Solomon Cup Challenge

20 Jun - 26 Jun 1999

U.S. SOLOMON TEAM

- Jerry Stark, captain
- Jacques Fournier
- Mik Mehas
- Rory Kelley
- Jeff Soo
- Charlie Smith
- Erv Peterson, coach

U.S. PRESIDENT'S TEAM

- Wayne Rodoni
- Erv Peterson
- Mike Orgill
- Phil Arnold
- John Leonard
- Ed Merrill


THE BRITISH SOLOMON TEAM
(and the British President's Team)

- Steve Comish
- Mark Avery
- Colin Irwin
- David Openshaw
- Terry Burge
- Phil Cordingly
- Coach: Keith Aiton

Venue:  Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards, Windsor, California

President's Trophy to be played June 20,
American Rules.  The first game is at 8 a.m.   Six 
singles games are played and three doubles.  

The 21 best-of-three Solomon Trophy matches are  played 
June 21 through June 26, all in International Rules.  
There are 12 singles matches and 9 doubles matches.

Practice play, San Francisco -- Bob Alman

THE BRITS HAVE DEFINITELY ARRIVED

Team captain David Openshaw flew into San Francisco 
International Airport Friday night with teammates Steve 
Comish and Mark Avery and shuttled to an overnight at a 
hotel near the Stern Grove lawns. I picked them up early 
for a breakfast at the nearby Tennessee Grill (the 
SFCC's unofficial clubhouse], where  Openshaw, Avery and 
I ordered a conventional  breakfast, but Comish insisted 
on a roast beef sandwich and potato salad.  This was 
before 9:00 AM.  I put it down to jet lag, but Steve's 
teammates said that for him, it was a normal breakfast.  

We proceeded to Stern Grove, where Reuben Edwards had 
already put up one of the courts and club president 
Karen Collingwood was waiting for some action.  The rest 
of the British team (Cordingley, Burge, Irwin) wouldn't 
arrive until mid-afternoon.  We quickly devised a 
SFCC-British test event (one game only) in American 
Rules croquet.  We would have won it, too, if only I 
could play breaks.  

Comish put Karen away, but Reuben (reigning "Rookie of 
the year"  in San Francisco) got a good break and kept 
control of his game to beat Mark Avery 20-17.

If only I had not succumbed to a spasm of compassion for 
five-ball dead Openshaw, I could have given us the 
victory.  I gave him an opportunity in the opening 
rotations to go dead-dead-dead in unpromising (for him) 
situations, and he seized the opportunity.  Managing 
this deadness expertly, I sneaked around the first six 
hoops - slowly, one hoop at a time - and was running the 
game 12 to 2 with an hour elapsed.  

Then came the impasse.   Openshaw would not shoot for 
the second  hoop with either ball.  He would not set up. 
 I declined to attack.  This went on for some time.  
Finally, Openshaw made a desperate shot for the one ball 
of mine upon which he was alive, and missed, giving me 
an opportunity for a three-ball break beginning at 
one-back.  

Foolishly, I took the invitation.   Why?  Because 
Openshaw is a nice man.  He is without doubt the nicest 
of the Brits.  At 52 years of age, he's the "old man" of 
the team (though in good shape), and the most 
experienced team player of the lot.  I had entertained 
the thought, for a few rotations, that it was, perhaps, 
unsporting of me to victimize a nice man like this, a 
distinguished guest, playing an unfamiliar game. 
Foolishly, I decided to play the break.  

Of course I broke down quickly (Reuben had set the hoops 
tight for our guests - I hate that!) and Openshaw 
twenty-sixed me as gameclock ran out.  .  

I will try to remember this lesson.  I could have 
maintained the impasse, I could have waited for him to 
give me a FOUR-ball (which perhaps I could have managed 
better), I could have done a lot of things.  But NO, I 
had to be NICE and live to regret it.  I had to accept 
his invitation to play a three-ball break.  

I should have known this would happen.  When Openshaw 
was here a couple of years ago playing in the USCA 
International Rules Nationals in Oakland, I took my tape 
recorder and arranged for a spare hour to do an 
interview with Openshaw as part of my series of 
"Courtside interviews" with top players.  After the 
tournament, I took the tape out and played it and 
started transcribing it, and I soon realized that it 
wouldn't work.  It had no edge, no texture, no dramatic 
highs and lows.  It was all very informative and polite 
and matter of fact, and even interesting at times, when 
obscure bits of British croquet history came up.  

But overall, it didn't work.  I couldn't get him to say 
anything that wasn't....nice.  He doesn't have anything 
bad to say about anything or anybody.  He's hardly ever 
even mildly critical.  And it's not a put-on, it's 
authentic.  He is genuinely nice.  

