WCF GC World Team Championship Tier 3

[<<] [>>]

Mike Huxley (Manager) and the winning Mexico Team

The World Croquet Federation's Golf Croquet World Team Championship Tier 3 2020 was due to be played at Guildford and Godalming (GGCC) in, you've guessed it, 2020. That was Plan A. Covid interfered with that, so Plan B was to reschedule to 2021. Covid again - move to Plan C. The tournament was scheduled for 21-23 July 2022, involving teams from Czech Republic, Iran, Mexico and Portugal. Things were looking good until shortly before the appointed time it became apparent that the visa and travel plans of the Iran team were not going to work and that only one person qualified to play for Iran was able to come. So, I agreed a Plan D with the WCF, which was that Omied Hallam (Nottingham) would captain an unofficial Iranian team, which we dubbed 'Iran Plus'. Apart from Omied, the remainder of the team would be drawn from the ranks of GGCC. The team would play the fixtures of the Iran team 'hors concours'. That way, the other teams would at least play their three scheduled international test matches in three days, and would be guaranteed to win at least a bronze medal.

The teams had a day's acclimatisation and practice on 20 July. GGCC's lawns were at their most taxing - very fast (about 14 Plummers) and with unforgiving hoops. About this time Plan E was conceived, as a member of 'Iran Plus' succumbed to Covid and was replaced.

To the competition. Each one-day test match consisted of two best-of-three game doubles matches and four best-of-three singles. Day 1 saw Portugal beat Czech Republic and Iran Plus draw with Mexico. On the next day, 'Iran Plus' beat Czech Republic and Mexico beat Portugal. By this time, Mexico seemed sure to take the title, but 'Iran Plus' were not finished. In a nail-biting finish they beat Portugal by a slender margin and claimed their second win and an unofficial draw with Mexico. This is the unofficial table.

Removal of 'Iran Plus' from the fray and awarding a win to each of the other teams results in the following official table.

So, it was Mexico for the gold, Portugal silver and Czech Republic bronze.

Those are the bare facts, but it's not just about that. GGCC members put a huge effort into making our overseas guests feel welcome and at home. We made a lot of new friends as a result. At the opening of the tournament, I urged the teams to play hard, play fair, and have fun. I believe that was exactly what happened. We at GGCC enjoyed it hugely and were delighted to wind down with the teams on the final evening at dinner in a local pub.

And I've learnt a couple of things: managers are likely to need a Plan E and visiting teams from abroad need a PlanE.