KANSAS CITY, MO -- The Midwest Croquet Association announced yesterday that the MCA Nine-Wicket Series will visit Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday, June 14. The event will be part of the season points series and was enthusiatically embraced by members of the Tulsa Croquet Club. The agreement was reached late Friday afternoon and more details are to follow.
"We are extremely pleased to add the event to the series," said MCA President Dylan Goodwin. "This truly gives the series a more regional feel and now we're excited to lock in a few dates in Kansas."
Goodwin indicated that the MCA was interested in four to five regular season events to precede the Championship event in September.
BELTON, MO -- Bill Berg reported yesterday that an agreement to hold the 2014 MCA Championship at Markey Park in Belton, MO with the Belton Parks and Recreation Department has been reached. The event will be held Saturday, September 13 and will be for the top qualifiers in the respective MCA Nine-Wicket Series points races. Players must be members to participate in the MCA Championship, but there is no entry fee.
The event will be one week prior to the USCA's Nine Wicket National Championship which is set for September 19-21 in the Kansas City area. The MCA Championship should provide a good warm-up for that event.
Behind the scenes, the MCA is also close to announcing another regular season event. The target for 2014 is four regular season events in addition to the MCA Championship.
2014 MCA SCHEDULE TO DATE
02/22--AGM (Kansas City)
05/17--T-Bone (Lee's Summit)
09/13--MCA Championship (Belton)
Detailed Schedule:
LEE'S SUMMIT, MO - MCA member Ron Millican has announced that the 2014 Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament will be held May 17 at Howard Park in Lee's Summit, MO. This is the same location the event was held in 2013. The event is part of the MCA Tour Nine-Wicket Series and is hosted by Ron and Deborah Millican and Greg and Jodi Adams. More details will follow on this event and there is active progress for additional MCA events for 2014.
With the announcement of USCA Nine-Wicket Nationals coming back to Kansas City September 19-21, the MCA Championship will likely need to move forward. A proposed date at this is Saturday, August 16.
All feedback to date has been that we should stick with the September 13 target. If you have an opinion, please get your feedback to Dylan Goodwin (kccroquetclub@gmail.com) soon as we would like to go ahead and secure a venue.
| Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason | Johnson | 8 | 6 | 2 | 170 | 21.25 |
| 2 | Bill | Berg | 10 | 5 | 5 | 163 | 16.30 |
| 3 | Deborah | Millican | 9 | 6 | 3 | 161 | 17.89 |
| 4 | Keith | Berg | 7 | 2 | 5 | 114 | 16.29 |
| 5 | Jodi | Adams | 3 | 3 | 0 | 96 | 32.00 |
| 6 | Justin | Marciniak | 5 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 15.00 |
| 7 | S. Jason | Cole | 2 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 18.50 |
| 8 | Carl | Distefano | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 |
| Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul | Miller | 17 | 13 | 4 | 385 | 22.65 |
| 2 | Dylan | Goodwin | 17 | 11 | 6 | 328 | 19.29 |
| 3 | Greg | Clouse | 15 | 10 | 5 | 321 | 21.40 |
| 4 | Robert | Fournier | 15 | 8 | 7 | 289 | 19.27 |
| 5 | Ron | Millican | 13 | 6 | 7 | 251 | 19.31 |
| 6 | Greg | Adams | 9 | 3 | 6 | 140 | 15.56 |
| 7 | Debbie | Millican | 6 | 3 | 3 | 110 | 18.33 |
| 8 | Matt | Smith | 4 | 4 | 0 | 103 | 25.75 |
| 9 | Jason | Johnson | 5 | 1 | 4 | 91 | 18.20 |
| 10 | Jodi | Adams | 5 | 0 | 5 | 90 | 18.00 |
| 11 | Carl | Distefano | 5 | 0 | 5 | 77 | 15.40 |
| 12 | Bill | Berg | 5 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 11.00 |
| 13 | Keith | Berg | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 13.67 |
| 14 | S. Jason | Cole | 3 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 13.33 |
BELTON, MO -- A full report will be available later this weekend. Today's winners:
MCA Pro Points Race - Paul Miller
MCA Championship - Paul Miller
MCA Gold Points Race - Jason Johnson
MCA Gold Championship - Jodi Adams
MCA Six-Ball Championship - Dylan Goodwin
The match-ups and times are set for the Pro Division Championship Playoff to be held Saturdary, September 14 at Markey Park in in Belton, MO. The play-off is single-elimination. Lunch is not included, but there will be a gap provided for all players and there plenty of restaurant options near the facility. The event is free for qualified MCA members. Non-members that have qualified will simply need to join the MCA and can do that by paying the membership fee of $20 Saturday morning.
Quarterfinals - 8:30 a.m.
#1 Paul Miller vs #8 Jodi Adams
#4 Robert Fournier vs #5 Ron Millican
#3 Dylan Goodwin vs #6 Greg Adams
#2 Greg Clouse vs #7 Deborah Millican
Semi-Finals - 9:45 a.m.
