2016 KC Open Pro/Gold Early Results
/PRO DIVISION: Paul Miller 32, Billy Bob Breeden 18
GOLD DIVISION: Josh Reed 23, Jodi Adams 21
2015 Missouri Open - Pro Schedule
/2015 Missouri Open Draws Top Talent
/BELTON, MO -- As the MCA Nine Wicket Series prepares to take a historic step by partnering with a golf course for an event, it appears as though top players are paying attention. The 2015 Missouri Open at Eagles' Landing Golf Course in Belton, MO., on Saturday, June 6, 2015 now boasts the best Pro field that the Series has fielded. For starters, 2014 USCA Nine Wicket National champion Paul Miller is on the roster as well as runner-up Matt Griffith.
In addition, former two-time USCA Nine Wicket National champion Matt Smith (2009, 2011) has also joined the fray. Smith took some time off from nine wicket croquet and is now ranked #29 on the US list for Association players. And also from the Association world, Billy Bob Breeden will be on hand for the Missouri Open and he is currently #47 in the US Association rankings.
And of course, MCA 9WS mainstays Dylan Goodwin and Greg Clouse will also be looking to breakthrough the talented field as they join Miller and Griffith as the only other players to have won a Pro Series event.
"It's been a long term to goal to partner with a golf course here in the Kansas City area," said Dylan Goodwin, MCA President. "So, it's been great to see the top players here support the event."
With Monday as the entry deadline, 21 players have already committed and there are only two slots left for Pro/Gold. The tentative plan is to start Pro/Gold at 8:30 a.m. with the championship game slated for roughly 4:00 p.m. The Bronze and Silver Divisions will start at noon and should finish by 6:00 p.m.
Active Postseason for MCA Players
/After a solid second year of MCA Nine Wicket Series play, MCA players and members made a lot of noise in USCA and club events in the postseason. Here's an update:
Matt Griffith and Paul Miller had a repeat of the Kansas City Open final on a much bigger stage as they fought through a tough field at the USCA Nine Wicket National Championship in Kansas City to battle in the title game. This time Paul Miller prevailed 24-15 to claim his first national championship. Miller also made a run at the doubles title as well with his partner Doug Moore from New York, but they came up short against defending doubles champions George Cochran and John Warlick in the final.
MCA Crowns 2014 Champions
/BELTON, MO -- The second annual MCA Championship was held yesterday in Belton, Missouri with Matt Griffith taking the MCA Pro Championship with a 26-19 win over Jason Johnson. It was Griffith's second straight tourney win and he is now riding an eight-game winning streak and is undefeated in MCA play.
The overall Pro Race standings remained unchanged as Dylan Goodwin finished with 442 points on a 17-5 record to claim the Goodwin World Media MCA Pro Points race and the top prize of $100. Greg Adams took second with 320 points and a 10-8 record to claim second place and a $50 payout. Ron Millican held third place with 278 points on a 5-11 record and a $30 payout.
Griffith Defends the Home Turf
/Kansas City Open: Pro-Gold Sunday Schedule
/PARKVILLE, MO -- With the limited courts and the worst number for a division (seven), we had to once again mix the Pro and Gold Division block play. The good news we've obliterated the MCA 9WS entry record with 21 players!
We'll work with four blocks of three with games starting at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. The top two from each block will advance to the eight player Pro Division playoff. The third place player in each block will play in a four-player Gold Playoff. Full schedule is listed below.
2013 MCA Championship: Miller Sweeps the Pro Division
/2013 MCA Championship: Early Report
/BELTON, MO -- A full report will be available later this weekend. Today's winners:
MCA Pro Points Race - Paul Miller
MCA Championship - Paul Miller
MCA Gold Points Race - Jason Johnson
MCA Gold Championship - Jodi Adams
MCA Six-Ball Championship - Dylan Goodwin
2013 MCA Championship: Pro Division Bracket
/The match-ups and times are set for the Pro Division Championship Playoff to be held Saturdary, September 14 at Markey Park in in Belton, MO. The play-off is single-elimination. Lunch is not included, but there will be a gap provided for all players and there plenty of restaurant options near the facility. The event is free for qualified MCA members. Non-members that have qualified will simply need to join the MCA and can do that by paying the membership fee of $20 Saturday morning.
Quarterfinals - 8:30 a.m.
#1 Paul Miller vs #8 Jodi Adams
#4 Robert Fournier vs #5 Ron Millican
#3 Dylan Goodwin vs #6 Greg Adams
#2 Greg Clouse vs #7 Deborah Millican
Semi-Finals - 9:45 a.m.
