Golf Croquet World Championships - Final

This year’s championship saw 62 elite croquet players from 22 countries competing for the title. This event was originally scheduled for February 2021 in New Zealand but like many other sporting events was deferred and the venue changed to plan ahead of the pandemic restrictions. After a closely fought penultimate round, England’s Robert Fulford faced Matthew Essick from the USA; the latter was competing in his first ever Golf Croquet World championships. With two very different styles, the initial games were tensely fought, with one game apiece after two games. In the third, Matthew’s aggressive but risky tactics paid off, enabling him to exert his dominance to take the 3rd and 4th games. He finished the match in spectacular style with a cheeky jump shot going over the two balls in play perfectly executed, then showing the crowd just what it meant for him to take the championship. Final Score: 3 games to 1