Paddy: I’m lucky in that Croquet NZ funds our trip – flights, accomm, transport, food, etc.
How are each of you preparing for the event? Is training and practice altered or is it business as usual?
Robert: Not really any difference just extra practice sessions, and practicing ball movements I don’t do normally that I will expect to play more often over in the UK.
Paddy: Kind of the same to Robert – practicing more often than I normally would, but don’t want to peak too early. Croquet players, like all sportspeople, have form fluctuations. I think it’s important to not over-practice, and not get hung up on things during a practice session. Fitness may not play as big a part in the English climate (Rich River’s 40 deg certainly did take its toll over 15 days), but I think that fitness will still play some part.
Ben: I’ve been playing more sextuples in preparation. I plan on improving my game before I have to play these guys. The British Opens should be a great preparatory test.
Ben, tell us more about the British Opens ... I have the hardest time understanding the U.K. fixtures calendar and I’ve heard this event mentioned before. Do the Opens precede the MacRob event and I take it you are participating?
Ben: The Opens are the most competitive tournament of the year. "The Mitsubishi British Open Championship, which is a Grade 1 Event and the premier Association Croquet Championship in Britain, takes place from 4 - 11 July at the Cheltenham Croquet Club. Play starts at 10am each day and continues until dusk. The singles will initially be played as a Swiss with a knock out to follow. Full details are in the Fixtures Book and Fixtures Calendar." I will be playing along with most of the English team and many of the Aussie players as well (including Robert and his brothers). The draws can be found on the main page of the CA. Looks like we have 48 singles players and 22 doubles teams. Eight of the top 10 ranked players in the world will be playing (no Clarke or Chapman). Should be fun. See you there Robert!
Okay, so that’s a quite a gap between the Opens and MacRob ... will you stay in the U.K. between events or pop back across to the U.S.?
Ben: I will be running around the UK. My plans are not solid yet (they never are). But I hope to play in the Irish Championships, possibly the East Midlands in Nottingham and I hope to see a bit of the country. Maybe a week in London and a week in Scotland (I hear they have some distilleries up there). Who knows, I could end up in Jersey or Belgium.
So, what are each of you most looking forward to at this year’s MacRobertson event?
Paddy: What I’m most looking forward to at this year’s MacRob is (aside from winning ... ) catching up with all my NZ teammates again. It’s more difficult to do these days, living outside of NZ.
Ben: What I’m looking forward to the most is the high level competition and the team camaraderie. I love team events because there’s a whole team invested. The group works together to keep each other focused and motivated. For a game that is very individualized, I enjoy the change of pace. It also helps when every win is a shared victory (and a big
2010 MACROBERTSON SHIELD SCHEDULE
The 2010 MacRobertson Shield is being played as the top tier of a wider World Team Championship, under the auspices of the World Croquet Federation and hosted by the Croquet Association.
Tier 1 – MacRobertson Shield Live commentary:
http://macrobertsonshield2010.org/commentary
Format: Played as a four-team round-robin of five-day test matches. Each five-day test consists of 21 matches - 12 singles and 9 doubles – and each match is the best of 3 games. Dates and venues are:
Thursday 5th August 2010 Opening Ceremony at Heaton Park Orangery
Friday 6th - Tuesday 10th August 2010 •
Great Britain v USA at Bowdon Croquet Club, St Mary’s Road, Bowdon, Cheshire • WA14 2PL Australia v New Zealand at Bury Croquet Club, Heaton Park, Manchester
Thursday 12th - Monday 16th August 2010 •
Great Britain v New Zealand at Nottingham Croquet Club, University Boulevard, • Nottingham, NG7 2PS Australia v USA at Roehampton Club, Roehampton Lane, SW15 5LR
Wednesday 18th - Sunday 22nd August 2010 •
Great Britain v Australia at Surbiton Croquet Club, Alexandra Drive, Surbiton KT5 • 9AA USA v New Zealand at Surbiton Croquet Club, Alexandra Drive, Surbiton KT5 9AA
Sunday 22nd August 2010 Closing Ceremony at the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
Tier 2
This section of the competition has two divisions. Each division will be comprised of four teams of four players, determined by the strength of the nominated players. It will be played from Monday 16th August to Saturday 21st August. Division 1 will be played at the Hurlingham Club, Ranelagh Gardens, London SW6 3PR and Division 2 will be played at Compton CC, The Saffrons, Compton Place Road, Eastbourne BN21 1EA.
Tier 3
Tier 3 will be comprised of one division. Each team will be comprised of four players. It will be played at the Sussex County Croquet Club, Victoria Road, Southwick BN42 4DJ from Wednesday 18th August to Saturday
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