19th WCF AC World Championship
Player Briefing Notes by Jeff Soo
OVERVIEW: VENUE, OFFICIALS, & GENERAL SCHEDULE
The main venue for the tournament is the National Croquet Center (NCC), with twelve courts. The Beach Club (BC), with two courts, will also be used during the Block Stage and the first two days of the Knock Out Stage. At BC, players should use the small parking lot on Fairview Road (26°44'26.1"N 80°02'12.5"W).
See https://uscroquet.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?pageid=22&clubid=962311&module_id=736796 for travel and other general information.
OFFICIALS
FRIDAY 17 OCTOBER: OPENING DAY SCHEDULE
Player check-in will be available at NCC from 9:00 onward on Friday 17 October. Practice courts will be available at both venues.
Players are welcome to attend the gathering celebrating the life of Damon Bidencope, 3:00 PM in the banquet room (upstairs) at NCC.
All players are encouraged to attend the Players’ Meeting at 4:15 PM and the Opening Ceremony at 5:00 PM, and are requested to wear formal team uniforms if possible. A reception will follow (hors d’oeuvres and two drinks included at no charge to players and officials; guest tickets may be purchased at player check-in).
GENERAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: SATURDAY 18 TO SUNDAY 26 OCTOBER
The Block Stage will be played from Saturday 18 to Monday 20.
Any needed playoffs will be played on Tuesday 21. The Knock Out Stage Draw will be conducted in a public ceremony that evening starting at 5:30 PM in the NCC Clubhouse, followed by a reception for players, officials, and guests (guest tickets must be purchased in advance).
The Knock Out Stage will be played from Wednesday 22 to Sunday 26.
The Plate will begin the afternoon of Tuesday 21.
MANAGEMENT NOTES
The tournament will be conducted in accordance with the Laws of Association Croquet, Seventh Edition (“the Laws”), the WCF Sports Regulations, Version 9.5 (“SR”), and the WCF Refereeing Regulations, Version 1.6 (“RR”). All games will be 26-point Advanced Play.
DAILY SCHEDULE; LATENESS POLICY
The first round each day is scheduled for 8:45 and the warm-up period for that round will begin around 8:30. (These times are subject to change based on conditions and possible extra time required to prepare lawns.)
Per SR 7.1.3, players are to check in with the TM or designated AM each day, on arrival and again before departing the venue. A player who is not present when called upon to play is liable to be penalised under the lateness policy in SR 6.7.
INTERFERENCE BY FEATURES OF THE COURT AND ITS SURROUNDINGS (LAW 37)
In general there are no immovable obstacles or changes of level outside the court boundaries, or unavoidable special damage (e.g. irrigation heads) within the boundaries, that are likely to interfere with the playing of a stroke.
TIME LIMITS; DOUBLE-BANKING
Time limits will not be used, except to deal with an emergency as allowed under SR 7.2.2, or as the TM deems appropriate in consolation events, as allowed by SR Appendix 8 §1.4.
Double-banking will be used extensively during the Block Stage, for the first round of the main Knock Out Stage, and as needed during consolation events.
ADJOURNING MATCHES; LIGHTED COURTS
Three courts at NCC are equipped with floodlights, however artificial lighting will not be used except in an emergency and only with the agreement of both players.
A match may be pegged down or otherwise adjourned only at the discretion of the TM.
BREAKS
Meal and refreshment breaks during a match of the best of 3 or 5 games are allowed only as specified in SR 7.3.3:
* No earlier than 11:30 and no later than the end of the turn in progress at 2:00 PM.
* At the end of a game finishing after noon either player may specify that the break be taken then.
* Before the start of a turn after 12:30 PM the player about to play may specify that the break be taken then.
* Otherwise, the break may be taken only with the agreement of the TM.
** At the start of any turn after 3:30 PM, but before 4:30 PM, if requested by either player.
Meal breaks are not ordinarily allowed during single-game matches, but the TM or designated AM will consider exceptions as seems reasonable.
BAD WEATHER
The TM will suspend all play if lightning is known to be in the area. Until the TM has indicated that it is safe to resume play, all players, officials, and spectators must take appropriate shelter (on the veranda or in the clubhouse at NCC; in the tennis shop or clubhouse at BC, or inside a car with windows up).
Absent lightning, play will ordinarily continue in light or moderate rain, except where the TM has declared a court unplayable. Players may pause their games in heavier rain.
