CROQUET PEOPLE: 2008 World Championship Players CROQUET PEOPLE: 2008 World Championship Players
2-10 February 2008
Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand 
by World Croquet Federation
Players in Alphabetic (by last name) Order
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S V W Y
Keith Aiton 
#6
After 20 years of almost being a world class player, Keith finally made the breakthrough in 2005 when he won the Presidents Cup. His performances since have been excellent, particularly when making his debut for GB in the MacRobertson Shield of 2006 where he won all his singles matches. Keith, aged 49 lives in Lincolnshire and is father to Laura 13 and Alex 11. His hobbies include chess and golf. Keith works as a Master NLP practitioner and will no doubt have spent a great deal of time visualizing getting his hands on the Wimbledon Cup!
Ken Bald 
#72
Ken is a self employed builder who started playing croquet in 1993 after much “nagging” by his late mother-in-law Fran Thomas. Ken is married to Lorraine, they have three children – Matthew, Russell and Aleisha. Ken is Pa to four lively young grandsons – Zachary, Gus, Jacob and Liam. 2007 is Ken’s 14th year playing croquet and his 7th year representing his state of Victoria and Kalimna Park CC in Horsham, Victoria. Ken has been able to organise his work to make the most of the opportunities he has been offered to play in major tournaments both overseas and in Australia. Highlights for Ken were the 2005 World Championships in Cheltenham (UK); representing Australia in the Trans Tasman against New Zealand; and playing in the Resort Invitational held at Timberline Mt.Hood (USA) in 2006.
Reg Bamford 
#1
Reg is the defending World Champion and World number 1. He has won the Worlds twice and the Open six times. Reg has been living in the UK for over 15 years. A Qualified Chartered Accountant, he founded and runs 1st Contact, a company that offers services to the UK Recruitment Industry and its candidates and is well known throughout the Antipodean and South African communities in London. Aged 40, he has been playing croquet for 31 years. He is married to Adrienne and has a two children, Alex 5 and Oliver 2. His loves include his family, business, croquet, sports car, and his farm in South Africa. In that order.
Trevor Bassett #112
Trevor started playing croquet in 1990 at the age of ten. He has been a member of the last 6 Australian teams and also represented Victoria in 10 Interstate Cup challenges. During his career he has won 6 National titles and 24 State titles. This will be Trevor's fourth consecutive appearance at the Worlds. Trevor works as a Financial Advisor in Kyabram and is due to marry his partner Claire in April.
Jim Bast 
#17
Jim began playing competitive croquet in the Fall of 1981 at the Arizona Croquet Club. Less than two months later he played in his first USCA National Championship. Named USCA Rookie of the Year in 1982, he then competed in the USCA International Challenge Cup in 1982 and 1983 against Scotland and South Africa. Jim became the USCA national singles and doubles champion in 1984, in American Rules. He then turned his sights on a new goal, helping the United States efforts to be accepted into the MacRobertson Shield competition. Fortunately, the Arizona Croquet Club fostered a strong emphasis on Association Laws croquet. In 1985, Jim was a member of the first USCA test team to tour Great Britain; competing against Great Britain, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Jim competed in the first six Sonoma-Cutrer world championship events. In 1991, he became the first American to reach the finals at Sonoma-Cutrer, narrowly losing to Dave Maugham. Also, in 1991, he played for the USCA Solomon Trophy team and played in his first WCF World Championship at Hurlingham. In 1993, Jim was named to the first United States MacRoberston Shield team. For him this is the most meaningful moment in his croquet career, to date. He does, however, remain quite fond of his two Arizona Open titles. Jim essentially “retired” from croquet for nearly ten years to start a family with his wife, Cynthia, an affordable housing attorney in Austin, Texas. Although, he did surface briefly to win the USCA Southwest Regional Championship in singles in 1997. In late 2005, Jim and Cynthia’s children had aged sufficiently for him to begin to play again. He has been plodding forward ever since, and enjoys the unbridled support and enthusiasm of his wife, for whose presence he feels blessed. Jim and Cynthia reside in Austin, Texas where, sadly, there is no croquet club or lawn. He practices on a sport court and travels to Houston to play on a regulation lawn. Jim retired from a career in professional sports to be the stay-at-home parent; the “toughest job I ever had, and I’ve had some doozies.” Their two daughters, Olivia (8) and Amelia (5) use the Solomon grip.
Kevin Beard #64
Kevin Beard, 55, is a geneticist with the Australian Dairy Herd Improvement Scheme. His primary task is to identify the top bulls from around the world for Australian dairy farmers . The bulls are ranked on the expected profitability of their future daughters - a task even more difficult than Chris Williams' job of ranking croquet players on their own performance. Kevin was introduced to croquet 7 years ago and took it up to get some balance in his life. Despite the suggestion that the pendulum has swung too far, he has the strong support of his wife Janet, and two young adult daughters, Sally and Catherine. Kevin's greatest thrill in croquet to date is being named captain of the Australia A team to play New Zealand A in Melbourne in May 2005. He is the 2005 holder of the Victorian section of the Australian Gold Medal. Other recent achievements are 3rd place in the Australian Open Singles in 2004, semifinalist in the Australian Open Doubles with Brett Rogers in 2004 and 3rd place in the Australian Mens Championship in 2005. Winning the Tom Howat Cup (President's 2nd 8) in 2003 and 3rd place in the Eddie Hunt Trophy (President's 1st 8) in 2004 are also high on his list of achievements.