1-8 winner vs 4-5 winner
3-6 winner vs 2-7 winner
Pro Division Final - Noon
A six-ball (cut-throat) will run during this event as well. The first match in six ball will start at 10:00 a.m. and will include Bill Berg and Keith Berg. Debbie Millican will also be in this match if she is available. The rest of that match will be filled with losing players from the first round of the pro bracket. The second six ball match will be scheduled as players are available with the six-ball championship taking place at 2:45 p.m.
Miller Leads the Pro Division
/With her eight place position, Deborah Millican will have the opportunity to play in both the Pro bracket and the Gold Division tournament.
Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Paul | Miller | 14 | 10 | 4 | 309 | 22.07 |
2 | Greg | Clouse | 13 | 9 | 4 | 282 | 21.69 |
3 | Dylan | Goodwin | 14 | 9 | 5 | 272 | 19.43 |
4 | Robert | Fournier | 13 | 7 | 6 | 261 | 20.08 |
5 | Ron | Millican | 12 | 6 | 6 | 235 | 19.58 |
6 | Greg | Adams | 8 | 3 | 5 | 133 | 16.63 |
7 | Matt | Smith | 4 | 4 | 0 | 103 | 25.75 |
8 | Debbie | Millican | 5 | 3 | 2 | 99 | 19.80 |
9 | Jason | Johnson | 5 | 1 | 4 | 91 | 18.20 |
10 | Carl | Distefano | 5 | 0 | 5 | 77 | 15.40 |
11 | Jodi | Adams | 4 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 16.50 |
12 | Bill | Berg | 5 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 11.00 |
13 | Keith | Berg | 3 | 0 | 3 | 41 | 13.67 |
14 | S. Jason | Cole | 3 | 1 | 2 | 40 | 13.33 |
PeakVision Leawood Challenge: Miller Begins Streak
/LEAWOOD, KS -- Paul Miller took his second straight MCA tournament with a 28-16 win over Greg Clouse in the Pro Division Final of the PeakVision Leawood Challenge. In the Gold Division, Deborah Millican took the title with a 21-7 win over Bill Berg in the final.
PHOTO GALLERY | OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
In the Pro Division final, Clouse looked to be in good shape as he ran his break through the turn until he croqueted a ball out of bounds near 11PW from the turn stake area with a hand shot. That's right, Clouse got enough power on the nine-wicket style hand stop shot to travel at least 30 feet. Of course, the game was held on court two which was the fastest of the three courts, and in this case it was costly for Clouse.
He did have a chance later in the game, but he roqueted his partner to work on an attack toward blue with his red ball. Unfortunately, he was dead on blue and in an odd twist Miller mentioned it to him before he actually hit the blue ball. Still, it was a damaging error and it helped Miller snatch control of the game.
Not only was it Miller's second straight tourney win, but he's also got a nine-game winning streak going as he was a perfect 6-0 in the event.
Gold Final Experiences Sequence Issues
The Gold Division Final between Berg and Millican will mainly be remembered for a lengthy delay due to a potential out of sequence play midway through the game. Unfortunately, although something appeared to be out of whack, neither player could piece together the actual sequence error.
Play had to continue as the balls lay. It seemed to fire up Millican though as she went on a tear shortly after to roll to a 21-7 win. Berg was the only player to work in six games during the event so fatigue could have also been a factor.
Prize Package
Kansas City Croquet Club member Paul Moore and CEO/Founder of PeakVision Sports came through with a great set of prizes. Finalists in both divisions were each awarded a of pair PeakVision Sunglasses.
Pro Playoff Results
ROUND ONE
#3 Robert Fournier over #6 Greg Adams 27-15
#4 Ron Millican over #5 Dylan Goodwin 21-17
SEMI-FINALS
#2 Greg Clouse over #3 Robert Fournier 22-21
#1 Paul Miller over #4 Ron Millican 28-14
FINAL
#1 Paul Miller over #2 Greg Clouse 28-16
Gold Playoff Results
ROUND ONE
#4 S. Jason Cole over #5 Keith Berg 23-12
#3 Bill Berg over #6 Carl Distefano 10
SEMI-FINALS
#1 Deborah Millican over #4 S. Jason Cole 22-14
#3 Bill Berg over #2 Jason Johnson 15-11
FINAL
#1 Deborah Millican over #3 Bill Berg 21-7
Goodwin Jumps Ahead in the Pro Division
/With a win over Greg Clouse in the quarterfinals at Lee's Summit, Dylan Goodwin was able to leapfrog Clouse in the standings for the overall lead. Goodwin now has a 199 points in 10 games. Paul Miller stayed in second with 171 points in nine games, but is closer to the top position. Clouse follows closely in third place with 166 points. We now know that 30 or 40 points is easily made up in this race, so that means Robert Fournier (145) and Ron Millican (135) are still in contention. The race is on.
Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Dylan | Goodwin | 10 | 7 | 3 | 199 | 19.90 |
2 | Paul | Miller | 9 | 5 | 4 | 171 | 19.00 |
3 | Greg | Clouse | 8 | 5 | 3 | 166 | 20.75 |
4 | Robert | Fournier | 8 | 4 | 4 | 145 | 18.13 |
5 | Ron | Millican | 7 | 3 | 4 | 135 | 19.29 |
6 | Matt | Smith | 4 | 4 | 0 | 103 | 25.75 |
7 | Greg | Adams | 4 | 2 | 2 | 66 | 16.50 |
8 | Jodi | Adams | 4 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 16.50 |
9 | Carl | Distefano | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 16.50 |
10 | Debbie | Millican | 2 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 16.00 |
11 | Jason | Johnson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 |
12 | Bill | Berg | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 7.00 |
The Pro Standings and standings in this post have been updated. For some reason, the 12th place player, Bill Berg, was cut off.
It's Miller Time
/Lee's Summit, MO - Paul Miller of El Dorado, Kansas battled through a full day of Pro Division action at the Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament in Lee's Summit, MO to win the overall title. He beat Dylan Goodwin in 17-15 in the final.
PHOTO GALLERY | OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
The Pro Division had eight players and utilized three rounds of a random draw that matched up players with equal wins in each round. Matt Smith took the top seed out of the draw with a 3-0 record. He defeated Jodi Adams in round one of the playoff then withdrew. Miller was the five seed on that side of the bracket and advanced with an 18-17 win over four seed Greg Adams. The withdrawal of Smith gave Miller a bye to the championship.
On the other side of the bracket, Goodwin was the two seed, based on a 2-1 record with the loss being 22-21 nail-biter against Matt Smith. He played Greg Clouse in round one, after finishing the draw with a narrow 16-15 win over Clouse. The playoff went a little better as Goodwin won 28-9. Robert Fournier was the three seed and defeated six seed Ron Millican 22-17 to advance to the semi-finals against Goodwin.
Fournier had a last turns opportunity after going cross court to roquet his own corner ball resting in corner two. He tried a long peel at the 10PW that failed and left himself with a tough hoop shot and Goodwin prevailed 21-18.
In the final, Miller took early control when he stole an early break from Goodwin by placing his blue ball between red and black near wicket wicket three. Red was dead on blue and it reversed the set up and made a break for Miller.
Goodwin picked his way around the court to get back into the game and during last turns set a break for red near the 11PW that could have been the winner, but he left an opportunity for Miller to hit yellow. He ricocheted off the center wicket but did indeed hit yellow and gave red a tough hit-in on black back near the turning steak. Goodwin missed and Miller celebrated the 17-15 win.
JOHSON WINS GOLD
In the Gold Division, Jason Johnson now has a two-tourney win streak going as he defeated Bill Berg 18-10 in the final to take the title. The win gave Johnson a chance to avenge a 20-16 loss to Berg earlier in the day.
FINAL ORDER
Pro Division
1. Paul Miller (3-2)
2. Dylan Goodwin (4-2)
3. Matt Smith (4-0)
4. Robert Fournier (3-2)
5. Greg Adams (2-2)
6. Ron Millican (1-3)
7. Greg Clouse (1-3)
8. Jodi Adams (0-4)
Gold Division
1. Jason Johnson (4-1)
2. Bill Berg (3-2)
3. Deborah Millican (3-1)
4. Keith Berg (1-3)
5. Justin Marciniak (0-4)
Lee's Summit Roster Update
/As we approach the second leg of the MCA Nine-Wicket Series with the Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament this Saturday, twelve players have signed up for action. First round matchups will be announced on Thursday night, but here is the current roster with ranking. Check back for updates:
Committed:
1. Matt Smith
2. Greg Clouse
3. Dylan Goodwin
4. Greg Adams
5. Ron Millican
6. Paul Miller
7. Robert Fournier
8. Jodi Adams
9. Jason Johnson
10. Deborah Millican
11. Bill Berg
12. Keith Berg
Interest:
Justin Marciniak
Justin Marciniak has indicated that he is a strong verbal. He would slot in as number 12 in the rankings.
