The chairs of this event were wise. Whining about games means more wine is needed on the sidelines. Ample beer and wine chilled in an old blue & white boat. Wicket play inevitably brings out the crab in some. After the Saturday games, two legged crabs and everyone else feasted on prodigious amounts of hefty, bigger than normal, stone crabs.

Forty-two games were played over two days. Most of the 29 players played six each, and when it was over, one old time croquet player went undefeated and three more were tied with 5 wins a piece. With the help of her partners, Ginny Amsler went 6 and 0. Warren Miller and Charlie Chapin each won 5 games and lost 1. Paul Miller also played 5 but drew a win for his sixth game giving him a 5 and 1 record.

Traditionally at the end of the tournament, an award is given named for the backend of a horse. It is won by a player exhibiting unseemly behavior on or near the court. To date, no woman has ever won this dubious honor.

This year one came close. The lovely Warren Miller, quiet off the lawn, becomes a determined competitor when dressed in white. She whacked her ball, set it rolling at a swift and sure pace … right into the injured foot of her husband of 56 years. He apparently was in the way. Paul was called Dead Foot Miller for the rest of the event.

But no one could call Warren an HA, and so it was decided a new award would be given. Warren Miller won the Straight Shooter Award for 2008.

Because of his generous spirit, Bruce Folkerth won the White Knight Award. We joke about whining and sniveling when we play golf croquet. We banter back and forth during our games. We bellow and do sound like crabs sometimes, but one of us is a bit different when he teases. Bruce Folkerth is the kind of gentleman who when he smiles, his partner and opponents grin back.

Karen and Mike Albert with Jay and Ginny Taylor ran the Tournament.  They worked with Island Events Planner Jennifer Campbell and the Collier’s Victor Albarran to produce a Sunday courtside breakfast and hamburger & hotdog picnic lunch. Tailgaters served crab cakes, spinach puffs, and other delicious treats. Jay’s son Jermey Taylor schlepped the stone crabs down by boat from Tampa Bay.

A toast to all – players, winners, and the rest who helped make the 2008 Fall Golf Croquet Challenge one of the best croquet club tournaments ever held on Useppa.