Rutger Beijderwellen 
#5
Rutger is 28 yrs old and a CNC Computer Programmer for a laser cutting company. He has been playing croquet for 8 years. He moved to Britain to live from his native Netherlands to improve his game 7 years ago. He has won the Chairman's Salver in 2003 and the Surrey Championship in 2005. In his spare time he enjoys wall climbing, badminton and board games.
Paul Bennett #50
Paul Bennett is no slouch when it comes to involvement in sporting clubs. Not only is he the secretary of the Arizona Croquet Club, but also the Blind Squirrels Billiard Club and not forgetting MARCA Amateur Radio Corporation. His work with them does not stop him from actually playing the game though. Currently champion of the North American Open of Sonoma-Cutrer, and the US Open Championships he has progressed to be on the fringe of the top 100 in the world. In what is left of his spare time he is an electrical engineer who designs integrated circuits for Freescale Semiconductor Inc. Paul is also a member of the Kentucky Wyndotte and Mission Hills Croquet Clubs.
David Bent #74
David pays the bills by being a Tennis and Croquet Professional at the St. Andrews club in Delray Beach Florida. He has been playing and teaching Tennis professionally since 1971. In 1998 the St. Andrews club put in a croquet lawn. He was asked to learn the game and promote it to the club membership. With lessons from four time US National Champ Archie Peck, David began competition at Championship level and achieved a “scratch” handicap faster than any other American player to date. After so many years on the Tennis court, Croquet was very good for him. He was still hitting balls outside, on a beautiful surface, and it was like shooting pool and playing chess, which he enjoyed a lot. Here is what he loves to do … Flying, (most comfortable upside down) sailing, bird hunting, fast cars/motorcycles, and most of all being with my wife Sophie and my two great boys, John and Mike.
Neil Bonnar #84
Neil started playing croquet for Victor Harbor Croquet Club in 2002. He has since represented South Australia in Perth 2007, Australia A in New Zealand in late February 2007 and will play for South Australia in Brisbane in 2008.
Robin Brown 
#91
Robin is a 38 yr old Accountant for the world-wide Save the Children Fund. He has been playing for 16 years and won the Chairman's Salver in 2000, the East Midlands Championship 2001 and was a quater-finalist in the 2001 WCF World Championship. Married with two children he devotes his spare time to music and reading.
Dennis Bulloch #92
One of New Zealand’s oldest hands at the game, Dennis Bulloch is a 60 yr old Barista who lives in Nelson and has been playing for 37 years. In 2006 Dennis was also the New Zealand National Coach. A versatile player, Dennis was a bronze medalist at the Worlds in 2001 and a Silver Medalist at the World Golf Croquet in 2004. Dennis played in the 2002 & 2005 World Championships, the 2003 MacRobertson Shield and has been NZ Doubles and Singles Open Champion. Interests include music, theatre, video production, badminton, table tennis and cooking (ex restaurateur).
Greg Bryant #15
Greg has represented New Zealand as a member of the MacRobertson Shield Test team in 1993, 2003 and 2006 and in the Trans-Tasman Team in 2004 and 2006. Greg has played in 4 World Croquet Championships and also represented New Zealand at Sonoma-Cutrer on three occasions. Greg holds two NZ Open Doubles titles, 1 NZ President's top 10 Invitation title, three English Silver Medals and two NZCC Silver Mallets.
Ian Burridge 
#24
37 year old Company Director Ian Burridge, now lives near Grantham, Lincolnshire, England and has been playing croquet since he was 17 when he attended Colchester Grammar School, (the same school as 5 times World Champion Robert Fulford). As a chemistry graduate he now spends his time working for the Company CED (which sells natural stone products for landscaping), playing chess, refereeing football and looking after his 6 yr old son Euan. He first represented Wales in the 1990 Home Internationals and has been ever present in that event since. He has won the Welsh Championship on four occasions and has represented Wales in five of the previous WCF World Championships, reaching the semi-finals in 1995. He represented Great Britain in the 1996 MacRobertson Shield and several other international matches. Whether playing well or badly, Ian is always entertaining to watch.
Paddy Chapman #9
Paddy, aged 20 will be one of the local favourites. Currently ranked number 2 in New Zealand, Paddy started playing croquet about 8 years ago and is a member of the United and Cashmere croquet clubs. He is fortunate enough to be mentored by the legendary John Prince. Titles have included the New Zealand School Age Tournament in 2001, Canterbury Open, Silver Badge, and the World Championship Plate event in 2005. His greatest achievement was winning the 'Best 10' Invitation event in 2005. He won all his games in the 2006 Trans-Tasman and was named Player of the Series. His proudest moment was representing New Zealand in the Mac-Robertson Shield in 2006.
Chris Clarke #2
Chris, aged 36 was World Champion in 1995 and has won every major event in the sport. He is particularly proud of his doubles record, having won the Open Doubles 11 and a half times. In 2006, he held the doubles titles for Australia, New Zealand and GB, a feat never previously achieved. Chris has played in all the winning GB MacRobertson teams since 1993 , captaining the team in 1996. Chris moved to New Zealand two years ago to begin a new life with Jenny Williams. The couple were married on 30th January this year - a date specifically selected so that their croquet friends could be present. Chris trades golf and american football and his interests include bridge, golf, real estate, cooking and spending time with Jenny and their golden labrador Amy.