Commanding Lead for Clouse in the Pro Division
/Rank | First | Last | GP | Wins | Losses | Total Wickets | Wicket Average |
1 | Greg | Clouse | 4 | 4 | 0 | 111 | 27.75 |
2 | Paul | Miller | 4 | 2 | 2 | 77 | 19.25 |
3 | Dylan | Goodwin | 4 | 3 | 1 | 75 | 18.75 |
4 | Ron | Millican | 3 | 2 | 1 | 59 | 19.67 |
5 | Robert | Fournier | 3 | 1 | 2 | 54 | 18.00 |
6 | Carl | Distefano | 2 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 16.50 |
7 | Debbie | Millican | 2 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 16.00 |
8 | Jason | Johnson | 2 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 11.00 |
9 | Bill | Berg | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 7.00 |
Pro Division points are earned from Pro Division playoff games and open/Pro Division block games. Due to open block games, it is possible for Gold Division players to earn points in both the Pro Division and the Gold Division. It is also possible for a Gold Division player to qualify for the MCA Championship in both or all divisions.
Clouse Racks 'Em Up in Stilwell
/Stilwell, KS -- Greg Clouse rolled through the Stilwell Open with relative ease in the early going. Clouse took 32-9 and 32-8 wins in block play to take the number one overall seed in the Pro Division Playoff. In the semi-finals, he knocked out Paul Miller 29-12. In the championship game he survived a late attack by Dylan Goodwin to claim the Stilwell Open title with an 18-16 win. Goodwin as the three seed, had advanced with a tight 18-16 win over two-seed Ron Millican on his side of the bracket. Clouse, Goodwin and Millican were all 2-0 in block play.
PHOTO GALLERY | OFFICIAL SCORESHEET
The final between Goodwin and Clouse came down to last turns. Goodwin was first ball with red and cleared 11PW to pull within two wickets of Clouse. He failed to gain a foward rush on black and then made a key mistake in trying to roll black toward 13PW while taking red toward blue near 14PW. He ended up wired and tried to jump the 15PW for the roquet on blue but missed by a foot.
The easier solution would have been to leave black and go set yellow (dead on red) in front of its wicket (six). Yellow could have then wired black from blue.
In the Gold Division, playoff Debbie Millican started as the number one seed after coming up on the short end of the gross points tiebreaker among the 1-1 block players. Debbie beat newcomer Bill Berg 14-12 in the semi-finals for a berth in the championship game. As the three seed, Jason Johnson caught fire in the semi-final and took a 32-12 win over Carl Distefano who is also brand new to the sport. In the final, Johnson took the win over Debbie with a 23-12.
First and second place in both divisions received white baseball caps with the host Kansas City Croquet Club logo.
Standings in the MCA Nine-Wicket Points Series are being tabulated and will be posted when they are available.
FINAL ORDER
Pro Division
1. Greg Clouse
2. Dylan Goodwin
3. Ron Millican
4. Paul Miller
5. Robert Fournier
Gold Division
1. Jason Johnson
2. Debbie Millican
3. Carl Distefano
4. Bill Berg
BLOCK GAME RESULTS
A Block
Greg Clouse 32-9 over Debbie Millican
Debbie Millican 23-14 over Jason Johnson
Greg Clouse 32-8 over Jason Johnson
B Block
Dylan Goodwin 23-7 over Bill Berg
Robert Fournier 20-7 over Bill Berg
Dylan Goodwin 18-13 over Robert Fournier
C Block
Paul Miller 26-19 over Carl Distefano
Ron Millican 23-14 over Carl Distefano
Ron Millican 20-16 over Paul Miller
PRO DIVISION PLAYOFFS
Wildcard
#4 Paul Miller 23-21 over Robert Fournier
Semi-finals
#1 Greg Clouse 29-12 over #4 Paul Miller
#3 Dylan Goodwin 18-16 over #2 Ron Millican
Finals
#1 Greg Clouse 18-16 over #3 Dylan Goodwin
GOLD DIVISION PLAYOFFS
Semi-finals
#1 Debbie Millican 14-12 over #4 Bill Berg
#3 Jason Johnson 32-12 over #2 Carl Distefano
Finals
#2 Jason Johnson 23-13 over #1 Debbie Millican
Stilwell Open Game Times
/We've got a great turnout considering the holiday weekend with nine players committed. We've got a few new players in the mix as well so this turnout bodes well for the Lee's Summit event as well.
Debbie Millican
Dylan Goodwin
Robert Fournier
Bill Berg
Paul Miller
Ron Millican
Carl Distefano
CT1 - D Goodwin vs R Fournier
CT2 - P Miller vs R Millican