CROQUET NEWS:  Croquet Players Vie for Title

30 June 2008
Bruce Park, Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
story by Meredith Blake in Greenwich Time , Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
photo by Helen Neafsey

Croquet tournament winner Doug Grimsley makes a play during the Greenwich Invitational yesterday at the home of Marjorie and Bill Campbell.

Two nationally ranked croquet players battled it out at the Greenwich Invitational yesterday for the championship .

Doug Grimsley, 58, of Virginia, and Ted Knopf, 75, of Florida, played the final match of the five-day tournament on a green built at the home of Marjorie and Bill Campbell on Mayberry Lane.

More than 40 players from across the country are invited to compete in the exclusive tournament, which is held annually.

"At this game, the real big guns play," said Bill Campbell, an international croquet hall of fame player.

"It's considered a very good tournament, nowadays, one of the top three or four echelons of tournaments," said Barbara Leeming, president of the Greenwich Croquet Club.

John Osborn, who worked as the tournament director, and whose father founded the national U.S. Croquet Association is considered the Tiger Woods of croquet said, Leeming.

"This is a very different, very special tournament," said Osborn, "It's a good strong field and it gets stronger every year."

Throughout the tournament, there were a lot of close games, and most players had a really good time, he said.

But everyone was anticipating the final match.

"This could be very quick or very exciting," said Osborn.

Knopf was considered the underdog for the championship title, which he won last year. He has a -1.5 handicap, which is considered good. The handicap for a championship flight or ranking is -2.5 to 3.

"I started playing croquet for the competition," said Knopf, " I enjoy it."

"He is one of the top 30 or so players in the country. He's definitely a good competitor," said Grimsely of his opponent.

Grimsely is a four-time national champion and has a -2 handicap.

"I'm a pretty aggressive player. I either win big or lose big," he said.

Croquet is played with two teams - the blue and black balls versus the red and yellow balls. In singles each player plays two balls. The object of the game is to maneuver them through the course of six wickets and then hit the stake. The first to complete the course wins.

But there is also a strategic side to the match, which can lead some players to control the course, by not allowing their opponent a chance to play, according to Grimsely's wife, Stephanie Paduano.

During the match, Grimsely dominated the court by hitting Knopf's balls to get extra shots and hitting his balls through the wickets to earn bonus shots. Making his way through all six wickets twice, he gave Knopf little opportunity to play the course.

"He ran a break and pegged out both balls to win," said Paduano.

He won 26 to 3.

"It's a little bit of a blow out," said Leeming.

But overall the invitational was a success, she said.

Two Greenwich residents Ben Morehead and Diane Blow won. Blow, who is going to be inducted into the hall of fame, came in third for championship doubles and Morehead came in third for championship singles.

"I think everybody's thrilled with how they played," said Campbell.

The next major tournament will be held in New Jersey.