Jenny Clarke #25
Jenny Clarke is the number 1 woman player in the world. Jenny has been playing croquet for eight years since learning the game whilst at Oxford University in England where she gained half blues at cricket, table tennis and croquet. She is current Swiss Open Champion and was 2007 New Zealand Open Doubles Champion with husband Chris Clarke and has recent match wins against the likes of Robert Fulford and Stephen Mulliner. Jenny is a doctor of physics and is presently a lecturer in sports science at Canterbury University. Her hobbies include bridge, sports coaching and watching most sports.
Vincent Commarieu 
#363
A 47 year old IT Manager, Vincent Commarieu, has been living in Auckland, NZ for the past 17 years where he discovered croquet 13 years ago. Married to Joanne, with 2 boys (10 and 8), his hobbies include squash and volleyball. Work and family commitments have kept him on and off the lawns over the years, and this will be his first tourrnament at this level. He is looking forward with some apprehension, to competing and mixing with the best players in the world.
Brian Cumming 
#20
Brian Cumming is a 53 year old retired businessman. He began playing croquet in 1991. He is a five time winner of the Canadian Open Association Croquet Championship. He has previously won the USCA American Rules Championships and resides in the village of Elora in rural Ontario, with his three teenage children. Besides croquet he enjoys competitive curling in the winter months. His other hobbies include reading, history, politics and the occasional taste of red wine.
Danny Davids 
#631
Danny, aged 51 was born in Belgium, but has lived in Switzerland for 25 years. Danny works at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), originally as a network engineer and more recently in the slow controls of the LHC experiments. Given that Switzerland’s croquet lawns are located on CERN property, Danny discovered croquet, and started playing in about 1998. Since then he has played against the German, Belgian, Austrian, Italian, Welsh, Scottish and English teams, and also participated in the Swiss Open tournaments. Danny met his South African wife Jean while climbing in the Swiss Alps. His other passions in life include skiing, cycling, travel, art, good food and wine (not necessarily in that order).
Shane Davis #49
Selected for the Trans-Tasman team in 1996 and 1998. He has represented NZ at both the WCF and Sonoma World Championships and has been a medallist at each. He won the Resort at the Mountain tournament in 2000. He was also selected for the MacRobertson Shield team in the same year but it wasn't until 2006 that he made his first MacRob appearance. Shane now lives with his wife and baby in Brisbane.
James Death #10
James, a youthful 29, is one of the most talented players in the world. His fluent style makes him a "must-see" for spectators. James has just won the prestigious Presidents Cup and was semi-finalist in the last World Champs. James works as a bingo caller, so if you hear him talking about two fat ladies, please don't be offended. James enjoys eating, drinking and Ultimate Frisbee.
Duncan Dixon #225
Born: 1989. Duncan started playing Croquet as a chosen sport in 2004 while attending Waitaki Boys’ High School. This was to be a lazy sport option, however Duncan thrived on the sport as he learned more and more. In 2005 at the age of 16, Duncan won the New Zealand School-Age Championship and went on to win the Arthur Ross Memorial in 2006 in Association Croquet. After only four years in the sport and at just 18 years old he gained a world ranking of 17 for Golf Croquet after winning the New Zealand Golf Croquet Open Championships for the 2007/08 season.
Phillip Drew #98
Phillip Drew is an emerging New Zealand croquet player who represented New Zealand in the 2006 “A” series tournament against Australia. Phillip is a University Student studying Psychology, Commerce and Accountancy and Management, and is a current recipient of a New Zealand Prime Minister’s Athlete Scholarship. Phillip was a qualifier in the 2006 Golf Croquet World Championships and has been awarded a Wild Card for the 2008 World Golf Croquet Championships in Cape Town, South Africa and also to the 2008 World Association Croquet Championships in Christchurch. Two-time winner of the NZ “Edwina Thompson Silver Tray”. Phillip is a current member of New Zealand Youth Squad.
Ian Dumergue #13
Ian was first introduced to croquet in 1986 by his great-uncle Jack McNab in Christchurch, New Zealand. With Jack's coaching, he represented NZ in the inaugural Open Trans-Tasman Test of 1991 in Perth, Western Australia. In 2000 he drove across to Western Australia and is currently employed by Barrick Gold Australia as an underground miner. Now living in Perth, Ian is a member of the Como and Forrest Park Croquet Clubs. In 2004, he played in the successful WA Team for the Eire Cup and also won the last Australian Gold Medal Event. In 2006 Ian made his debut in the MacRobertson Shield Series.
Marcus Evans #39
Marcus first started playing croquet whilst still at school in Nailsea. He won the 2003 Treasurer's Tankard, (The UK 4th selection eight) at his first appearance. Now a student at Nottingham University his world ranking has risen, placing him the top 30 internationally. A strong and very accurate hitter, he enjoys playing 2-ball endings after completing TPO turns. He was runner-up in the 2005 Mens Championships to Chris Clarke and made his Presidents Cup debut in 2007.
Bruce Fleming #11
Bruce lives in Brisbane and is a Power Systems Operations Manager for the Australian National Market Management Company. In a croquet career spanning over twenty years, Bruce has won every major title in Australian Croquet at least once. Bruce has represented Australian three times in the MacRobertson Shield, and has made several Trans-Tasman appearances.
Liz Fleming #118
Liz played in the World Championships held in London 2001 after winning through the Qualifying Event, and in 2005 after a superb performance in the Resort at the Mountain tournament in Oregon. She returned to Britain in 2004 when she won the British Ladies Championship. She and her husband Bruce Fleming were the 2005 New Zealand Open Doubles Champions. Liz emigrated from the UK to Australia in 1990 and has represented Australian in the 2004 and 2006 Trans-Tasman Teams.
