The 2024 World Croquet Championships began last week at the Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club in Hartfield.
The championship continues through Saturday, Oct. 26. The event is offered every two years and was last hosted at the Sussex County Croquet Club in Brighton, U.K. The event is sanctioned by the United States Croquet Association and the World Croquet Federation. Defending his title will be American Matthew Essick.
The Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club has recently expanded and is currently the largest croquet facility in the world, said CBCC Pro Macey White. “This is the premier event in world croquet,” he said. “Modern croquet is not the old backyard game. Croquet is an international sport that takes skill and intelligence to play well. Croquet is growing in popularity, and the very best players in the world will be on hand for this championship tournament. It is an honor for the United States and for the State of Virginia to be selected as the host of this prestigious event.”
White was notified that CBCC was selected to host the event by USCA President Damon Bidencope late last year.
Eighty players from 23 countries will compete. The WCF issued competition slots to each country for 74 of the 80 slots earlier this year. CBCC has just completed a qualifier tournament with players from across the globe competing to select the last six competitors. The final 80 entrants will play in a series of “round-robin” and “knockout” rounds leading to the championship. The event will conclude with the World Championship final on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The last time the WCF GC World Championship was conducted, in 2022, Essick defeated England’s croquet legend, Robert Fulford. In 2019, the championship was won by Ben Rothman from California. Rothman was the first American to win a world croquet title. Previously the title was dominated by the Egyptians and South Africans.
USCA President Damon Bidencope is serving as chairman of this year’s event. USCA First Vice President Michael Albert is the tournament director. North Carolina’s Jeff Soo, 21-time national champion, and second-ranked American player, is serving as tournament manager.
