T H E   N E W S

1997 WCF World Championship, Bunbury
•	The Final Day: Robert Fulford takes back the world championship
•	Day Seven: How Fulford Beat Maugham in the Semi-Finals
•	Day Seven: Fulford and Mulliner emerge as the finalists
•	Day Six: Three Brits and one New Zealander remain
•	Day Five: Round of Sixteen fatal for Yanks and Ozzies
•	Day Four: Jacques Fournier and Mehas only Yanks in final 16
•	Day Three: Winds Diminish, Field Narrows in First Day of Knock-out Ladder
•	Day Two: The bottom seeds are thrown into the plate
•	Day One: The women are victorious, and Stark defeats Jackson
•	Blocks set for Sunday start of play

The Bunbury Journal of Peter Payne
•	Planning a World Team Championship for 1998
•	The heat is on, the wind has died
•	Three birthdays and sight-seeing on the cape
•	Wind, wine, and wildflowers
•	Why is it always windy at the World Championship?
•	What is a "Vice-Regal"?
•	Bunbury takes on the world

Grand Prix Update: While Ruby wins Nationals, Osborn cinches Grand Prix victory
•	Complete USCA Nationals results in all flights and 1977 Grand Prix scores to date.

1997 Japan Open
•	Nozaki wins it again
•	Top Seeds Advance in Japan Open Preliminaries

USCA National Championships (American Rules), 1997

•	Texan Britt Ruby wins singles title, Osborn/Mehas take doubles crown
•	Seven of 54 singles players undefeated in block play as 24 qualify for playoffs
•	Four teams reach doubles semi-finals: Osborn/Mehas, Mahoney/Cherry, Wolman/Johnston, and Grimsley/Grimsley

1997 World Golf Croquet Championship, Cairo

•	Players vote for universal adoption of Egyptian Golf Croquet rules in prelude to a spectacular finals display
•	All non-Egyptian players knocked out in quarter-finals
•	American team excels in first two rounds of play

Introducing Online.... USCA International Rules Handicap Listings
•	The system is not "automatic" like the American Rules Handicaps and effectively constitutes a ranking of the top American players.

1997 International Rules National Championship

•	Mehas edges out Stark in long finals match
•	Arnold and Fournier lead blocks undefeated after two days
•	A strong top flight in Oakland restores the tournament to its former eminence

WORLD CROQUET FEDERATION'S 1997 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
•	Most Player Selections Finalized as Bunbury Prepares for World Croquet Federation's 1997 World Championship

THE BRITISH OPEN, 1997
•	Highlights of the Open Championships, by Andrew Gregory
•	The winners: Chris Clarke in singles, Mulliner and Bamford in doubles
•	Fulford, Clarke, Mulliner, Bamford in Quarter-Finals
•	Brits vie for ranking supremacy in July 6th singles start

New format for Cro-Can, New venues for Western Regionals
•	But Grand Prix standings are little changed at half-way point

New Zealand's Westerby Rises to #1 in World Rankings
•	While critics of the system grumble, a Yank ascends to #13

Cambridge wins it all in annual Oxford / Cambridge face-off Oxford hosts the classic but loses both team and individual events

Stark Scales the Heights in "Resort at the Mountain" Opener
•	Yank beats Aussie and Kiwi champs, bags top money

	Cairo set to Host Golf Croquet Championship in October Egyptians are a good bet to repeat their 1996 sweep on home turf

	June Elections to Confirm Bill Berne as New W.C.F. President New Management Committee also to be elected by postal voting

1997 Sonoma-Cutrer World Singles Championship
•	Chris Clarke Wins Finals with Crowd-Pleasing Two-Ball Display
•	Days Four and Five: Debbie Cornelius Wins Medalist Round, Bound for Finals
•	Day Three: Mulliner Leads the Brits to the Medalist Round
•	Day Two: Block Leaders Begin to Emerge
•	England's Steve Comish Warms Up by Winning the 14-Pointer
•	Croquet's Most Lavish Spectacle Set for May 25 Start

Ireland vs. America in the Carter Challenge, April 15-19
•	Carter Cup Final - Irish beat the Americans 15-12
•	Irish Handle Yanks and Midday Sun, Cut U.S. Lead to 8-6
•	Americans Leading Irish 7-2 After Sweep of First Doubles Round
•	Americans Surprise with 6-4 Lead in Singles on First Day

The Solomon Trophy Matches of 1997
•	The 1997 Solomon Trophy Picture Story
•	Brits Win Solomon 16-4, then take Presidents' Cup 9-Zip
•	"Unbeatable" Britons Roll up 10-1 Lead in First Three Days
•	Brits take the Lead on Day One
•	Yanks set to face British juggernaut in Thousand Oaks, California
•	USCA Solomon/Carter Teams Selected, But Not Finalized
•	USCA Team Selections Hit Some Snags with Bad-Boy Mehas

The 16-Day Australian National Championships, 1997
•	Watts Takes Silver Medal for South Australia as Nationals End in Sydney
•	South Australia Retains Interstate Cup, Western Australia Takes Second
•	South Australia and Western Australia lead in first two days of Interstates
•	Pickering Wins Open Singles, Read Takes the Men's, Carr the Women's
•	Clark/Sands Partnership Wins Australian Doubles Championship
•	Bob Jackson Takes Top Money in Cammeray Curtain-Raiser

Jackson Reclaims Title in 1997 New Zealand Open Championship
•	Innovative three-hour game time limit is talk of the tourney