WARM-UP & PRACTICE
Players who arrive on time are entitled to a ten-minute warm-up before their first match of the day. When both players in a match are playing their first match of the day, they will warm up on the court on which they are about to play, using the balls assigned to that court. When only one of the players is playing his or her first match of the day, that player will, if feasible, warm up on a different court to the one they are about to play.
No warm-up will be allowed for subsequent matches.
Players must not disturb the setting of the hoops during warm-up. Hoop-running strokes during warm-up must be played no more forcefully than would send the ball seven yards beyond the hoop if the ball does not touch it, and hoops and the peg must not be used for target practice. Players who violate this Regulation may be subject to restrictions on warm-up privileges, at the discretion of the TM.
Practice on the courts is not otherwise permitted except by permission of the TM.
MOBILE PHONES
Players who keep phones on them or at court-side must ensure that the phones are in silent mode or powered down. Any use of phones or other electronic devices must be in accord with the Laws, especially Laws 57.2 and 57.9, and must not delay play.
At BC, phones must be kept silent. In general voice calls are not allowed, but discreet voice calls are allowed from the parking lot adjoining the croquet courts.
At NCC, voice calls are allowed in the clubhouse, but are not allowed on or near courts, and must not disturb the players.
ADJUSTING OR RESETTING HOOPS
Players must not attempt to firm or otherwise adjust hoop settings, but should instead call a referee to make the adjustment.
REPORTING SCORES
At the conclusion of a match both players are immediately to report to the TM desk to record the result and sign (or initial) the official record of the match. Players are also asked to periodically check Croquet Scores to confirm that results have been entered correctly, and to notify the TM and/or the Results Manager of any errors. A transcription error will of course be corrected immediately. However, a claim of an error in the official record as certified after the match will only be upheld if both players agree as to the correct result.
APPEALS
Per SR 4.5, a player who may have been adversely affected by a breach of the Regulations may bring a complaint to the Appeals Committee, but only after first attempting to resolve the matter with the TM or other relevant party.
A decision by a Referee may be appealed only to the TR (or the TR’s designated deputy), and only (see RR R6.1) in respect of:
THE COMPETITION
The tournament consists of a Championship and assorted consolation events. The Championship begins with a Block Stage of 72 players and finishes with a Knock Out Stage of 32.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP BLOCK STAGE
The Block Stage draw begins by placing the players into 8 blocks of 9 players, in the standard “striping” or “serpentine” pattern, ordered by World Ranking DGrade. The draw is then adjusted, by exchanging similarly-ranked players between blocks, to balance the distribution of players by country. These exchanges will be combined with others as needed to preserve the average DGrade (of positions 2 through 8) of each block. A final set of adjustments—exchanges within blocks—ensures that players from the same country do not play against each other in the final block round. The draw will be published by 10:00 AM on Friday 17.
A block match is one game. Each block is scheduled to play three rounds per day (Saturday through Monday), with a bye in each round, so that each player will play three games on two of those days and two games on the other.
When all matches are finished, the players in each block are placed in descending order of matches won. Four players from each block qualify to the Knock Out Stage. Ties affecting which players qualify will be resolved by staging playoffs, per the “Resolution Group” guidelines in SR Appendix 6. These playoffs will be played on Tuesday.
THE CHAMPIONSHIP KNOCK OUT STAGE
The draw for the Knock Out Stage will be conducted in a public ceremony at 5:30 PM on Tuesday in the NCC Clubhouse. This will be followed by a reception (as with the opening reception, players and officials are welcome at no charge; guest tickets must be purchased in advance).
Matches in all rounds will be played to the best of 5 games. The first round, played on Wednesday, will be double-banked.
CONSOLATION EVENTS
Players who are eligible for a consolation event are not required to play. However, excepting the Zed Swiss, a player who begins an event is expected to finish, most particularly in the case of the Plate block stage.
THE PLATE
The Plate is open to players who did not qualify to the main Knock Out Stage. There will be a block stage followed by a knockout. The block stage will begin Tuesday afternoon.
THE BOWL
The Bowl is open to players who lose in the first round of the main Knock Out Stage, and will be played as a best-of-3 knockout. The first round will be played on Thursday.
THE SHIELD
The Shield is open to players who lose in the second round of the main Knock Out Stage, and will be played as a best-of-3 knockout. The first round will be played on Friday.
OTHER EVENTS
Additional consolation events may be offered as interest and court space allow.
04 Oct 2025 10:31AM (Tournament); 1 Readers
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