The football World Cup is fast becoming a distant memory but this week an equally hotly contested World Cup has been taking place in a corner of South West London as Roehampton Club plays host to the 2010 Croquet World Team Championship second round.
Following a tense final day the United States has emerged the surprise victors and the championship remains wide open.
This is the fifth time Britain and the Roehampton Club has hosted the prestigious Croquet World Team Championship. Over the course of two weeks and six matches Great Britain, Australia, United States and New Zealand will battle it out for the ultimate title of World Champions.
Unlike their football counterparts, the Great Britain croquet team have a long and successful history in croquet and started this championship as clear favourites. However, their play has been disappointing allowing outsiders such as the United States, who put in an excellent performance at Roehampton Club, to challenge their dominance and leave the title wide open. Later this week the United States will take on New Zealand and Australia will take on Great Britain before the World Champions 2010 are finally crowned.
Roehampton Club has a long heritage with croquet, hosting the first ever Test Match in 1925 which saw England beat Australia. Today Roehampton Club is one of London’s premier multi-sport members’ clubs with a golf course, 28 tennis courts, 5 squash courts, a superb Health Club, two swimming pools and 4 world class croquet lawns. The Club also boasts the highest standard coaching staff, including Nigel Aspinall, a former World Champion many times over and without doubt Great Britain’s greatest croquet player. The Club also counts Reg Bamford from South Africa – the current Croquet World Champions – as a member.
Marc Newey, CEO at Roehampton Club commented, “We are proud to be hosting the Croquet MacRobertson Shield once more and have seen some truly great play over the last few days. We are completing an extensive refurbishment project that enhances our facilities even further and this tournament is an opportunity to showcase Roehampton Club and all it has to offer our members.”
United States Team Players: Jeff Soo (Captain), Erv Petersen, Rich Lamm, Jim Bast, Ben Rothman, Doug Grimsley, Danny Honeycutt Australia Team Players: Ian Dumergue, Robert Fletcher, Peter Landrebe (Captain), Stephen Forster, Kevin Beard, Martin Clarke
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