CROQUET NEWS: The Real Story Behind the Annapolis Cup Competition

14 April 2008
St. John's College, Annapolis, Maryland, USA
by Janice Gary in The Capital, Annapolis, Maryland, USA

St. John's vs. Naval Academy

Ian Hanover of New York City takes aim in 2007’s match. Hanover, a senior at St. John’s College is this year’s Imperial Wicket.

On Sunday thousands of people will gather on the lawn of St. John's College to watch one of most popular croquet matches in the country — the annual battle for the Annapolis Cup between St. John's College and the Naval Academy.

The mids will wear the crisp, white regulation dress of the U.S. Croquet Association. The Johnnies will unveil their super-secret uniforms only at the moment they arrive on the field (The theme last year was inspired by Bruce Springsteen's Born In the USA). Each team will be under the leadership of their respective imperial wickets, a rank that does not exist in any croquet game in the world except this one.

It's a fanciful, wonderful event and a celebrated Annapolis matchup second only to the Army-Navy game. But it begs the question: Croquet? Navy vs. St. John's? How did all this hoopla start?

Most of the rumors regarding the 26-year rivalry involve a midshipman, a Johnnie and several pitchers of beer at the Little Campus Inn — a popular campus hang out on Maryland Avenue which now houses Galway Bay.

Legend has it the Navy man, boasting of the physical nature of the training at the academy, challenged the Johnnie to find one sport St. John's could win against Navy. The St. John's student shot back "croquet" and the rest was history.

Except history, as any good St. John's student will tell you, is not necessarily accurate. The real story is usually a little more complicated, like the one behind the Annapolis Cup competition.

In 1982, Kevin Heyburn, a freshman at St. John's College, was returning to campus after watching a pep rally on the grounds of the Naval Academy. On his way out of the Yard, he recognized the commandant of midshipmen, Admiral Leon "Bud" Edney.

"I introduced myself," Kevin said, "and told him that I had discovered that in the old days, St. John's had competed against Navy in various sports such as rowing and football." He recalled the commandant responding, "Perhaps that may have been the case in the past, but I wouldn't necessarily advise St. John's to challenge Navy in any sport now."

That got Kevin thinking about the two colleges. "I realized there was very little interaction between the two schools even though we were right next door."

He searched for a sport St. John's and Navy could engage in. When he saw a croquet mallet sitting in the hallway at a dorm entrance, he thought, "Why not?"

At that time, St. John's did not compete in any intercollegiate sport. The croquet team, strictly speaking, wasn't even a team. John Ertle, the imperial wicket of the first St. John's team to compete with Navy, laughs when asked about the status of the team at the time.

"It was absolutely nothing," he says. "There was nothing on campus (sportswise) but the archery club and the croquet club, and we only registered as a club in order to get the $150 from student government to buy beer and hotdogs and have a party."

Kevin, who did not play croquet, asked Ertle if he would be willing to play Navy if they agreed to play St. John's. He agreed. Kevin then went to the President of The Polity, St. John's student government organization, and asked for its blessing. When that was given, he crafted a letter that went out on St. John's letterhead issuing a challenge to the brigade commander of the Naval Academy.

"I couldn't believe they accepted," Kevin says of his reaction when a representative from the academy came to St. John's to work out the details. "I thought, 'Wow! They're really going to do this!'"

In preparation for the event, Kevin searched for a trophy to serve as the "Annapolis Cup."

"I wanted something big and showy," he said. At a flea market in Houston, he found a used sports trophy from his old high school. Little Campus Inn paid to restore it and make it the Annapolis Cup. For years the restaurant housed the trophy between matches. Most recently it has been on display at 49 West Coffeehouse, 49 West St.

The first game was held on April 23, 1983. The midshipmen wore white pants from their summer uniforms, blue blazers from their winter uniforms, straw boaters and bow ties. The Johnnies, true to form, were more casual. Imperial Wicket Ertle wore a blue sports coat, red shirt and brown fedora, while another team member sported a shirt and tie over polka dot, pink shorts.

Admiral James Stockdale, a distinguished naval officer and member of the St. John's Board of Visitors and Governors, was asked by St. John's to start the ceremonies by hitting the first ball. "The mids were shocked when they saw him," Heyburn said.

Dick Hillman, Mayor of Annapolis at the time, also showed up dressed in colonial garb to hand the trophy to the winning team. It added yet another whimsical touch to the ceremony.

The midshipmen had no idea what to expect. "We killed them," Ertle said.

Embarrassed by the devastating defeat, Navy vowed to return next year to beat the Johnnies. While that wasn't the case in year two, according to Ertle, the match was an exciting game, with Navy losing by a hair.

In 1986, the third year of the match, Navy was determined to win. "They were serious," Ertle says. "They couldn't drink until the match was over." By contrast, imbibing before the game was "mandatory" for the Johnnies.

That year, the midshipmen took home the Annapolis Cup. "After that," says Ertle, "they were able to relax and enjoy the game for what it is, a tongue-in-cheek excuse to party."

And what a party. The Annapolis Cup match has evolved into a grand affair, rivaling even the World Croquet Championship in number of attendees. Many in the audience come dressed in their lawn-party finest, including flouncy dresses, wide hats and 1920's "Great Gatsby" type garb. Lavish picnics feature cucumber sandwiches, champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries.

Prior to the game, the St. John's team is invited to have lunch at the Naval Academy where the imperial wicket formally issues a challenge. While the Johnnie speaks, the mids make a great a racket by banging utensils against glasses and plates. After the match, St. John's holds the Croquet Waltz Ball in McDowell Hall where, at midnight, the Annapolis Cup is presented to the winning team.

Joann Mattson, St. John's director of alumni relations, was a student in 1983 and attended the first match. She's amazed how the event has grown. "It's become a big alumni attraction," she said, noting that the craze has even taken hold across the country, with St. John's alums creating spinoff matches in their hometowns for those who can't come to Annapolis.

John Ertle, who was named St. John's imperial wicket emeritus when he graduated in 1984, returns each year to attend the game. He is honored to have played a role in the creation of what has become an enduring tradition. "I never imagined it would become what it is."

It is a cherished tradition for Navy as well. "The Naval Academy is very proud of the croquet tradition with St. John's College," said the academy's Imperial Wicket First Class Bryan Carlson. "The annual Annapolis Cup competition brings about understanding on both sides of the wall. The Johnnies are afforded the opportunity to see that the regimented and disciplined lifestyle of the midshipmen does not limit their ability to be down-to-earth and have fun."

As for Kevin Heyburn, the Johnnie who started it all, the fact that the event continues to bring together the Naval Academy and St. John's is the most rewarding part of it all. "The crowd tends to root for one team or another," he said, "but the teams play in the spirit I had in mind — just to get together and have fun."

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Note: The twenty-sixth annual Croquet Match between St. John's College and the Naval Academy will be held on the lawn of St. John's College along College Avenue, at 1 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

Janice Gary is an award-winning writer of creative nonfiction. She teaches memoir at Annapolis Senior Center.