Stephen Forster #21
Stephen is 43 and lives in Waurn Ponds in Victoria, with wife Julie and children Zach and Eden. Stephen grew up on the croquet lawns having played for 33 years. Stephen has played in the Worlds in New Zealand and England and in 2006 won the Australian Silver Medal in the Australian Gold Medal event and then in 2007 won the Gold Medal. Stephen has represented Australia in the 2003 and 2006 MacRobertson Shield where on both occasions particularly stood out as an excellent doubles player.
Robert Fulford 
#3
Robert, aged 38 is the most successful player in croquet over the last two decades. Five times World Champion, 8 times Open Champion and six times winner of the Presidents Cup, Robert has the complete game. Robert still lives in his home town of Colchester and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Robert enjoys watching films and trading soccer.
Toby Garrison #57
29 year old Toby Garrison finished as silver medalist in the 2002 Championship and is making a return to competitive croquet after a hiatus where he spent time skiing, mountain-biking and having a break from croquet. Living in Wellington, he is a market analyst for a New Zealand Trading Bank. Toby has been playing for 12 years and has played in the MacRobertson Shield Team Tournament in 2000 and 2003 (the latter as Captain), Trans Tasman in 1999 and 2001, World Championship 2001 and 2002 and Sonoma World Championship in 1997, 1998 and 2000. NZ Open Champion 2001 and NZ Top 10 Winner 1999 and 2003. Toby enjoys listening to music, playing Indoor netball, squash, golf, tennis, touch rugby, wine tasting and spending time with his 4 yr old nephew.
John Gibbons =19
John Gibbons, aged 50, will make a welcome return to top level croquet when he takes up his Wild Card position in the 2008 Association Croquet World Championships. A Latin scholar he will have the opportunity to say "veni, vidi, vici" and despite being a qualified pilot, keep his feet firmly on the ground to present a real test for the rest of the field. He started playing croquet in 1998 winning the All England Handicap event in that same year. He went on to win the English Eastern Championship in 2003 and has since represented England and Great Britain in International matches. The 2008 World Championship will be his fourth appearance at this level, having competed in 2001, in 2002 when he won the Plate Event in Wellington, New Zealand and in 2005. His other interests include golf, cricket, skiing and travel.
Richard Griffiths 
#221
Richard was born in St Helier, Jersey, in 1948, and has just retired from the University of Manchester after a career spent mostly in the academic side of engineering. He took up croquet at the very end of 2002, after reading Nicky Smith’s book during a rainy holiday. Noting that there was a club at Bowdon, only 2 miles from his Manchester home, he called in one club day and was given a friendly welcome and taken through a 4-ball break on the practice lawn. Richard, who was suffering from some stress at work at the time, and needed some recreation, attributes his current good health to the therapeutic effect of the game.
Doug Grimsley #58
Following a brief, but critically acclaimed cameo appearance in the cult movie favourite, "Boogie Nights", Doug Grimsley of Fairfax, Virginia left the bright lights of Hollywood behind to pursue his first love----the quest for the perfect tuna! Aboard his lovingly restored trawler, the "Fluffy One", he spent the subsequent years trolling the Mighty Potomac, practicing croquet, and showering often. In a short, but inspired period of play (or as some have speculated--after a pact with the devil), Doug managed to win the 2003 USCA National Championship on a lucky shot. His additional successes have been both sporadic and mildly entertaining at best, but he continues to strive for the elusive "perfect game".... though often settles for praying that his opponent will self-destruct.
Jerry Guest #142
A self proclaimed old age pensioner but still fighting fit, Jerry has been playing since 1980. He has played croquet all over the world and is a frequent visitor to the Southern Hemisphere. He played in the 1996 President's Cup and in 1990 won the Irish Open Championship. This led to him playing in the Sonoma-Cutrer World Championship and at Chatooga.
David Hajn 
#728
David Hajn lives in the wonderful town of Telč which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He works as a geography and sports teacher in a primary school with an ecological sight. He came to croquet in the year 2002 and this game has gripped him straight away because of it’s varied scale of technical and tactical skills which and needed. He is still an improving player and this effort has brought him the Czech Croquet Championship 2006 (single) and the 2007 Czech Interclub Championship with Croquet Club Dynamo Telč. He played in the FEC European Championship 2006 in Jersey and the WCF European Team Championship 2007 in Cheltenham (The Czech team was in 13th place). David is a volleyball player and coach and a snowboard instructor. His longstanding partner Hana Marečková, President of Association Bohemian and Moravian Croquet.
Tony Hall #107
Tony Hall retired from the Army in 1987 and has been playing croquet 1989. He won the Australian Open Golf Croquet Singles Championship in 2004. In 2005 he was the champion Association Croquet player for both NSW and Queensland and won the Australian Golf Croquet Handicap from the lowest handicap. He was President of the WCF from 1997 to 2002 and is now Treasurer of Croquet Australia. He was convenor of the working party that wrote the WCF Golf Croquet Rules and chaired the WCF Golf Croquet Rules Committee until 2004. He has refereed at three MacRobertson Shields, six world GC championships and four world AC championships and has competed in three world AC championships and six world GC championships. He is a widower with three children and seven grandchildren.
