Ellie Griffith Goes 5-1, Gets Gold Win at 2018 Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament

Ellie Griffith on her way to a 21-7 win in the Gold Final

Ellie Griffith played consistent croquet all day to cruise to a first-place finish at the 2018 Lee's Summit T-Bone Croquet Tournament.

In the final, Griffith faced Wanda Jackson, who overcame a 1-2 record in cross-block play in the morning to advance.

Jackson started the final with flair. Playing red, she jumped Griffith's blue ball in hoop one.

The game evened up at wicket three. With all four balls for the third hoop, Griffith broke through by peeling black with blue.

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Griffith set up blue at the center wicket. With black within range on the court and yellow partnered up with red, Jackson, playing red, had a chance to start a break. But red incurred deadness, could not make the hoop and gave black a chance to take advantage.

Gold Finalists: Griffith and Jackson. Click to Zoom.Griffith's break with black broke down at hoop four. It did not matter, though. Griffith began to pull ahead slowly by keeping her partner balls together while she worked her way around the court while her opponent dealt with deadness and tough missed shots.

Saddled with partner deadness and still stuck at hoop three, Jackson attempted to jump her partner in the jaws. But she contacted her partner for a dead ball fault. Near the end of the game, Jackson tried a double-jump hoop four from three yards out. The shot was off target and went long.

Griffith took the match 21-7. It was her first Gold Division tournament championship victory.

For Jackson, the result was similar to last year, but the level of play was higher. At the 2017, Lee's Summit T-Bone Croquet Tournament, Jackson qualified for the final in the Silver Division final but fell to Eddie Mondt.

Leaving the event, Matt Griffith, who had just won the Pro Division championship, said, "The Griffiths came to play this year!"