So I should have been prepared.   I let down my guard 
and let him win.   Let this be a warning to the American 
team.  Watch out for Openshaw!   Have no pity for him, 
nice as he is!  Get him dead, and KEEP him dead!  That 
is the winning ticket.  (They're also foggy about "last 
deadness" and American wiring lifts.   The Americans 
must take full advantage of this inexperience if they 
hope to win.)        

The President's Cup play kicks off the week of games at 
Sonoma-Cutrer on Sunday, June 20th.  lt's American Rules 
only, single games in doubles and singles. 

Two years ago at Sherwood in southern California, the 
Brits won every game of the President's Cup, despite 
their ignorance of the nuances of American rules 
tactics.  When they got dead, they just peeled 
themselves clean.   This could happen again at 
Sonoma-Cutrer, but it is unlikely. The Brits will most 
probably win the President's  but not by a wipeout.  
(You heard it here first.)

A British win in America in the President's Cup and an 
American win in Britain is becoming a tradition of this 
(mostly) annual test series.   Why?  Because it is 
customary in the host country to give other local 
players a chance to compete, while the visitor's field 
their strong Solomon team in the President's Cup.  The 
visitors get another advantage - of "warming up" in 
competition.  The host country's Solomon team starts out 
"cold" on the first morning of six days of International 
Rules play.

Nevertheless, this could be a breakthough year for 
America in the Solomon Trophy.  The best they've done in 
the past is to win 7 games of the 21.  They have a 
strong team this year, and the British have also sent a 
strong team, but their "big four" are not here - 
Fulford, Clarke, Maugham, and Mulliner.   

Watch for frequent postings here in the next seven 
days.

- Bob Alman     

AMERICANS START WELL
WITH LEAD OF 3-1

Following the Yanks' debacle in Sunday's American Rules 
play of the President's Trophy, the first day of Solomon 
Trophy matches saw the American team take an 
unaccustomed lead, winning three out of four of the 
day's best-of-three singles matches.

Mik Mehas and Steve Comish took 6 hours and 45 to 
complete their three games. . Mik had a lot of trouble 
with hoop 2  as he kept rolling too far on his 
approaches.   In the third and deciding game, Mik missed 
hoop 2 for the 5th and 6th time.   On the 7th attempt 
Mik made hoop 2  and won a round of applause from the 
crowd.  He went on to win the 3rd game and with it, the 
match.

David Openshaw got the Brits on the score board in the 
last two games of the day. His first game with Rory 
Kelly took over 3 hours,  but he took the second game in 
1 hour 22 minutes.

MONDAY SCORES, SINGLES
	
Jacques Fournier beat Mark Avery    +26  , +18 TP
Mik Mehas beat Steve Comish           +17 TP, +5  
Steve Comish beat Mik Mehas              +16 TP
Jerry Stark beat Colin Irwin             +23   , +6 TP
David Openshaw beat Rory Kelley     +15   , +24  

The schedule gave Jeff Soo and Charlie Smith from the US 
team and Terry Burge and Phil  Cordingley from the 
British team a day off on MOnday..

The games scores don't really count in the Solomon 
Trophy final tally, but just for the record:  On the 
first day of play, the Americans won six games, and the 
British won three.

A POSTSCRIPT ON THE PRESIDENT'S CUP

The excellent start of the Solomon is surely reassuring 
to the Americans.  They were not "expected" to win the 
President's Trophy, but their loss of every game was a 
surprise.  Perhaps it shouldn't have been, as it was an 
exact repeat of the American Rules debacle at Southern 
California's Sherwood in 1997, the last time the Solomon 
was played in America.

On the other hand, the Americans won every American 
Rules game at last year's Solomon/President's matches in 
England.  So a tradition is becoming established in 
which the HOST country fields a relatively weaker team 
for the President's Trophy - and is therefore likely to 
lose.

Given this tradition, it is not possible to pretend that 
the President's Trophy games are anything but a 
congenial warm-up for the Solomon Trophy matches.  At 
Sonoma-Cutrer, this was more in evidence on the American 
side than on the British.   To one observer, it appeared 
that the Brits made fewer mistakes with complexities of 
American rules than did the British.  

One example of a mistake that one might expect a Brit to 
make was made, in fact, by Phil Arnold of the American 
team.    He attempted to clear "last deadness" with a 
long hoop shot.  [The only way "last deadness" can be 
cleared is by first roqueting another ball.]

Look for frequent reports on this board throughout the 
Solomon Trophy matches.