John Hardy #71
John and his wife Deidre began playing croquet in 1999 when on holiday with his father-in-law he was constantly told about croquet until he eventually wanted to know more. He is sorry he did not take it up 10 years earlier. He won his first divisional trophy three months later and the climbed the ladder of success until in 2003 he was in the first division itself. In 2008 he will Captain the Queensland Eire Cup team for the third time following their sucess in 2006. He was runner-up in the 2004 Australian Open Doubles Championship. In 2007 he was placed fourth in the Australian Presidents Cup.
Bruno Hess 
#405
Bruno Hess, aged 45 is from Schifferstadt in Germany. He is a graduate in Business Manageement working for DaimlerChrysler AG in Mannheim. Since taking to the sport in 1999 he has won 6 National Championships Association and Golf Croquet, the Belgium Open Association Croquet Doubles Championship 2000,2001 and 8 Suedwest Championships Association and Golf Croquet. He has competed in 4 WCF AC and GC World Championships and 4 FEC AC European Championships.
Joe Hogan =28
Joe Hogan, 49, won the inaugural World Croquet Championships in 1989. He was widely recognised as the best player in the world in the latter half of the 1980s, having won the Open Championship in 1986 and being a key part of the New Zealand MacRobertson Shield winning team in the same year. Joe won the British Open Doubles in 1989 with Bob Jackson, and won the New Zealand Open in 1986, 1988 and 1990. Joe is making a very welcome return to top-level croquet after an absence of nearly 13 years, broken only by qualifying for and playing in the 2002 World Croquet Championships where he defeated Bruce Fleming in the first round.
Colin Irwin #46
Colin, aged 56 is an account manager for BASF, the chemical company. He is a former Chairman of the CA, currently on the Laws Committee and vice-chairman of Bowdon CC. Colin's best performance in the World Championships was losing semi-finalist in 1989 and he has a highest ever world ranking of 4th. His best performance in UK competition was runner up in the President's Cup in 2005, but he has numerous highly impressive performances playing for GB in the MacRobertson Shield as well. Whilst not playing many tournaments nowadays, he still took Maugham to 5 games at the Bowdon Advanced Weekend this season. Colin could produce some unexpected results.
Bob Jackson #32
Bob began playing competitive Croquet in 1971 and has represented New Zealand on many occasions since 1974. He has been winner of the New Zealand Open 14 times and the Australian Open twice. He has also won the New Zealand Doubles title 10 times and the British Open Doubles once. Bob began playing Golf Croquet competitively 5 years ago and won the New Zealand Golf Croquet Singles in 2004 and 2005 along with several other Golf Croquet events. Bob has been manufacturing quality Croquet mallets since 1973 and they are still in production. Bob says he is often referred to as a veteran so you can probably guess his age!
Stewart Jackson #48
Stewart Jackson, age 56, grew up playing backyard croquet in East Hampton, NY. He has graduated from Kent School, Monmouth School in Wales, and the University of Pennsylvania. After college he worked in the newspaper business and ended his career in 1990 as Publisher of both the New Haven Register and The Journal Courier. At that time, he and his wife, Josie, set off on a world cruise on their sailboat. It was here in New Zealand that they discovered the proper game of croquet after watching John Prince play in Christchurch. Stewart and Josie used croquet as a way of exploring most of New Zealand, competing in many tournaments in almost every large town in the North Island. Stewart is a past US National Golf Croquet Champion. He competed in the 2003 and 2006 World Golf Croquet Championships, and the 2005 World Association Croquet Championships.
Andrew Johnston 
#42
Andrew 28, is playing in his third World Championship having been beaten by the defending champion Robert Fulford in the round of 32 in 2005 and reaching the semi finals in Wellington 2002, after coming through the qualifying event. Andrew is currently the highest placed Irishman in the world rankings and looks forward to recreating his form from the last world championships held in New Zealand. Andrew works as a business development manager for a specialist administration provider in the investment funds industry.
Steve Jones #76
Steve lives on an island near Brisbane and is Business Development Manager of an Engineering company. After picking up a mallet using the “Pencil grip” at the age of 7, Steve later joined Cheltenham Croquet Club in England before emigrating to New Zealand in 1982, and Australia in 1999. A former World Champion at Sonoma Cutrer, Steve has played in 5 previous WCF World Championships, the last in 1997. In 2000, Steve was Captain of the team that came within a whisker of snatching the coveted MacRobertson Shield in Christchurch. Interests outside croquet include boating, fishing, music, holidays in exotic locations, and his 1000 bottle wine collection!
Jonathan Kirby #18
Jonathan, aged 28, was a semi-finalist in the last World Champs and part of the GB team that comprehensively won the 2006 MacRobertson Shield. He was taught the game by New Zealand's Aaron Westerby whilst at Cambridge University in 1999. A single man, Jonathan works as a research mathematician and currently splits his time between the University of Oxford and the University of Illinois at Chicago. Jonathan enjoys playing the violin, and has played in a number of orchestras. He regrets that Oxfordshire and Illinois are both too flat for him to do much hillwalking.
Rod Kirk #63
In his 23 years of croquet, 49-year-old Rod Kirk of Bendigo's Quarry Hill Croquet Club has never played as well as his most recent two seasons. Twice winner of the Victorian Men's Championship (most recently in 2007), Kirk also achieved a second-place finish in the 2006 Victorian Gold Medal event, the 2007 Interstate Cup representing Victoria, and was third in the 2007 Australian Men's Championships.
