Maui Croquet Club News in 2006

CROQUET NEWS: North American Open Won by Leo McBride

	Finishing Positions
	1st	Leo McBride (ON)
	2nd	Rich Lamm (CO)
	3rd	Mark McInerney
	4th	Brian Cumming (ON)
	5th	Paul Bennett (AZ) Ben Rothman (CA) Doug Grimsley (VA) Tony Le Moignan
	9th	Erv Peterson (CA)
	10th	Tony Hall
	11th	Martyn Selman (CA) Johnny Mitchell (TX)
	13th	Rory Kelley (AZ) Jim Butts (CA) Mik Mehas (CA) David Dill (CA)

15-20 May 2006
Sonoma-Cutrer Winery, Windsor, California, USA

by Mike Orgill in Croquet World Online

Just under one thousand patrons attended the Saturday charity event benefiting Bay Area Make-A-Wish at Sonoma-Cutrer [Winery]. The rain held off, and the day was mild and humid with some threatening clouds. The event raised over $600,000 for Make-A-Wish. Thanks to Keith LaVine, president of SC, Patricia Wilson, of MAW, Donna Bernheim and Beth Ghashghai of Sonoma-Cutrer, and Ramon and all the wonderful groundskeeping staff at the winery for making this tournament possible. The purse money was sponsored by the Sonoma-Cutrer Croquet Club.

Leo McBride walked away with his second North American Open championship and $3000. Rich Lamm was second and received $1250. Mark McInerneny was third and won $1000 along with $250 for winning the one big block. Leo McBride won the most triple peel award, and Erv Peterson won the plate and $500.

This year's edition of the North American Open shapes up as quite a shootout. The money at stake will only add to the tension. The format too will contribute to the competitive atmosphere that always surrounds this tournament. For the first time every game in the championship ladder will be a best-of-three match, including the final game. Eight players will make the cut out of a single sixteen player block in which every player has twelve games. The eight unfortunates not making the cut are not out of the money, however. They will compete in a single- game ladder leading to a final in which a $500 prize for the plate winner is at stake. In addition, the winner of the block will receive $250. There will also be a prize for the player with the most peeling finishes in the tournament, and a prize for the first player to finish a sextuple peel.

Championship Knockout (best of three)

1st	Mark McInerney	Mark McInerney +26tp, +10	Leo McBride +26tp, –26tp, +17tp	Leo McBride +26tp, +19tp
8th	Tony Le Moignan
5th	Leo McBride	Leo McBride +26tp, –19, +25tp
4th	Ben Rothman
3rd	Paul Bennett	Rich Lamm +26tp +8tpo	Rich Lamm +26tp, +8
6th	Rich Lamm
7th	Doug Grimsley	Brian Cumming –17, +17tp, +15tp
2nd	Brian Cumming
			Mark McInerney	Mark McInerney +17tp
			Brian Cumming

Plate Knockout (single game)

1st	Rory Kelley	Erv Peterson +8	Erv Peterson	Erv Peterson +13
8th	Erv Peterson
5th	David Dill	Martyn Selman +8
4th	Martyn Selman
3rd	Mik Mehas	Johnny Mitchell +18	Tony Hall +26tp
7th	Johnny Mitchell
6th	Tony Hall	Tony Hall +11tp
2nd	Jim Butts

Block Play (best of three)

Finish	Player (state)	Wins	Net
1st	Mark McInerney	10	+163
2nd	Brian Cumming	9	+140 (Cumming over Bennett in head-to-head)
3rd	Paul Bennett		+140 (Cumming over Bennett in head-to-head)
4th	Ben Rothman		+82
5th	Leo McBride	8	+156
6th	Rich Lamm	7	+80
7th	Doug Grimsley	7	+29
8th	Tony Le Moignan	6	–33
9th	Rory Kelley	5	–27
10th	Jim Butts		–59
11th	Mik Mehas		–93
12th	Martyn Selman	4	–71
13th	David Dill	4	–91
14th	Tony Hall	2	–60
15th	Johnny Mitchell		–72
16th	Erv Peterson		–130

Day One
Leo McBride warned everyone to take the shortest lift shots against him because he "was on fire", and the Canadian told the truth. He reeled off three +26 games and three triple peels. Second seed Mark McInerney had a bit more trouble, but perhaps it was jet lag from the long air flight from Ireland. McInereney still managed to come in second after the day's play, with two wins and one loss. No triples, though. It was a day of upsets, with fifteenth seed Martyn Selman knocking off both second seed McInerney and fourth seed Tony Le Moignan. Sixteenth seed David Dill handed a narrow loss to third seed Rich Lamm. The field has proven to be evenly matched on the whole, and it will be a tough task to make the top eight and eligibility for the top money prizes.

Day Two
Mark McInerney overcame his residual jet lag and sailed through with three triples. Leo McBride encountered head winds, experiencing the first game in the tournament in which an opponent scored against him (against Butts, which McBride won on time 18-11, his first loss (a two-ball game in overtime against Rothman 23-22), before regaining his sea legs and administering a drubbing against Kelley +26TP. Mik Mehas had a bad day, losing three times and dropping from third to eleventh.

