2014 Kansas Challenge Matchups

LEAWOOD, KS -- The line-ups are set and players are expected to be on hand by 8:05 a.m. on Saturday for an 8:30 a.m. start for the Kansas Challenge at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood, Kansas (133rd and Mission Road).

Gwyneth Bowen in the Silver Division is the only player with a first round bye. The Pro and Gold Divisions will play a mixed draw in the morning with all points counting toward the Pro Division. The top six players will then make the Pro Playoff, while the bottom six will be slotted in the Gold Division Playoff. The matchups follow.

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2014 Kansas Challenge Player List

Updated on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 10:06AM by MCA Website Admin

Updated on Sunday, July 6, 2014 at 8:35PM by MCA Website Admin

Updated on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 4:34PM by MCA Website Admin

Updated on Tuesday, July 8, 2014 at 9:36PM by MCA Website Admin

Updated on Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 8:33PM by MCA Website Admin

LEAWOOD, KS -- The deadline for the Kansas Challenge on July 12 is this coming Tuesday at 10:00 p.m. Central time (July 8). You can sign up by RSVP on the Croquet Network event section (Kansas Challenge) or email Dylan Goodwin at kccroquetclub@gmail.com. Click here for more event details

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Rules Recap #4 - Dead Ball Roquet Out of Bounds

For the Pro and Gold Divisions, what happens if I roquet a ball I am dead on, but it goes out of bounds?

This is just like hitting a dead ball that stays in bounds. The balls reset to the original positions and the turn ends. This is sometimes confused with not incurring deadness on a ball when you roquet it out of bounds. In that case, there is no deadness if the ball you roqueted goes out of bounds. 

Kansas Challenge: Saturday, July 12

Don't miss out on the action as the MCA Nine Wicket Series returns to Leawood, Kansas for the Kansas Challenge on Saturday, July 12 in Leawood, Kansas. 

The deadline for entry is Tuesday, July 8 at 10:00 p.m. You have two easy options for entry:

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 4

The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 4 of 4 of the Q&A which was geared more toward Goodwin's role as a player:

Now that we have your insight on the Oklahoma Open from your point of view as MCA president, tell us about the event from a player's perspective. We had touched on the "true croquet court" playing surface. How did the players fare in the nine-wicket game on the fast turf? What sort of adjustments did players make? Were there trade-offs?

So, this is a really interesting question. I've never really seen much of a standard opening strategy develop in 9W on long grass. Chernobyls are effective because you can make hoop 1 and 2 in one stroke to get two shots. I will say with the faster grass, red and yellow were opting for corner 1 a lot, but people were also rolling past wicket 2 quite bit after scoring #1.

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 3

The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 3 of 4 of the Q&A:

Oklahoma and Kansas see their share of wind. Surely that lesson will be a valuable in the future. Returning closer to the MCA's home base, what can you tell us about the Sunflower Wickets Fundraiser in Olathe, Kan.?

This is an event that the MCA has worked with since it's inception in 2010. We provide the equipment and referee the games. I think it is good fundraiser for the historic Mahaffie Farmstead there in Olathe, and it's always nice to see our MCA group out there in the red shirts. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to do much for promoting the sport.

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VPC: OKLAHOMA OPEN WRAP UP, PART 2

The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 2 of 4 of the Q&A:

How did the "true croquet courts" affect nine-wicket play?

At this point, I am very encouraged. We had a little practice on Friday and the set up was a bit undersized and only practice wickets were set up. It was incredibly easy to go around and I was in a state of panic most of Friday night. However, we set standard wickets for pro play and I set them very tight―just a sliver of clearance on about 15 of the 18 pro wickets. That seemed to solve it and I am pleased to report ... we had very inter-active play. The wind may have factored in also, but I really thought the experiment was a success.

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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 1

The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 1 of 4 of the Q&A:

The second event in the 2014 Midwest Croquet Association season was all the way down in Tulsa, Oklahoma. That is, what, a four-hour drive from the Kansas City area for the group formerly known as the Missouri Croquet Association. What drew the MCA to Oklahoma?

Yes, four hours is about right. I made it in 3.5 hours on the way back with no stops.

The concept behind around adding Oklahoma is both basic and then wildly ambitious. From a basic standpoint, once we modified the name from the Missouri Croquet Association to the Midwest Croquet Association to accommodate players (like myself) on the other side of the state line.

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Airrington Controls the Gold Race

Taylor Airrington entered the Oklahoma Open with a narrow four point lead in the Gold Race. But with Debbie Breeden opting out of the race it was up to Jodi Adams and Deborah Millican to close the gap. Airrington posts scores of 24-14, 30-11, 16-29 and 24-17 to keep his distance on the duo. In the end, he added another point to his advantage over Adams and kept the same 35-point lead he had over Millican. It's shaping up as a great race as now Bill Berg has slipped into fourth place in the race with only one event under his belt. It could be a wild one on July 12 when the Kansas Challenge rolls em' out for the next leg of the series.

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Lead Expands in the MCA Pro Race

With Greg Clouse and Jason Johnson as scratches, it was up to Ron Millican and Greg Adams to try to make up ground on Dylan Goodwin in the MCA Nine Wicket Pro Points race. Unfortunately, Millican had an off day and was unable to collect any wins, but he did keep his spot in second place. Adams had a better day, going 2-1 in the morning to pick up the fourth seed, but #5 Art Parsells knocked him out in the first round of the afternoon.

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