1-8 winner vs 4-5 winner
3-6 winner vs 2-7 winner
Pro Division Final - Noon
A six-ball (cut-throat) will run during this event as well. The first match in six ball will start at 10:00 a.m. and will include Bill Berg and Keith Berg. Debbie Millican will also be in this match if she is available. The rest of that match will be filled with losing players from the first round of the pro bracket. The second six ball match will be scheduled as players are available with the six-ball championship taking place at 2:45 p.m.
The match-ups and times are set for the Gold Division Championship Playoff to be held Saturdary, September 14 at Markey Park in in Belton, MO. The play-off is single-elimination. Lunch is not included, but there will be a gap provided for all players and there are plenty of restaurant options near the facility. The event is free for qualified MCA members. Non-members that have qualified will simply need to join the MCA and can do that by paying the membership fee of $20 Saturday morning.
Wildcard - 9:45 a.m.
#4 Justin Marciniak vs #5 Jodi Adams
Semi-Finals - 11:00 a.m.
#1 Bill Berg vs Wildcard Winner
#2 Debbie Millican vs #3 Keith Berg
Gold Division Final - 1:30 p.m.
A six-ball (cut-throat) will run during this event as well. The first match in six ball will start at 10:00 a.m. and will include Bill Berg and Keith Berg. Debbie Millican will also be in this match if she is available. The rest of that match will be filled with losing players from the first round of the pro bracket. The second six ball match will be scheduled as players are available with the six-ball championship taking place at 3:00 p.m.
MCA players may have noted that the USCA updated the nine-wicket rulebook in mid-season. For consistency, the MCA will continue with the 2007 edition rules as played in the three previous events through the end of the 2013 season.
The new revisions made by the USCA will be evaluated by the board during the winter and a decision will be made as to whether or not we will follow the USCA's update or create a set of MCA Nine-Wicket Rules.
Link to the new USCA Nine-Wicket Rules:
http://www.croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules/backyard/
The 2013 MCA Championship will be played at Markey Park in Belton, MO on Saturday, September 14. The event will feature a single-elimination tournament for the top eight finishers in the Pro Division and another single elimination bracket for the top finishers in the Gold Division. Seeds will be based on standings in the points race and invitations will sent this week to begin confirming the line-up.'
To ensure more than one game for a all players, the event will also feature a six-ball cut-throat tournament that will begin in the afternoon for players eliminated in the early rounds of each bracket. The initial thought was to run a doubles bracket, but six ball will provide a quicker option and also ties to the roots of the MCA and Kansas City Croquet.
Starting times will be announced once the line-ups have been set.
FREE FOR MEMBERS
The MCA Championship is a free tournament for MCA members. Non-members will simply be asked to join the MCA at the $20 membership rate in order to participate.
| Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul | Miller | 14 | 10 | 4 | 309 | 22.07 |
| 2 | Greg | Clouse | 13 | 9 | 4 | 282 | 21.69 |
| 3 | Dylan | Goodwin | 14 | 9 | 5 | 272 | 19.43 |
| 4 | Robert | Fournier | 13 | 7 | 6 | 261 | 20.08 |
| 5 | Ron | Millican | 12 | 6 | 6 | 235 | 19.58 |
| 6 | Greg | Adams | 8 | 3 | 5 | 133 | 16.63 |
| 7 | Matt | Smith | 4 | 4 | 0 | 103 | 25.75 |
| 8 | Debbie | Millican | 5 | 3 | 2 | 99 | 19.80 |
| 9 | Jason | Johnson | 5 | 1 | 4 | 91 | 18.20 |
| 10 | Carl | Distefano | 5 | 0 | 5 | 77 | 15.40 |
| 11 | Jodi | Adams | 4 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 16.50 |
| 12 | Bill | Berg | 5 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 11.00 |
| 13 | Keith | Berg | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 13.67 |
| 14 | S. Jason | Cole | 3 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 13.33 |
| Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jason | Johnson | 8 | 6 | 2 | 170 | 21.25 |
| 2 | Bill | Berg | 9 | 5 | 4 | 148 | 16.44 |
| 3 | Deborah | Millican | 8 | 6 | 2 | 141 | 17.63 |
| 4 | Keith | Berg | 5 | 1 | 4 | 71 | 14.20 |
| 5 | Justin | Marciniak | 4 | 0 | 4 | 59 | 14.75 |
| 6 | S. Jason | Cole | 2 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 18.50 |
| 7 | Carl | Distefano | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 |
Miller and Clouse in the Pro FinalLEAWOOD, KS -- Paul Miller took his second straight MCA tournament with a 28-16 win over Greg Clouse in the Pro Division Final of the PeakVision Leawood Challenge. In the Gold Division, Deborah Millican took the title with a 21-7 win over Bill Berg in the final.
PHOTO GALLERY | OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
In the Pro Division final, Clouse looked to be in good shape as he ran his break through the turn until he croqueted a ball out of bounds near 11PW from the turn stake area with a hand shot. That's right, Clouse got enough power on the nine-wicket style hand stop shot to travel at least 30 feet. Of course, the game was held on court two which was the fastest of the three courts, and in this case it was costly for Clouse.
He did have a chance later in the game, but he roqueted his partner to work on an attack toward blue with his red ball. Unfortunately, he was dead on blue and in an odd twist Miller mentioned it to him before he actually hit the blue ball. Still, it was a damaging error and it helped Miller snatch control of the game.
Not only was it Miller's second straight tourney win, but he's also got a nine-game winning streak going as he was a perfect 6-0 in the event.
Gold FinalistsGold Final Experiences Sequence Issues
The Gold Division Final between Berg and Millican will mainly be remembered for a lengthy delay due to a potential out of sequence play midway through the game. Unfortunately, although something appeared to be out of whack, neither player could piece together the actual sequence error.
Play had to continue as the balls lay. It seemed to fire up Millican though as she went on a tear shortly after to roll to a 21-7 win. Berg was the only player to work in six games during the event so fatigue could have also been a factor.
Prize Package
Click to Find Out More About PeakVision's SD7 ModelKansas City Croquet Club member Paul Moore and CEO/Founder of PeakVision Sports came through with a great set of prizes. Finalists in both divisions were each awarded a of pair PeakVision Sunglasses.
Pro Playoff Results
ROUND ONE
#3 Robert Fournier over #6 Greg Adams 27-15
#4 Ron Millican over #5 Dylan Goodwin 21-17
SEMI-FINALS
#2 Greg Clouse over #3 Robert Fournier 22-21
#1 Paul Miller over #4 Ron Millican 28-14
FINAL
#1 Paul Miller over #2 Greg Clouse 28-16
Gold Playoff Results
ROUND ONE
#4 S. Jason Cole over #5 Keith Berg 23-12
#3 Bill Berg over #6 Carl Distefano 10
SEMI-FINALS
#1 Deborah Millican over #4 S. Jason Cole 22-14
#3 Bill Berg over #2 Jason Johnson 15-11
FINAL
#1 Deborah Millican over #3 Bill Berg 21-7
The PeakVision Leawood Challenge will be run as an open random draw for three rounds. The first round matchups are listed below and feature high vs low players (matchups made via a random number generator - random.org). The concept is that you will play your way to the appropriate bracket. Weaker players will encounter a tough first matchup, but should filter to their appropriate level of play after round one.
Some players are in the Gold Division points chase and if they qualify for the Pro Bracket, they will be allowed to opt out in order to play in the Gold bracket. Points earned in the first three rounds will apply to the Pro Points race.
PeakVision Leawood Challenge
Round One -- 8:30 a.m.
Greg Adams vs Carl Distefano
Ron Millican vs Keith Berg
Greg Clouse vs Bill Berg
Robert Fournier vs S. Jason Cole
Paul Miller vs Jason Johnson
Dylan Goodwin vs Deborah Millican
Round Two -- 9:45 a.m.
Lunch 11:00 a.m.
Round Three -- Noon
Playoffs -- 1:15, 2:30, 3:45
PeakVision Sunglasses has signed on as the official sponsor for Saturday's Leawood Challenge. The company designs sunglasses optimized for golf and that translates perfectly to croquet. PeakVision, which is based in Overland Park, will be covering the prizes for both the Pro Division and Gold Division as part of their sponsorship. You can learn more about PeakVision Sunglasses at peakvisionsports.com, but here's a bit of a primer:
The science behind PeakVision’s hybrid, Dual-Zone lens technology is based on the principal that it is impossible for a solid-tint sunglass lens to optimize your vision for both the bright sky AND the turf. When light-meter measurements are taken on the golf course, the lighting extremes range from 82,732 LUX for the sky down to only 3,122 LUX for the grass turf. The lighting for ground-based viewing is less than 4% of the ambient light in the sky.
Official Sponsor of the Leawood ChallengeLEAWOOD CHALLENGE CONFIRMED - SATURDAY, JULY 20
Players committed to date:
PRO
Dylan Goodwin
Ron Millican
Greg Adams
Paul Miller
Greg Clouse
GOLD
Bill Berg
Carl Distefano
Keith Berg
Debbie Millican
PRO
Dylan Goodwin
Ron Millican
Greg Adams
Paul Miller
Greg Clouse
Robert Fournier
Jason Johnson
GOLD
Bill Berg
Carl Distefano
Keith Berg
Debbie Millican
S. Jason Cole
05/02-03
Missouri Open (9W)
Lee's Summit, MO
05/23-26
Indian Territory Open (A6)
Tulsa, OK
07/10-12
US Golf Croquet Classic (GC)
Denver, CO
10/16-19
Houston Invitational (A6)
Houston, TX
04/04
2025 MCA AGM
Leawood, KS
05/02-05
USCA Midwest Regional (GC)
Tulsa, OK
08/29-09/01
USCA Midwest Regional (A6)
Tulsa, OK
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