Peter Landrebe #8
43 year old Peter is a self employed Painter and Decorator, resident in Sydney, Australia although he was born in Timaru, New Zealand. He has been playing for 16 years and despite his original nationality has represented New South Wales in the Inter-State Cup and is an Australian Selector. Away from croquet he ia a Rugby Union fanatic and likes all kinds of music.
Ailsa Lines #90
Ailsa is a 40 year old teacher of mathematics in Grantham. She has been playing croquet for 13 years. She won England's Women's Championship in 1999 and the British Mixed Doubles Championship in 2005 with David Maugham. Her other interests include Modern Jive Dancing and Badminton.
Ian Lines #19
Aged 42, Ian has been playing 14 years. During 2004, he won the Chairman’s Salver and played for Great Britain in their successful Solomon Trophy team against the USA in Palm Springs. In recent years, he has also represented England in the Home Internationals, played in the Plate Final of the British Opens and got through to the knockout stages of the WCF Association (2005) and Golf Croquet (2006) World Championships. He has been ranked in the Association world top ten, and came 3rd at the 2006 Australian Open. Since 1997, Ian has been the Tournament Secretary for Bowdon Croquet Club, and is also Secretary of the North West Federation of Croquet Clubs. As well as playing croquet, Ian is an active coach and also enjoys walking and travel. Ian is a safety and risk management consultant living near Manchester.
Ron Lloyd #51
Ron Lloyd is the Croquet Pro at the Pinehurst Croquet Club. 2007 has been his breakout season with good match wins in the North Carolina v The World match which was held at Pinehurst.
Robert Lowe #40
Robert Lowe, a 52-year old Auckland journalist, represented New Zealand in the 2004 Trans-Tasman and 2006 MacRobertson Shield and played in the 2005 World Championships in Cheltenham. In his 20 year career, Robert has won the NZ Doubles, the NZ Mixed Doubles and the North Island Open singles, and rates his two Arthur Ross national handicap titles as being particular highlights. Away from croquet, his pastimes are Soccer, Mozart and the bossa nova.
David Maugham #4
David "The Beast" Maugham is one of the best players in the world. Aged 38, he has won the Presidents Cup 4 times, Sonoma 3 times and was Open Champion in 2005. The United Club was the venue for David's finest hour when with the score tied at 10-10, he held his nerve to win the deciding match against Toby Garrison to win the 2000 MacRobertson Shield for GB. An excellent shot, he can produce a highly attacking game capable of beating anyone and will be a feared opponent. David lives in Manchester where he works as a finance systems officer for the NHS. David is a black belt in ju-jitsu, enjoys computer games and occasionally practices modern jive dancing.
Leo McBride #27
Leo is a 58 year old former educator, married with 3 children. He has been an athlete his whole life playing soccer (football), rugby, basketball and several other sports at a high level of competition. His love for croquet is an extension of his earlier pursuits and he expects it to be a life-long interest. Bridge, Hiking, Bike-riding and trips with his family are keeping him quite busy in retirement. His croquet achievements include several Canadian and USCA National Championships.
Margaret Melville #13
Margaret has played croquet for 15 years. She lives in Brisbane and has represented her state and Australia.
Nelson Morrow #149
Nelson started playing croquet in NZ 37 years ago, aged 20. After leaving for Europe in 1974, he put his croquet on hold and did not start playing again until 1992. Since 2001, he has played in two Association Croquet World Championships. As in 2001, he has been lucky enough to receive the last wild card awarded. Since 2005 Nelson has divided his time between his flat and business in London and his house in Sandspit, NZ. Whilst he was in NZ last year he won the English Silver and Bronze Medals. Next month Nelson heads for South Africa to play in his third World Golf Croquet Championships.
Stephen Mulliner #7
Stephen has been at the top of the sport for 25 years. He has won the Open Championship 3 times, Sonoma 4 times and the Presidents Cup 5 times. Stephen was runner-up in the Worlds in 1997 and has recently enjoyed a return to form, being runner-up in the 2007 Presidents Cup. Stephen also enjoys enjoys golf croquet, being 3rd in the 2006 World Champs held in NZ as well as 4 times Open Champion. Stephen, aged 54 is married to Sarah and they have 4 grown-up children aged 19-25 . He works as a management consultant, is active in local politics and is keen all-round sportsman.
Tim Murphy #86
Tim is a 41-year-old self-employed computer programmer. He is waiting for his wife to sign a million dollar book deal so he can retire from real work and spend all his days on the croquet lawns. Tim took up croquet in 2003 and had no idea where is would take him. In 2007 he won Australia v New Zealand "A" Series and dropped only one singles game in his first Interstate Cup representing NSW. He is looking forward to the competition he'll face at the Worlds.
Jeff Newcombe #73
Born: 1952. Jeff lives in Perth, Western Austrlaia with his wife of 36 years and is a Purchasing Officer for an Engineering Company. Jeff began playing croquet in 1990. His major tournament wins include the Australian Open Doubles in 1994, 1999 and 2001, the ACA Gold Medal in 1995 and 1996, the English Silver Medal in 1996. From 1994 - 2000 Jeff was a member of the West Australian State Team and represented Australia in the 1996 MacRobertson Shield and TransTasman test.
Evan Newell #244
Evan Newell, recently retired from the cut and thrust of the Business World, has much more time to take on the Croquet World (has won competitions), the Bloodstock World, Global Warming (not forgetting the Environment) and even take on the publication of a miscellany of poetry & other works (his own)!!