- based on reports of John Taylor
  and Reuben Edwards

U.S. RETAINS LEAD WITH ONE DOUBLES WIN

Referee John Taylor reports that there were only four 
spectators on Day Two of the 1999 Solomon Trophy test 
matches at Sonoma-Cutrer.   Lots of croquet fans are 
missing a chance to see some top-level croquet.  (There 
is no fee or admission charge.)

The U.S. lead of 3-1 gained in the first day of singles 
began to slip away in the first two doubles matches, 
which the Brits won to tie the score at 3-3.   Finally, 
in a 7 hour 2-game match,  Jeff Soo & Charlie Smith 
regained the US  lead. The spectators were very glad 
that a third game wasn't required as shadows 
were creeping across the court.  All three contests were 
two-game matches.

The six-day Solomon Trophy matches alternate in three 
days each of singles and doubles.  Four singles matches 
are played on singles days (Monday, Wednesday, Friday), 
and three doubles matches are played on doubles days 
(Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), for a total of 21 matches 
in the entire event.

At the end of the second day, the U.S. still leads in 
the match score, 4-3, as well as in total games won, 
8-7.


DOUBLES RESULTS - TUESDAY, DAY TWO

Irwin & Burge beat Fournier & Stark     +26,  +7

Avery & Openshaw
   beat Mehas & Kelley      +10 TPO, +17 TP

Soo & Smith beat Comish & Cordingley   +14,  +13

(Note to American readers:  "TPO" indicates that the 
winner triple-pelled and pegged an opponent ball out of 
the game to leave the other side without a partner 
ball.)

- based on a report of John Taylor

BRITISH GRAB THE LEAD ON DAY THREE

Halfway through the Solomon Trophy matches, the British 
have taken the lead for the first time, at 6-5.

It looked as if the British would will all four matches 
on Wednesday,  but thanks to Charlie Smith in a long and 
rugged three-game match at the end of the day, the 
British lead by only a single point. 

Eleven matches out of 21 wins the event.  Three days and 
10 matches remain to be played:
Thursday doubles, three matches
Friday singles, four matches
Saturday doubles, three matches


WEDNESDAY RESULTS, SINGLES

David Openshaw beat Jerry Stark   +17 TP, +26

Colin Irwin beat Rory Kelley    +6  , +12

Phil Cordingley beat Jeff Soo    -5, +23 TP, +26 TP

Charlie Smith beat Terry Burge +26 TP , -4, +3 


OVERALL RESULTS AFTER THREE DAYS

                   USA               BRITAIN
Matches             5                    6
Games              11                   14


- based on a report of John Taylor 

THE BRITS WIN ALL THREE MATCHES

Sweeping Thursday's three doubles matches, the British 
have taken a 9 to 5 lead over the Americans in Day Four 
of the 1999 Solomon Trophy test series at Sonama-Cutrer 
Winery in Windsor, California.

The British are now within striking range of the victory 
match.  All they need is eleven match wins from the 
total of 21 to take back to England, once again, the 
Solomon Tropny.    To stay alive, the  American team  
must win at least three of the four singles matches 
scheduled for Friday.  .  

DAY FOUR RESULTS

Irwin & Burge beat 
             Mehas & Kelley        +4  , +13 tpo

Avery & Openshaw beat
              Soo & Smith           +8 , -2 , +17 tp

Comish & Cordingley beat
             Fournier & Stark    +3 tp, -26 tp, +25tp


CUMULATIVE RESULTS THROUGH DAY FOUR

                      USA              GREAT BRITAIN

Matches won            5                      9

Games won             13                     20

- based on a report by John Taylor

THE BRITISH WIN IT IN DAY FIVE

By the middle of Day Five the essential result of the 
six-day 1999 Solomon Trophy test matches was determined. 
The British needed only two of the four singles matches 
to reach the magic number of 11, and they quickly 
achieved this in two two-game matches with a minimum of 
drama, Terry Burge beating Jeff Soo and Phil Cordingley 
defeating Charlie Smith.

The American team has had only one "good day" - the 
first one, when they took three out of four singles 
matches and ignited hopes of the first American win of 
the Solomon series.  After the first day, however, the 
Americans ran out of steam and the Brits kept getting 
stronger.  

Nevertheless, there is a possibility that the American 
team can equal or exceed their best record so far in the 
final day of the matches.  By winning two of three 
doubles matches on Saturday, they can equal the highest 
mark the Americans have achieved in the Solomon - 7 out 
of 21 wins.

