2014 MCA President's Awards

LEE'S SUMMIT, MO -- The MCA announced five winners for the 2014 MCA President's Awards at the beginning of the 2015 AGM Meeting on February 7, 2015:

OFF-THE-COURT: JODI ADAMS
Adams earned the Off-the-Court Award for her management of all MCA revenue and expenses during a record year for MCA revenue. The award also recognizes the work she did in 2013 to transition the MCA to a new bank account to accommodate a name change. Honorable Mention: Greg Adams for his work with Mahaffie Farmstead and Sunflower Wickets. Honorable Mention: Matt Griffith for planning and hosting the USCA Nine Wicket National Championship at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: BILL BERG
Honorable Mention: Jason Johnson

JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TAYLOR AIRRINGTON

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: NATE BENZ
Honorable Mention: Taylor Airrington

GROUNDSKEEPER OF THE YEAR: BILL BERG Berg was awarded Groundskeeper of the year for his work in preparing the courts for the 2014 Kansas Challenge and for the opening of his nine wicket lawn at the Cleveland Croquet Club.

Also see: 2013 MCA President's Awards

2015 MCA Championship Date: September 19

LEAWOOD, KS -- The Midwest Croquet Association has confirmed that the third edition of the MCA Championship will be held on September 19, 2015. The MCA is still finalizing details for a venue and expect to make an announcement in February.

MCA President Dylan Goodwin also indicated that the event may also include play on Friday afternoon and evening to accommodate the six ball championship that runs alongside the event.

"With the accelerating growth in entries overall, the six-ball event really became an afterthought at the 2014 Championship," said Goodwin. "It's a fun segment and I think we want to build on it. We are going to look at some time on Friday first and then possibly Sunday."

2015 MCA AGM Set for Feb 7

LEE'S SUMMIT, MO -- The 2015 Midwest Croquet Association AGM will be held Saturday, February 7, 2015 in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Deborah and Ron Millican are hosting the event which will start at 11:00 a.m. The meeting is open to all members of the MCA. Lunch will be served during the meeting. Please RSVP to kccroquetclub@gmail.com if you plan to attend.

Jackson Wins USCA First Flight Doubles Title

RANCHO MIRAGE, CA -- MCA members Matt Griffith and Steve Jackson travelled west this week for the 2014 USCA Golf Croquet Nationals in Rancho Mirage, California. Jackson partnered with California local Pat Dugan and they scored national title in first flight doubles with a 7-5, 7-4 win over Gary Neal and Richard Kennedy in the final (playoff bracket).

Jackson also made some noise in the first flight singles bracket as he gave favorite Michael Rumbin a real fight in a match that went three games but ultimately fell 5-7, 7-5, 6-7.

Griffith played at the champioship level in preparation for the upcoming WCF GC World Championships to be held in February in New Zealand. The event featured the toughest GC field it has seen in many years and had 36 total entrants. He was 3-6 in block play with notable wins over Leo McBride and Stephen Morgan. He was 1-2 in the plate event.

Active Postseason for MCA Players

After a solid second year of MCA Nine Wicket Series play, MCA players and members made a lot of noise in USCA and club events in the postseason. Here's an update:

Matt Griffith and Paul Miller had a repeat of the Kansas City Open final on a much bigger stage as they fought through a tough field at the USCA Nine Wicket National Championship in Kansas City to battle in the title game. This time Paul Miller prevailed 24-15 to claim his first national championship. Miller also made a run at the doubles title as well with his partner Doug Moore from New York, but they came up short against defending doubles champions George Cochran and John Warlick in the final.

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Members Ready for USCA 9W Nationals

KANSAS CITY, MO -- This Friday the USCA returns to Kansas City with the Nine Wicket National Championship to be held at Liberty Memorial (press release). The event runs through Sunday and the MCA will have the following members targeting a national title:

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Benzanity

PARKVILLE, MO -- Nate Benz survived a field of nine to claim the Kansas City Open Silver Division title with a 10-8 win over Steve Jackson. The win was the third straight Silver title for Benz and should help extend his lead in the Silver Points race.

Benz and Jackson played a tight game for the full 50-minutes in front of a nice gallery on the Kactus Creek Croquet Club veranda which sits right up next to the court. Most of the Silver Division players stayed to watch the final and several of the Pro-Gold players came by to enjoy the action as well.

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MCA President Interview on USCA 9W Site

The USCA 9-Wicket Croquet website has posted part one of a two-part interview with MCA President Dylan Goodwin. You can read part one here:

http://www.9wicketcroquet.com/features/143/kansas-and-croquet-midwest-croquet-association-nine-wicket-ranking-system-part-1 

2014 MCA Membership Form Now Available

LEAWOOD, KS -- For MCA members that have not signed up for 2014, a PDF form is now available. You have the option of mailing the form to the address included or emailing it to kccroquetclub@gmail.com. Remember that MCA membership entitles you to discounted MCA tournament fees as well as free entry into the MCA Championship for qualified players. 

2014 MCA MEMBERSHIP FORM PDF

The form also includes the option to pre-pay for MCA tournaments. This is strictly for your convenience and it is perfectly acceptable to sign up for and pay for events as you go.

Sunflower Wickets Set for June 6

Teams are forming now for the Fifth annual Mahaffie Sunflower Wickets croquet tournament. This unique event is being hosted by the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Foundation in support of the preservation, programming and promotion of the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Historic Site located at 1200 Kansas City Rd. in Olathe.

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