Juan Ojeda 
#321
Juan has been kept busy representing Spain in numerous Croquet Championships around the world. He is the current (2004) Spanish Champion and was also the Spanish singles champion in 1998, 1999 and 2000 and runner-up in 2002. He won the Spanish doubles event in 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000 and was runner-up in 1998. He was also the Spanish player in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 European Croquet Championships held in Jersey and in the 2001 World Association Croquet Championship held in London. He was also a key member of the Spanish team in the 2000 WCF World 14 point Association Croquet Team Championship held in Milan.
David Openshaw #47
David is currently President of the WCF. Some younger players don't believe he was ever any good, but he claims that his trophies include Open Champion 1979, 1981 and 1985, US Open Champion 1991, Canadian Open Champion 1991 Scottish Open Champion 2006. He has also been successful in doubles competitions winning the British Open in 1985 and 1987 with Mark Avery, the British Mixed Doubles Championship with Kathleen Priestley in 2002 and 2003, and the NZ Open Doubles Champion with Stephen Mulliner in 2000. He is also pleased to have won the North of England Championship on six occasions and the 2007 European Championship. In the World Championship he was losing finalist in 1991 and reached the semi finals in 1989 and 1992. David works in the automotive industry and regularly celebrates his 50th birthday.
Peter Parkinson =94
Peter has been playing croquet for 18 years and has represented New Zealand. He is a member of United Croquet Club.
Samir Patel #22
Samir has been playing croquet since taking up the sport in the mid-nineties at Oxford University. Now a member of Surbiton Croquet Club, he has won the Club Championship for both Association and Golf Croquet and was part of the team that won both club competitions in 2006. Recent UK tournament successes include the Spencer Ell Trophy (2006), Du Pre Cup (2007), and making the play-off for the Chairman's' Salver (2007). He has represented England in the Home Internationals and European Championship, and made his first appearance for GB in 2007. Samir is a Principal Consultant with an Operational Research consultancy, and is married and lives in Richmond, Surrey.
Chris Patmore #31
38 year old Chris Patmore is a member of Surbiton Croquet club and graduate of Oxford University. He was the first player to win both British and Australian Open Doubles titles. Achievements last season include Jersey open champion and Championship of Ireland finalist. In 2006 Chris won the British Opens plate for both singles and doubles. He is a fixed income strategist for Goldman Sachs in London.
Mark Prater #59
Mark Prater started playing croquet in 1977. During that time he has represented his country in three Mac Robertson shields, and four Sonoma world championships. He has also represented New South Wales 10 times and South Australia 10 times in the interstate cup. A welcome return to form in the last couple of years has seen his ranking improve sufficiently to be selected to represent Australia in the 2005 World Championships. Mark and is wife Christine
John Prince #67
John is one of the legends of the game. Now aged 62, he has been playing 48 years during which time he has won the NZ Open 8 times, NZ Mens 9 times, NZ doubles 11 times, NZ Invitation winner 8 times and perhaps most impressively, played in 9 MacRobertson Shields, winning in 1979 and 1986. John is married to Sue and they have two adult sons. John works part-time for the Bank of NZ, Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse Trust and is a highly talented self-employed artist. He enjoys gardening, classical music, movies and watching sport, mainly on TV. John will draw support in his hometown wherever he plays.
AJ Reid #54
19 year-old AJ Reid made his debut on the world stage competing in the 2006 World Golf Croquet Championships in Hawke's Bay where he impressed with his hard-hitting confidence. The pinnacle of AJ's career so far has been winning the John Prince Trophy for coming runner-up in the 2007 New Zealand Open Championships where he took eventual winner Chris Clarke to 5 games including having two 3rd turn breaks to 4-back and some spectacular long hitting in. On his way to the final, AJ defeated New Zealand #2 Paddy Chapman in the semi-finals. Known for his flamboyant and expressive style, AJ has the potential to cause some major upsets at this Championships.
Paul Skinley #23
Paul Skinley, 49, dubbed the "Earl of Elegance" by Jack Kelleher in the mid 90's, started Croquet at a very young age at the Rangatira Club in Dannevirke where his mother was a very active member. He first won the North Island Open Singles in 1974 and the next season was runner up to Bob Jackson in the N.Z. Open, but in 1980 and 1981 the roles were reversed and Paul was the winner. He won his third N.Z. Open title in 1985 with an immaculate display of precision croquet on lightening fast courts, defeating Joe Hogan in the final. Paul returned to prominence coming 2nd in the 2006 New Zealand Open to Robert Fulford. A very unlucky ankle injury prevented him from taking part in the 2006 MacRobertson Shield but, with his current form, Paul is a strong favourite to still be in contention in the later stages of the 2008 World Championships.
Jerry Stark #16
Jerry is 53 years old and lives in Middletown California with his wife Donna. He has a 29 year old daughter, Jessie and a 21 year old son Zachary. Jerry has been the Director of Croquet at Meadowood Napa Valley for 18 years. His hobbies are cooking real BBQ, croquet, golf and darts. He is the only American to have played in all of the MacRobertson Shield events the USA has been in.
Anton Varnas 
=577
Anton is 32 years old, and has been playing croquet in Cuculidae Croquet Club, Stockholm, since 1995. He has won several medals in Swedish championships and has represented Sweden in the 2004 Golf Croquet and the 2005 Association Championships. Anton is Chief Executive Officer in a financial software company but takes also an active part as an owner in Real estate and industrial companies in Sweden.