Day Three
The top five players adjusted their positions slightly, with McBride fading back to number two, and McInerney assuming first place. McInerney continues to feast on the field, and McBride continues to feed, although his prey is fighting back a bit more ferociously. Although players say they find the courts a bit too lush and green, they seem to have difficulty running hoops, and triples are not as numerous as the tournament director expected.

Day Four
Rich Lamm's form continued to improve. He handed Mark McInerney his second win with a brilliant +26TP drubbing. Lamm also handed McBride his third loss with a +17TP proving that his third seeding was not a tournament director's mistake. Lamm's shaky start was now a dim memory and his place in the final eight is assured. Doug Grimsley battled his way into the final eight with a brilliant win against Brian Cumming +17TP. Jim Butts gets the TD's nod as the battler of the tournament. He had a terrible start. On Monday he was winless and looked well out of it. But on Tuesday he won three games and on Wednesday he won two games to give himself a chance to make the cut.

Day Five
Cusp dwellers Kelley, Butts and Mehas failed to advance, with only Le Moignan edging his way into the final eight by defeating Mehas +17. McInerney defeated McBride and knocked the Canadian down to fifth in the final eight.

Players

Seed	World	Player (state)
1st	#30	Leo McBride (ON)
2nd	#41	Mark McInerney
3rd	#66	Rich Lamm (CO)
4th	#113	Tony Le Moignan
5th	#114	Brian Cumming (ON)
6th	#120	Paul Bennett (AZ)
7th	#148	Doug Grimsley (VA)
8th	#163	Tony Hall
9th	#171	Mik Mehas (CA)
10th	#175	Rory Kelley (AZ)
11th	#242	Ben Rothman (CA)
12th	#259	Jim Butts (CA)
13th	#288	Johnny Mitchell (TX)
14th	#293	Erv Peterson (CA)
15th	#386	Martyn Selman (CA)
16th	#591	David Dill (CA)

Seeding of the sixteen-player block was based on the current world ranking list.

Favorites in the tournament include top seed Leo McBride, who won this tournament in 2003. McBride is a three-time USCA International Rules national champion.

Second seed Mark McInerney of Ireland is no stranger to croquet success on the west coast, being a two-time winner of the Resort Invitational and a past European and Irish Champion.

Rich Lamm of Colorado, the third seed, has been tearing up the national croquet scene for quite some time. He won the NAO in 2004 and owns two U.S. Open championships.

Fourth seed Tony LeMoignan from the island of Jersey is a past winner of the highly competitive Jersey Championship. After a hiatus from the game he is on the express come-back trail.

Fifth seed Canadian Brian Cumming was the 2004 USCA American Rules national champion and has to be a favorite in the NAO as the week begins.

Rounding out the top favorites, Paul Bennett of Arizona is a past NAO champion and has to be counted as one of the top contenders. Joining him on the favorites list is Doug Grimsley, a past USCA American Rules national champ and perennial selection for national teams. Another likely contender is Mik Mehas, winner of two USCA International Rules championships, along with a USCA American Rules national and a NAO championship.

And don't rule out the dark horses. Tony Hall of Australia, past president of the World Croquet Federation and NAO tournament referee, has won tournaments all over the world. Rory Kelley of Arizona and a founder of the NAO is a past winner of the Meadowood Croquet Classic along with multiple wins at regional tournaments. Johnny Mitchell, the head of the USCA Selection Committee, will have a lot to study as the week progresses, but he too has a good shot at victory, having won and contended in tournaments all over the country. Jim Butts of California - the runner-up at the NAO last year - is hungry to make a statement. Erv Peterson has been playing at Sonoma-Cutrer for more than a decade. A member of past Shield teams and Arizona Open winner, he cannot be counted out. Martyn Selman of California, an Australian making his home in San Francisco, is a Sonoma-Cutrer club member who has been more and more active and in contention at tournaments all over the United States. And don't discount the last seed, David Dill, also of California. Dill stunned the croquet world last November when he compiled the most handicap points every earned in the USCA national championship where he beat many highly-ranked players over a week of most impressive play.

History

The North American Open, staged since 1998, is now a major purse tournament with total prize money of $6000. Jacques Fournier and Rory Kelley created the tournament as a test for American and overseas International Rules players, and the NAO has attracted highly-ranked talent since its first event, which was won by Steve Comish of England. Fournier retired temporarily from croquet after graduating from the University of Virginia and turned over hosting duties for the Open to the Sonoma Cutrer Croquet Club. SCCC management is staging the NAO to reinvigorate croquet activity at the Sonoma Cutrer Winery. The tournament is being run during the same time period occupied in the past by the World Croquet Championship. It is produced in conjunction with the annual "Make-A-Wish Croquet Invitational", a one-day charity event that replaced the late, lamented world croquet championship. The SCCC is the sole sponsor of this year's event. This year the North American Open features many of the top players in the United States, along with stars from Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia.