KC Open: August 2 and 3

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The MCA Nine Wicket Series will return to the fast grass on August 2-3 for the Kansas City Open at the Kactus Creek Croquet Club in Parkville, Missouri. It all depends on the number of entries, but tentatively the Gold and Silver Divisions are slated to play on Saturday while the Pro Division is slated for Sunday.

Kactus Creek is a one-court facility, so the MCA will use a slightly modified layout to squeeze in two nine wicket courts that will play very closely to full size courts. Essentially, the double wickets are moved closer to the north and south boundaries and the pegs are placed six foot by six foot from the boundaries in corners four and two. 

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Benz Jumps to the Top of Silver

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LEAWOOD, KS -- Nate Benz moved to the top of the Silver Division with a 4-0 record at the Kansas Challenge this past weekend and he now has 154 points. Justin Marciniak and Diane Berg also jumped up in the standings as Bill Berg and Keith Berg played in the Pro-Gold Division. It looks like it could be a good race as we head into the final two events of the season.

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Airrington is Still Gold

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LEAWOOD, KS -- Despite only playing one game, Taylor Airrington expanded his lead in the Gold Race as his two main rivals, Jodi Adams and Deborah Millican, made the cut for the Pro Playoff. Debbie Breeden made the most of her day with three gold games and now holds second place with 132 points. Three players are just behind Breeden, so things could get interesting as we head into the final two events for 2014.
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Goodwin's Lead Extends in the MCA Pro Race

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LEAWOOD, KS -- The MCA has updated the 2014 Nine Wicket Series Pro Points race standings and Dylan Goodwin's win at the Kansas Challenge has given him a 105-point lead overall. He came into the event with an 83-point lead over Ron Millican, but there was a shake-up in the standings as Greg Adams (260) jumped over Millican (216) for second place in the race.

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Kansas Scorcher

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LEAWOOD, KS -- The MCA returned to Leawood, Kansas on Saturday in a big way as the the 2014 Kansas Challenge set a new record for player entries with 17. That eclipsed 12 entries for the same event in 2013 and shows the steady growth that the MCA is enjoying in the second season of the Nine Wicket Series.

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On the courts though, the big story was the battle against the heat as the temperature reached 92 degrees in the afternoon. The Kansas Challenge had play across three divisions with Dylan Goodwin taking the Pro Division, Ron Millican winning the Gold Division and newcomer Nate Benz going 4-0 to win the Silver Division.

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2014 Kansas Challenge Early Report

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LEAWOOD, KS -- The 2014 Kansas Challenge just finished up and we have winners across three divisions. Dylan Goodwin claimed his third straight tourney win with a 21-20 thriller over Greg Adams in the Pro Division. Ron Millican missed the Pro cut, but battled through the Gold Division bracket and took a 32-25 win over Debbie Breeden. The Silver Division had a five player round-robin and it came down to a big final showdown as projected in the afternoon. Nate Benz took the win with a 16-13 win over Justin Marciniak.

The big report with photos and results will be on the MCA website tomorrow.

2014 Kansas Challenge Matchups

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LEAWOOD, KS -- The line-ups are set and players are expected to be on hand by 8:05 a.m. on Saturday for an 8:30 a.m. start for the Kansas Challenge at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood, Kansas (133rd and Mission Road).

Gwyneth Bowen in the Silver Division is the only player with a first round bye. The Pro and Gold Divisions will play a mixed draw in the morning with all points counting toward the Pro Division. The top six players will then make the Pro Playoff, while the bottom six will be slotted in the Gold Division Playoff. The matchups follow.

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2014 Kansas Challenge Player List

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LEAWOOD, KS -- The deadline for the Kansas Challenge on July 12 is this coming Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. Central time (July 8). You can sign up by RSVP on the Croquet Network event section (Kansas Challenge) or email Dylan Goodwin at kccroquetclub@gmail.com. Click here for more event details
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Rules Recap #4 - Dead Ball Roquet Out of Bounds

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For the Pro and Gold Divisions, what happens if I roquet a ball I am dead on, but it goes out of bounds?

This is just like hitting a dead ball that stays in bounds. The balls reset to the original positions and the turn ends. This is sometimes confused with not incurring deadness on a ball when you roquet it out of bounds. In that case, there is no deadness if the ball you roqueted goes out of bounds. 

Kansas Challenge: Saturday, July 12

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Don't miss out on the action as the MCA Nine Wicket Series returns to Leawood, Kansas for the Kansas Challenge on Saturday, July 12 in Leawood, Kansas. 

The deadline for entry is Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 p.m. You have two easy options for entry:

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 4

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The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 4 of 4 of the Q&A which was geared more toward Goodwin's role as a player:

Now that we have your insight on the Oklahoma Open from your point of view as MCA president, tell us about the event from a player's perspective. We had touched on the "true croquet court" playing surface. How did the players fare in the nine-wicket game on the fast turf? What sort of adjustments did players make? Were there trade-offs?

So, this is a really interesting question. I've never really seen much of a standard opening strategy develop in 9W on long grass. Chernobyls are effective because you can make hoop 1 and 2 in one stroke to get two shots. I will say with the faster grass, red and yellow were opting for corner 1 a lot, but people were also rolling past wicket 2 quite bit after scoring #1.

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 3

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The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 3 of 4 of the Q&A:

Oklahoma and Kansas see their share of wind. Surely that lesson will be a valuable in the future. Returning closer to the MCA's home base, what can you tell us about the Sunflower Wickets Fundraiser in Olathe, Kan.?

This is an event that the MCA has worked with since it's inception in 2010. We provide the equipment and referee the games. I think it is good fundraiser for the historic Mahaffie Farmstead there in Olathe, and it's always nice to see our MCA group out there in the red shirts. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to do much for promoting the sport.

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VPC: OKLAHOMA OPEN WRAP UP, PART 2

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The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 2 of 4 of the Q&A:

How did the "true croquet courts" affect nine-wicket play?

At this point, I am very encouraged. We had a little practice on Friday and the set up was a bit undersized and only practice wickets were set up. It was incredibly easy to go around and I was in a state of panic most of Friday night. However, we set standard wickets for pro play and I set them very tight―just a sliver of clearance on about 15 of the 18 pro wickets. That seemed to solve it and I am pleased to report ... we had very inter-active play. The wind may have factored in also, but I really thought the experiment was a success.

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 1

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The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 1 of 4 of the Q&A:

The second event in the 2014 Midwest Croquet Association season was all the way down in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That is, what, a four-hour drive from the Kansas City area for the group formerly known as the Missouri Croquet Association. What drew the MCA to Oklahoma?

Yes, four hours is about right. I made it in 3.5 hours on the way back with no stops.

The concept behind around adding Oklahoma is both basic and then wildly ambitious. From a basic standpoint, once we modified the name from the Missouri Croquet Association to the Midwest Croquet Association to accommodate players (like myself) on the other side of the state line.

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Airrington Controls the Gold Race

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Taylor Airrington entered the Oklahoma Open with a narrow four point lead in the Gold Race. But with Debbie Breeden opting out of the race it was up to Jodi Adams and Deborah Millican to close the gap. Airrington posts scores of 24-14, 30-11, 16-29 and 24-17 to keep his distance on the duo. In the end, he added another point to his advantage over Adams and kept the same 35-point lead he had over Millican. It's shaping up as a great race as now Bill Berg has slipped into fourth place in the race with only one event under his belt. It could be a wild one on July 12 when the Kansas Challenge rolls em' out for the next leg of the series.
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Lead Expands in the MCA Pro Race

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With Greg Clouse and Jason Johnson as scratches, it was up to Ron Millican and Greg Adams to try to make up ground on Dylan Goodwin in the MCA Nine Wicket Pro Points race. Unfortunately, Millican had an off day and was unable to collect any wins, but he did keep his spot in second place. Adams had a better day, going 2-1 in the morning to pick up the fourth seed, but #5 Art Parsells knocked him out in the first round of the afternoon.
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Goodwin and Airrington Repeat at Tulsa

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA -- The MCA made a successful trip on Saturday to expand the Nine Wicket Series into Oklahoma as thirteen players across two divisions battled the wickets and wind at LaFortune Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both divisions ended up with repeat winners as Dylan Goodwin defeated Matt Baird 20-9 for the 2014 Oklahoma Open Pro Division title and 16-year-old Taylor Airrington went 3-1 to claim the Gold Division title. Bill Berg also had a 3-1 record in the Gold Division, but the Airrington won the head-to-head match 24-17.

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Both Goodwin and Airrington started the MCA season with wins at the Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament in May and now both players will look for a three-peat on July 12 at the Kansas Challenge to be held at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood, Kansas.

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Oklahoma Open: How The Draw Is Done

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A quick video that shows the Pro Division first round draw for the Oklahoma 9W Open. One item to note is that Bob Baker was a late scratch, while Kevin McQuigg was a late addition. So, McQuigg replaces Baker in that scenario. A full line up text listing should be posted and emailed later this evening.

Rules Recap #3 - Roquet A Ball on the Far Side the Wicket

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In nine wicket croquet, if I have roqueted a ball that is just on the other side of the wicket I am for (0.5 inch of clearance to the other side), can I place my ball within nine inches in good scoring position on the proper side of the wicket and score the wicket? Or, when contact is made with the ball on the other side of the wicket, is it a dead ball fault and the balls reset?

You can make this play, but the key is that you must get your ball through that wicket despite contact with the "dead ball." If this shot is attempted and you make contact with the "dead ball" and do not score the wicket, it is a dead ball fault and the balls are reset to their original positions and the turn ends.