John Versey =87
John started playing croquet about 1987 and won the A-grade invitation event held at Marewa, Napier, his home club, in 1996 which put him in the premier grade. His greatest achievements to date are: coming runner up in the Arthur Ross national handicap tournament in 1996; winning the New Zealand Men's Championships in 1998 and the mixed doubles in the same tournament with his wife Chris; coming fourth at his first ever New Zealand Open in 1998; he won the qualifying event allowing him to play in the world championships in Wellington in 2002; he was captain the A team development squad to play Australia in 2005; he was third in the singles and doubles at the 2006 New Zealand Open; he was a member of the successful 2006 Trans-Tasman test team. John is a primary school teacher, married with two grown children. His interests include classic cars, fishing and gardening.
Simon Watkins #101
Simon Watkins is a self employed builder who began playing croquet in 1996 at Brighton Victoria. Simon used to sail high performance off the beach catamarans, but this did not include his wife Kerry, Simon had seen croquet 25 years before and the germ was set, Kerry and Simon started playing under the fabulous coaching of John and Marion Doherty, Simon was launched into the croquet world with a deft use of touch, subtlety and precision play The last 12 months have been intense, getting a Worlds Wild card and being selected to represent my State for the first time is and enormous honour.
Kevin Wells 
#404
48 year old, IT Manager, Kevin Wells, describes himself as a person that dislikes playing croquet with people that display an attitude of Traa-dy-lioor. Literally translated as, “time enough”, that local Manx folk lore sometimes depicts as, “manyana - but without the urgency”. Married with 3 children, aged 16, 15 and 8, Kevin has won the Isle of Man championships in 1999, 2002, 2003 and 2004. His other passions include driving his MX5 over the mountain part of the famous Isle of Man TT course and admiring Old English Sheepdogs.
Aaron Westerby #12
Aaron is 33 and has been playing croquet for 20 years. He has been a member of New Zealand's winning Trans Tasman teams in 1994, 1995 and 2003 and played in his first MacRobertson Shield tournament in 2006. He is a past winner of the British Men's, Sonoma and Irish Championships. He has also won the NZ Open, Men's, Doubles and with his grandmother the NZ Mixed Doubles on two occasions. Aaron is also a keen paragliding pilot and has been fortunate to fly many of the best sites in the World.
Jack Wicks #80
Jack, commonly known as Wixy, is 19 and started playing croquet at his local club, Colchester, at the age of 13, thanks to his grandmother’s passion for the game. Jack quickly started to play the game seriously and has been competing in CA events for 5 years. In October 2006 Jack managed to realise one of his croquet dreams, by playing in the Presidents cup for the first time, he also managed to get to the final of the Men’s Championship, in 2006, before being demolished 3-0 in the final. Outside of croquet Jack is an avid Colchester United fan and typical teenager, drinking and partying as much as he can. He works as an Estimator for a property services company and attends college to study ‘Construction Management’ one day a week.
Chris Williams #93
Born in Barry, Wales, Chris first tried croquet at Oxford University. Six years later, he returned to the game when the Dyffryn Croquet Club was founded in 1986. In 1992 he made his international debut at the WCF championships in Newport, Rhode Island. A regular Welsh international and three times Welsh Champion, he has also won one of the coveted 'eights' trophies, the Spencer Ell, in 1994. In 2000, he led the Welsh side to victory in the first World 14-point Team Championship in Italy. Widely known as the compiler of the World Croquet Rankings list, he has also developed an interactive rankings website, which provides up to the minute world rankings and much more.Chris returned to university in 2004 and finished his MSc last year and is now IT contract working in Bath on the iFACTS Air Traffic Control update project. His wide-ranging interests include ice hockey, soccer, travel, wine, Vermeer paintings and World War I.
Brian Wislang #53
Brian Wislang is a very steady player who has represented New Zealand in four MacRobertson Shield Series, the latest being in 2006. In recent years he has mainly concentrated on the New Zealand Opens, and has also branched out into Golf Croquet, where he was a semi-finalist in the 2006 New Zealand Golf Croquet Championships. Brian lives on an apple orchard which he owns, but presently leases. He currently works as a golf course superintendent, a job which he describes as being both challenging and rewarding.
Michael Wright #36
Michael Wright emigrated to New Zealand 10 years ago, after living in Cape Town and driving past the Rondebosch Croquet Club every day, without knowing what he was missing. Michael started playing croquet at the Marton club in 1999 and soon found the Oxford Croquet web site, which provided a lot of information for developing players. Unfortunately it did not teach good judgement! "The last few years have been interesting in a developmental sense - I started concentrating on croquet strokes, and have changed from a 3 lbs 14 mallet to a 2 lbs 14 one. At last, stop shots are now possible! I am trying to gain the experience required to develop good judgement, but it seems that comes only from making dubious decisions." Michael believes the high point in his career is yet to come. Michael's non-croquet interests include playing bridge, reading and playing strategy games.
Masaaki Yamada 
=368
Aiming to provide the shocks at this years Championship will be 61 year old, Masaaki Yamada. Mind you, he will be perfectly placed to record them as he works for the Shinozuka Research Institute that carries out research on disaster prevention, seismic risk management and stochastic assets management. Married with two daughters, he has been playing croquet for 20 years and won the Japan Open Championship in 1990, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2007. He has previously played in the WCF World Croquet Championships of 1991, 1997, 2002 and 2005.