[<<] [>>] by Tremaine Arkley at Resort at the Mountain, Welches, Oregon
3-7 Sep 2003 (International)

Wins, Losses and Net for the 18 Rounds in Block Play

1. Burrow 10-6 +82
2. Bamford 10-6 +75
3. Fleming 9-7 +62
4. Clarke 9-7 +42
5. Louw 8-8 +17
6. McInerney 8-8 +14
7. McBride 7-9 -3
8. Kirby 7-9 -62
9. Bulloch 4-12 -227

Final Standings

1. Burrow $1500.00
2. Bamford $1000.00
3. Clarke $600.00
4. Fleming $400.00
5. McInerney
6. Louw
7. McBride
8. Kirby
9. Bulloch

We had a crowd of well over 250 for the Sunday's narrated finals including morning play and the crowd on Saturday was even larger. I think it is important to have an aggressive and competent PR firm to work, behind the scenes is OK, on making contacts and being persistent with their contacts in the media. Making personal contacts with sports writers is important. They need to be sold on the idea of croquet is a sport.

Some quotes from the sports coverage in the Portland Oregonian: "Minus the typical social trappings of sports culture, the best athletes of their kind on the planet are ensconced this week at The Resort at the Mountain..." "The game is as fierce as any U.S. Open final-round tiebreaker or any playoff at The Masters when competition reaches the level of the International Croquet Invitational..."

In Oregon, and elsewhere, there are Deadheads...if you don't know don't ask! In the Oregonian sports article the writer coined a term "Wicketheads". I think I would rather be a Wickethead than a croquet Social Butterfly. I think too many recreationists run our sport.

We have plans for next years' event that hopefully will include a sponsor to add to the support for the players and prize monies. I am also looking at the long range plans for this event now that, after seven years of slowly building our event, we seemed to have reached a new stage of development and public acceptance of this sporting event held at the base of Mt. Hood every year.

I suggest to croquet associations that they create a package of media results after an event to take to potential sponsors to show what value they will get by having their name attached to croquet.

For example; we were able to put a $10,000 value on the front page story on the sports section of the largest daily newspaper in the state. Other values have been attached to coverage by numerous television, radio and other print media throughout the week prior to and after the event.

After the finals between Reg and Matt was completed Chris and Bruce moved their already started game to the adjoining court in front of the crowd to finish their game. The players decided to move to the crowd rather than making the crowd lift up their chairs and move to another court. This way we retained our audience and showed our appreciation. The two players made the decision to move after the idea was presented to them.

I think it is important to make these tournaments benefit the players and provide our resources for the players and their guests while they are here. Without player support we would never have been able to sustain our tournament with high quality players from many countries.

The players are the key attraction, not a vehicle for some fund raiser, or charity raising ball or other such social stuff. The players, under many of these social scenarios, become adjuncts and minor players to the organiser's other objectives. The media begins to understand that croquet is a sport when they see the kind of respect the players are given throughout the event and the importance of their participation. They become the main attraction not some social scene of interest to the organisers and not at all to the general public.

Next year the event is scheduled September 1-5, 2004.

Full Results

Round 1

Bamford bt Clarke +26sxp
Burrow bt Fleming +18
McBride bt Louw +17tp
McInerney bt Bulloch +20

Round 2

Burrow bt Bulloch +26tp
Fleming bt Bamford +26tp
Louw bt Kirby +26tp
McInerney bt McBride +17tp

Round 3

Bamford bt Burrow +26qp
Fleming bt Kirby +26tp
McBride bt Bulloch +26tp
McInerney bt Clarke +24

Round 4

Bamford bt McInerney +17sxp
Burrow bt McBride +26tp
Fleming bt Louw +26tp
Kirby bt Clarke +3tp

Round 5

Bamford bt Bulloch +26qp
Burrow bt Kirby +17
Fleming bt McBride +26
Louw bt Clarke +16tp

Round 6

Bamford bt Louw +4
Burrow bt McInerney +26
Clarke bt Bulloch +26tp
Kirby bt McBride +14

Round 7

Bulloch bt Kirby +11
Burrow bt Loue +23tp
Clarke bt McBride +5tp
McInerney bt Fleming +19

Round 8

Clarke bt Fleming +26tp
Kirby bt McInerney +17tp
Louw bt Bulloch +21tp
McBride bt Bamford +20tp

Round 9

Bamford bt Kirby +5
Bulloch bt Fleming +26
Clarke bt Burrow +14tp
Louw bt McInerney ++9

Round 10

Clarke bt Bamford +9tp
Fleming bt Burrow +26
Louw bt McBride +14
McInerney bt Bulloch +26tp

Round 11

Bamford bt Fleming +10
Burrow bt Bulloch +24
Kirby bt Louw +5tp
McInerney bt McBride +12tp

Round 12

Burrow bt Bamford +13tpo
Clarke bt McInerney +6
Kirby bt Fleming +25tp
McBride bt Bulloch +25tp

Round 13

Clarke bt Kirby +26tp
Fleming bt Louw +17
McBride bt Burrow +25tp
McInerney bt Bamford +18tp

Round 14

Bamford bt Bulloch +26sxp
Fleming bt McBride +18tp
Kirby bt Burrow +26tp
Louw bt Clarke +12

Round 15

Bamford Louw +26tp
Burrow bt McInerney +26tp
Clarke bt Bulloch +17tp
McBride bt Kirby +9tp

Round 16

Bulloch bt Kirby +21tp
Fleming bt McInerney +21
Louw bt Burrow +15tp
McBride bt Clarke +17tp

Round 17

Bamford bt McBride +10sxp
Bulloch bt Louw +4
Clarke bt Fleming +26tp
McInerney bt Kirby +26tp

Round 18

Burrow bt Clarke +15tp
Fleming bt Bulloch +26tp
Kirby bt Bamford +15
Louw bt McInerney +26tp

Round 19 Finals

Burrow bt Bamford +17tp
Clarke bt Fleming +12qpo