DAY FIVE (Friday) RESULTS, SINGLES

Terry Burge beat Jeff Soo   +25  , +4 tp

Phil Cordingley beat Charlie Smith   +24  , +15

Steve Comish beat Jacques Fournier   +5 tp , +17 tp

Mark Avery beat Mik Mehas   -26 tp,+4 tp,+17 tp


OVERALL RESULTS AFTER FIVE DAYS

                     USA           GREAT BRITAIN

Matches Won            5                      13

Games Won             14                      28


- based on reports of John Taylor

The final score was 16 to 6 matches in favor of Great 
Britain.   The Americans posted half their match 
victories on the first day.  After that good start the 
American team failed to win any matches at all on 
Thursday and Friday and scored a single match victory in 
doubles on the last day of the test.

The statistics do not reveal any particular standout 
performances for the Americans.    One win each in 
singles went to Charlie Smith, Jerry Stark, Mik Mehas, 
and Jacques Fournier, while the two doubles wins were 
posted by the Soo/Smith and Mehas/Kelley teams.

However, the day after the Solomon, the new world 
rankings revealed that 17-year-old Jacques Fournier of 
Arizona has now risen to fourth place - the highest 
ranking an American has ever achieved.    

It was neither the best nor the worst performance for 
the Americans in the history of the series.  In 1991, 
1994, and 1998 the Yanks scored 7 match wins.   The 
American low point occurred two years ago at Sherwood in 
Southern California, when John Taves posted the only 
American match victory (against Robert Fulford) in 
either International Rules or American Rules (including 
the President's). 

It was the eleventh time the Solomon Trophy matches have 
been played since they were begun in 1988

OVERALL MATCH AND GAME SCORES

               USA                GREAT BRITAIN
Matches won      6                         16
Games won       16                         33  


MONDAY RESULTS - SINGLES

Jacques Fournier beat Mark Avery +26  , +18 tp
Mik Mehas beat Steve Comish -16tp,+17 tp, +5
Jerry Stark beat Colin Irwin +23  , +6 tp
David Openshaw beat Rory Kelley  +15  , +24 

TUESDAY RESULTS - DOUBLES
Irwin & Burge beat Fournier & Stark  +26  , +7
Avery & Openshaw
      beat Mehas & Kelley  +10 tpo, +17 tp
Soo & Smith beat Comish & Cordingley +14  , +13 

WEDNESDAY RESULTS - SINGLES
David Openshaw beat Jerry Stark +17 tp, +26 
Colin Irwin beat Rory Kelley   +6  , +12
Phil Cordingley beat Jeff Soo  -5,+23 tp,+26 tp
Charlie Smith beat Terry Burge   +26 tp ,-4, +3

THURSDAY RESULTS - DOUBLES
Irwin & Burge beat Mehas & Kelley  +4  , +13 tpo 
Avery & Openshaw beat Soo & Smith +8 ,-2, +17 tp
Comish & Cordingley
       beat Fournier & Stark +3 tp , -26 tp, +25 tp  

FRIDAY RESULTS - SINGLES
Terry Burge beat Jeff Soo  +25, +4 tp 
Phil Cordingley beat Charlie Smith  +24  , +15 
Steve Comish beat Jacques Fournier  +5 tp , +17 tp 
Mark Avery beat Mik Mehas 	 -26tp,+4 tp,+17 tp

SATURDAY RESULTS - DOUBLES
Irwin & Burge beat Soo & Smith  +24  , +11 tp
Mehas & Kelley
      beat Comish & Cordingley   -12,+19 , +16
Avery & Openshaw
      beat Fournier & Stark  +26 tp , +6

- based on reports of John Taylor

CORRECTION OF ERRORS IN MY REPORTING
OF THE FINAL RESULTS OF THE 1999 SOLOMON

Richard Hilditch and Chris Clarke have kindly pointed 
out errors in my final report, which was based on the 
daily postings of John Taylor - to which I added 
incorrect historical statistics!  

Richard was correct when he e-mailed: "Thanks for your 
postings on the Solomon trophy.  A promising start by 
the USA could not be built on.  You have put the final 
score down as 16-6 on your events posting board. It 
should be 15-6."

Chris Clarke wrote,  "The score at Sherwood was not 
20-1, but (from memory] 15-6.  The 20-1 was in the 1996 
Macrobertson Shield where Taves beat Maugham, not 
Fulford - he beat Fulford at Sherwood."

I was at Sherwood in 1997 for the Solomon Trophy matches 
and wrote a long article about it, which I had to 
consult to check out Chris Clarke's comments, which are 
substantially correct.  The final score was actually 
16-4 in favor of the Brits, with one doubles match left 
uncompleted at 2-2.

With the help of Richard Hilditch, Phil Cordingley, and 
others who have promised to send reports, I'll try to do 
better on the British Open, beginning July 5th.

- Bob Alman, Editor
  www.CroquetWorld.com
  www.CroquetAmerica.com