CROQUET NEWS:  Johnnies, Mids to Revive Their Croquet Rivalry

3 March 2005
St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
story by Vanessa Franko in The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
photo by Paul Gillespie in The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Midshipman 2nd Class Mark Daniel prepares to strike the ball, as Midshipman 1st Class Jared O'Malley and St. John's College senior Tommy Dyer watch.

When Steve Werlin captained the St. John's College croquet team in 1985, he really didn't care for the genteel sport of hitting colored balls through wire wickets.

"It was just more of a social event," he said.

Now, the contest between the Johnnies and the Naval Academy midshipmen could be the most jovial, yet serious college rivalry this side of the Army-Navy game.

"I love interacting with these guys," Midshipman 1st Class Peter Daderko said yesterday during a joint practice.

"They're the same as you, (but) they have longer hair," Midshipman 1st Class Billy Mohr added.

On Sunday at 1 p.m., the lawn at St. John's College will be converted to a croquet field so students from the neighboring schools can square off with mallets.

This year will mark the 24th of the Annapolis Cup, created after Johnnie Kevin Heyburn attended an Army-Navy pep rally. According to St. John's, when Mr. Heyburn was walking back, he was behind the academy commandant and remarked that in the old days, St. John's had a formidable athletic program and could beat Navy.

The commandant said that there was no sport in which St. John's could beat Navy. Mr. Heyburn suggested a croquet match and the two squads have been playing each other ever since.

Last year the Mids beat the Johnnies, the national croquet champions, for only their fifth win in cup history.

"We want to avenge the loss. We're not used to losing - at this, at least," said Robert Hurst, a junior at the liberal arts college.

But the Johnnies, with many new members, will have a tough road. The Naval Academy team, made up of mids from the 28th Company, has a number of returning players.

"We got a lot of confidence last year from winning," said Midshipmen 1st Class Dustin Wood, who as team captain is known as the "imperial wicket."

As fierce as Sunday's competition will be, the Mids and the Johnnies met up yesterday for some head-to-head practice on the tufty grass of St. John.

With the "thwack" of a mallet, Midshipman Daderko's ball sailed near a wicket on the field.

"Nice shot," Midshipman Mohr called over to him.

Last weekend, the Mids played against members of the retirement community Ginger Cove, beating them 2 to 1.

St. John's didn't have as much luck when they played the retirement community team earlier this year.

Matt Mangold, a St. John's senior and the team's imperial wicket, is hopeful that won't happen again Sunday. He bought flood lights so the team could get some night practices in this week.

"We have an aggressive way to play. We try to run wickets, which sometimes works to our advantage and sometimes to our detriment," he said.

While the Mids have a more conservative approach of keeping their balls closer together, some frustration has turned up on the field, as Midshipmen 1st Class Damian Oslebo discovered.

He had to glue his mallet after breaking it.

"I thought you could throw them like golf clubs," he said. "You can't."

All of the mids have fancy mallets, shiny with lacquer and their names emblazoned on them in gold lettering. They wear white cardigans with a gold Navy "N" attached to them, blue and gold ties, white pants and white shoes.

The Johnnies use worn mallets. They usually wear sneakers or sandals and their team uniforms change every year, sometimes to the team's detriment.

The Johnnies always keep their uniforms a surprise until the event.

"Last year I think a big part of (the loss) was that we were in short-shorts and it was cold," St. John's senior Tommy Dyer said.

Despite the competition on the field, both teams are congenial and friendly toward each other.

On Friday, the St. John's team will lunch with the brigade of midshipmen.

They will be introduced by Midshipman Wood and Mr. Mangold will make some remarks. However, whenever the Johnnies' imperial wicket steps up, there's usually so much banging on plates and noise that nobody hears him.

The impending psych-out doesn't faze Mr. Mangold because the Johnnies' have a secret charm for good luck.

"We have a Croquet God in our closet, a croquet guy statue," Mr. Mangold said. "We'll probably rub his head a little bit before we play."

The match happens at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. The competition takes place on the front lawn of St. John's College, 60 College Ave.