Shield team is current Australian Open champion Colin Pickering. Harley Watts and Ashley Faulkner, who represented Australia in England, were original selections for the team but had to decline - Harley due to business commitments and Ashley due to injury. There are some exciting new faces in this team.

The world has not yet seen the best of Max Donati, who until now has been finding his feet in International croquet. Max is delighted at his selection and knows what he needs to do to be successful. I am expecting Max to put in a determined effort. He is an absolutely scintillating player at his best, with amazingly accurate single ball shots and a complete command of the game. Another new player who is destined to make his mark in International croquet is Martin Clarke. He impressed everyone in the recent Trans Tasman series with his determination and composure. The occasion will not overawe him and he is a superb doubles player. Martin will do what croquet is all about: hit the shots and go around. Brian Dawson found out something he did not know about himself at Sonoma Cutrer; he was competitive with the world's best players. Since that cat got out of the bag, Brian has been going from strength to strength. With this new level of confidence the roquets and triple peels will flow as never before. The more experienced trio of Colin Pickering, Helene Thurston and myself will have the job of anchoring the team.

As always Colin will lead by example and the spectators will be treated to some superb shooting and triple peeling. His experience will lend stability and guidance to the less experienced players. Helene Thurston has succeeded whenever an International opportunity has been presented to her. Her steady play and fighting qualities were on display at the most recent Sonoma Cutrer World Championship where she made it to the last five. She was runner up in the WCF world championship plate played in her home state of Western Australia and has represented Australia in a number of Trans Tasman series. The team leadership is experienced and professional, and I am confident the Australian Team will be ready to play from day one. The Great Britain team is very strong and will be expected to defend the MacRobertson Shield successfully. I think the only problem they will have is the timing of the contest, which unfortunately for them is in the middle of their off season. We play them first and our best chance will be to surprise them before they can get into stride. I believe the Australians and the Americans have made some ground on the New Zealanders, and close results can be expected between these teams.

In order to arrive at a prediction I have done some simple calculations based on the World Ranking list and have arrived at the following results. GB def NZ 12 9 GB def AUS 14 7 GB def USA 16 5 NZ def AUS 12 9 NZ def USA 15 6 AUS def USA 14 7 Of course these predictions are based on current form four months before the event and cannot take account such factors as the home ground advantage to New Zealand, the competitive spirit of the Americans, the experience of the Great Britain Team or the enthusiasm of a rebuilt Australian Team. Reporting for America: John Taves John Taves, American team captain. The United States team has two returning Shield veterans.� Jerry Stark and I played in 1996 in Great Britain. Don Fournier, Jacques Fournier, Mik Mehas, and Jeff Soo all have International team experience. Jeff Soo is the least experienced member of our team. He is very good, though. He represented the United States at the Solomon in 1999. He is a solid player and not one to falter under pressure.

He is relatively new to croquet, having played for only a few years, however he continues to impress at every tournament he competes in. I played with Don Fournier in the '97 Solomon Trophy in Thousand Oaks, California. The Solomon is run very much like the Shield. We had an excellent team and I played doubles with Don. This was the first time I had played with him, and I didn�t know what to expect. I thought it was going to be a long week for him because he started out by dropping some breaks and blowing some easy shots. It looked like the pressure was getting to him, and I feared he was going to spiral downward. My fears were unfounded. In one key game he was running the second break. I figured he would play it safe and just run the break. Instead, he did some difficult shots to get the triple going and finished the game on that turn. From then on, his error rate went down to a very low level, and he went on to beat David Openshaw in a best-of-five match. He showed me that he knows how to deal with pressure, and he knows not to change his game because of past errors. Mik Mehas is a controversial player.

Some don�t like him at all, and would rather not have him on the team because of some perceived transgressions. I'm certain that the other teams would rather not have him on the U.S. team, either. I'm glad he's on the team, because he wins. And I like him. He is always a deadly shot, and frequently wins with two breaks. He has played in many tournaments with the best in the world, and has done quite well in them. He has the mental thing under control; after all, he continues to dominate the American croquet circuit. Jacques Fournier is well known in the croquet world. He is still in high school and can�t legally drink in the USA. He won the 99 Sonoma-Cutrer World Championship and finished second to Fulford in the '98 British Open. To say we have confidence in his game would be an understatement. He and his brother Don (see above) regularly play at their family court. The United States has never had a team with such a highly ranked player. Jerry Stark is a veteran of the '93 and '96 USA Shield teams, and numerous Solomon teams. He's the croquet pro at Meadowood Resort.

He has been a top ranked international player for years. There is no doubt that he will win matches for us. As Chris Clarke has said, "His good stuff is difficult to beat." At the '96 Shield matches in Great Britain my wife, Anne, and our son, Jay, joined me. This year we will show off another addition to our family. Our second boy, Chris, was born October 7, so he will be 4 months old in New Zealand. I expect he will add considerably to my game. I am not going to make a prediction on the outcome of the tournament. The other team captains have unanimously predicted that we will finish last. I am going to remind my teammates that we are the least experienced, and the lowest ranked team. In other words, there is no pressure on us. The editor requested each American team member to send a profile organized around these five questions: 1. What is your playing record? 2. Where do you live and play croquet? 3. Describe your work and family life and explain how you can afford to be away from home and work for more than three weeks to play the MacRob. 4. Will you play in the New Zealand Open as a warmup? 5.

Any other thing you'd like to say that bears on your croquet career, achievements, and aspirations. Here are their self-revealing answers: DON FOURNIER, JR. My major tournament wins include the 1996 U.S. Open and 1997 Arizona Open. I have had numerous runner-up and third place finishes in other AZ Opens, U.S. Opens, and the San Francisco Open. I live and work in Phoenix, Arizona, and my home club is the Downtown Croquet Club. I am a Real Estate Appraiser/Business owner and am able to participate due to an understanding wife (prenuptial agreement) and two understanding business partners. I have three beautiful daughters: Nellie 5, Sarah 3 and Jennifer 6 months, who I will miss terribly. I won't be able to attend the NZ Open.

JACQUES FOURNIER 1) Major Tournament Wins: 1995 Meadowood Croquet Classic 1997 Meadowood Croquet Classic 1998 Meadowood Croquet Classic 1998 US Open 1999 Arizona Open 1999 Arizona International Open 1999 WCC World Croquet Championships (2) Home Club and Where I Live. The Downtown Croquet Club 86 E. Country Club Dr., Phoenix, AZ 85014 (3) Profession/Work Life - and how I can get away for that long! Student at Brophy College Prep (a Jesuit High School). I can get away for three weeks because I am ranked in the top 5% in my class and I am a Senior. (4) NZ Open. No, I am not playing. That would be too much time off. (5) Any other thing I would like to say: I am really looking forward to kicking some Ozzie, Kiwi, and Brit ass. MIK MEHAS MacRobertson International Croquet Shield - Wikipedia, Photos and Videos MacRobertson International Croquet Shield NEXT GO TO RESULTS [46 ..

95] WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE Jump to: navigation , search The MacRobertson Shield The MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world. It is currently competed for by Australia , England , New Zealand and the United States . It is known affectionately as the MacRob or just the Mac. The series is now played in rotation between the competing countries every three or four years. The next series will be held in 2017 in the USA. Contents History[ edit ] In the early 1920s, Australian confectionery maker and philanthropist, Sir Macpherson Robertson played croquet as his pastime. He enlisted returned World War I veterans to take up concessions for his products and encouraged them to try croquet also, believing it to be a teaching aid for developing skills in self-discipline and risk management. Eventually, a pool of players were participating in regular tournaments. In 1925, with a growing interest in the sport, he established the MacRobertson Shield, an international tournament of croquet "Tests" between Australia and England. The Victorian Croquet Association sent a team of four players to England to contest the inaugural tournament.

England won easily and Robertson presented the Shield personally. In 1927-8 an England team played in Australia and was narrowly defeated. In 1930, New Zealand was invited to participate in a series between themselves and Australia, with Australia winning comfortably and the first triangular series was held in 1935 in Melbourne as part of the Melbourne centenary celebrations. In 1993, a United States team was admitted into the tournament. Between 1974 and 2010 the team representing the Croquet Association was named Great Britain and in two series Great Britain and Ireland , because the teams included players from Scotland , Wales and Ireland . From the 2013-14 series the team will be named England and will only included English qualified players. This is following the introduction of the WCF World Association Croquet Team Championship. The 2013-14 Series[ edit ] The 2013-14 series was contested in New Zealand across 4 different venues.

