CROQUET NEWS:  25 Years of a 'Wicket' Good Time

Johnnies, Mids Battle Tomorrow in the Silver Anniversary of the Annapolis Cup

20 April 2007
St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
story by Brian Henley The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
photo by Alison Harbaugh in The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, USA

Top: Moving the balls. Bottom: St. John's students Susan Garrigle, left, and Lauren Mooney enjoy a picnic and the sunshine at the annual event.

One of the fiercest rivalries in college sports will take place on a spreading emerald green lawn tomorrow. So will one of the biggest outdoor parties in Annapolis this spring.

Year-long bragging rights between the Johnnies at St. John's College and the Middies of the Naval Academy are at stake when teams from the two schools battle for the 25th annual Annapolis Cup, a trophy that goes to the winner of a genteel croquet match.

Gathered along the sidelines for the afternoon-long sporting event and party - especially the party - will be friends, families, fans, alumni and area residents, many of them wearing vintage attire and hosting champagne parties, complete with silver candelabras and huge floral centerpieces.

The competition is more than a match of wits and mallets. Croquet isn't just another sport, it's a "game of strategy," said St. John's Rob Hurst, the imperial wicket or captain of the 12-member team. "It's not as complicated as chess, but you have to be able to think ahead and know what the other team is going to do.

"There is a small physical skill set you have to be able to master, too," Mr. Hurst, now in his senior year, said. "But it's mainly a game of strategy."

Mr. Hurst, a native of Morgantown, W.Va., is confident the Johnnies will triumph.

"We're very aggressive, we practice and play all the time and that's usually enough to beat Navy."

Midshipman Mark Daniel, a senior from Cincinnati and the Middies' imperial wicket, also is "looking for victory."

His 14-player team, all from the academy's 28th Company, already has notched victories over the residents of Ginger Cove and a team from the Class of 1987 this spring.

A three-year veteran of the sport — he never played a match prior to coming to the academy — Midshipman Daniel said, "practice is the only way to get better." This spring, the team has been out on Farragut Field as much as their busy schedules have allowed.

As starkly different as their institutions are — at St. John's College, home to the great books program, students read and discuss seminal works of western civilization and at the U.S. Naval Academy men and women train for military careers — the croquet match puts the teams on common ground, for a day at least.

"I think we are just a bunch of fun-loving young men and women in college who enjoy playing croquet," said Mr. Hurst. "We do enjoy the friendly competition and renewing the rivalry each year."

The Johnnies turn out to play in "uniforms," which are kept secret until just before the opening of the match. In the past, uniforms have including camouflage khakis, T-shirts, kilts, even bare feet. Last year, the team wore Commie Red T-shirts emblazoned with the familiar gold sickle and hammer - or rather a sickle and croquet mallet.

The Mids, on the other hand, adhere to the U.S. Croquet Association's code, wearing spotless white shirts, pants, Gatsby-esque cardigan sweaters and immaculate leather shoes. Only their ties change from year to year. Their gleaming mallots, custom made in New Zealand, are engraved with teammates' nicknames.

The spectators, which swelled to over 2,500 last year, also don special attire, with some elaborate fashions reminiscent of the stylish lawn parties of the 1920s.

Among them will be St. John's sophomore Lauren Mooney of Rockville.

"The girls wear old fashioned dresses," said Ms. Mooney, who hasn't decided which of two dresses she will wear tomorrow. Joining her courtside will be her boyfriend, a mid in the rival 28th company.

"The schools are so opposite, it's great to have one day when we can come together and share," she said.

The festive atmosphere includes lavish picnics, nostalgic gowns and hats, serenades by the St. John's Freshman Chorus, and swing music provided by the Naval Academy's Trident Brass Band.

Last year, some couples touched danced the afternoon away on a nearby brick patio, content with the partying and ignoring the match. Others took out sunbrellas and parasols to shield themselves from the bright spring sunshine.

Also providing dancing music this year will be WRNR 103.1 FM.

The event draws college hundreds of St. John's alumni, who see it as a springtime reunion, Navy families who relish a chance to cheer for their team and area residents who enjoy this Annapolis tradition of champagne and croquet.

For the event's silver anniversary this year, the 350 to 400 St. John's alumni expected to attend will begin the afternoon with commemorative T-shirts and silver-rimmed champagne glasses, complete with a complimentary pour of bubbly.

Among the alumni returning will be Kevin Heyburn of Austin, Texas. Kevin is credited with organizing the first challenge between the two teams and will be honored prior to the start of the matches tomorrow.

For both teams in this nine-wicket game, "the purest intercollegiate athletic event in America" according to Gentleman's Quarterly, the rules of play and sportsmanship are paramount. The Johnnies and Mids combine their competitive zeal with the genteel demeanor demanded by croquet's rules of etiquette - including no audible swearing or tantrum-like displays such as throwing a mallet in protest of a referee's call.

The Annapolis Cup, which is on display in the window of 49 West where the teams held a pre-competition party Wednesday, will be presented at midnight tomorrow during the Croquet Cotillion at Randall Hall at St. John's.

Win or lose, both teams will head to the USCA Collegiate National Championships next weekend at the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, Pa.

--- Planning to go? Best advice is to go early to stake out a prime spot. Last year, most of the best spaces were marked off by tents, tarps, lawn chairs and even a couch or two. Pack a cooler and food, but leave the grill at home. Some spectators go all out, setting up chairs and tables adorned with silver candleabras and champagne buckets, flowers and linens. Tip: If it's warm, bring plenty of ice and lots of water. And don't forget the sunscreen. ---

Patricia Dempsey of St. John's College's Communications Office contributed to this story.