Mon 30 December - Fri 3 January: New Zealand v USA and England v Australia at United Croquet Club, Christchurch England 16 - 5 Australia New Zealand 20 - 1 USA Sun 5 - Thu 9 January: England v USA at Te Mata Croquet Club, Havelock North and New Zealand v Australia at Marewa Croquet Club, Napier England 18 - 3 USA New Zealand 15 - 4 Australia Sat 11 - Wed 15 January: New Zealand v England and Australia v USA at Mt Maunganui Croquet Club, Tauranga New Zealand 13 - 7 England Australia 17 - 4 USA The 2010 Series[ edit ] The 2010 Shield was contested in Great Britain, across 5 different venues.

Fri 6 – Tue 10 August: Great Britain v USA at Bowdon, Greater Manchester and Australia v New Zealand at Heaton Park, Manchester Great Britain 12 - 9 USA Australia 8 - 13 New Zealand Thu 12 – Mon 16 August: Great Britain v New Zealand at Nottingham and Australia v USA at Roehampton Great Britain 11 - 10 New Zealand Australia 7 - 14 USA Wed 18 – Sun 22 August: Great Britain v Australia and New Zealand v USA both at Surbiton Great Britain 14 - 7 Australia USA 5 - 16 New Zealand Each team is represented by 6 players and each test is the best of 21 matches comprising 12 singles and 9 doubles. In 2010, for the first time, the four MacRobertson Shield countries were joined by 13 other countries in an inaugural WCF World Association Croquet Team Championship. The MacRobertson Shield was Tier 1 and the other 13 entries were split into three further tiers based on playing strength.

Mon 16 - Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 1: The next four countries played at the Hurlingham Club, London. Tier 2.1 winner Wales Mon 16 -Sat 21 August: Tier 2 Division 2: The next four countries played at the Compton Croquet Club, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Tier 2.2 winner Scotland Wed 18 - Sat 21 August: Tier 3: The remaining five countries played at the Sussex County Croquet Club. Tier 3 winner Czech Republic Keen to take mallet to England | Stuff.co.nz Keen to take mallet to England BY ANDREW BOARD Last updated 13:00 09/07/2010 ANDREW BOARD/Nelson Mail HOOPLA: Nelson croquet player Greg Bryant has been selected for the MacRobertson Shield team to play in Britain next month. Relevant offers A new mallet and plenty of practice has propelled Nelson croquet player Greg Bryant into the New Zealand "world cup" team, heading to Britain next month.

Bryant was selected for the MacRobertson Shield team earlier this year and is now putting in three hours of practice a day to ready himself for the tournament, the pinnacle of international teams croquet. Bryant, a member of the Richmond club, has played in four MacRobertson Shield teams, an event held every four years among the sport's top four countries – Britain, Australia, United States and New Zealand. "I'm very, very excited," he said. "I've not contested a MacRob in Great Britain before and given the history of the sport in that country and that they are the current holders it makes it very special." The six-person New Zealand team is funded by Sparc and, for the first time since 1969, has a woman in the team. Jenny Clarke is Bryant's doubles partner and, curiously enough, is the wife of world, and Great Britain No 1, Chris Clarke. New Zealand was the last country, other than Britain, to win the competition when it did so in 1986, and is ranked fourth in the world, a placing Bryant is hoping to help improve this year.

"We play Australia first up and I've never lost a trans-Tasman series to them, so hopefully we can win that and have a good amount of confidence when we play the Brits second," he said. While Bryant has won several national titles and represented New Zealand for close to two decades he said the highlight of his career is any time he plays in the MacRobertson Shield and he is more confident this year of achieving a strong result than any other. "We are very confident as a team and personally I'm very happy with my form at the moment. I've just switched mallets for the first time in my career and I'm finding the benefits of that just extraordinary. I'm vastly improved and really excited by that. Playing in this event is about as good as it gets," he said. The competition starts in early August with New Zealand being the next country to host it in 2014.

Question: The MacRobertson International Shield, competed for by Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand and the United States and known affectionately as "the MacRob", is the premier event in the world for which sport?
Answer: Croquet