Country Club of Jackson Invitational
November 4-7, 2021
Jackson, Mississippi
Gorgeous weather, sunny and 70’s; fast courts; plentiful, delicious food; eager croqueters and great camaraderie made this tournament a delight for all! Perhaps the most exciting feature of this year’s tournament is that for 5 of the 15 contestants, this was their first sanctioned competition.
RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT:
Joe Yoder emerged from block play in 7th (last) place but pulled together some spectacular play to prevail over past CCJ Tournament winners George Cochran (in quarters) and Britt Ruby (in semis).
Michael Kearns, the # 7 seed coming into the tournament and 3-3 in block play, sneaked up on both Mike McRee (quarters) and Mark Fields (6-0 in block play) (Semi’s) by coming from behind in last turn in both games.
The Championship final was a close 12-10 match, with Kearns taking the honors and proving himself worthy of the coveted CCJ King of Croquet crown.
Championships Results
1st – Michael Kearns
2nd – Joe Yoder
3rd – Britt Ruby
3rd – Mark Fields
5th – George Cochran
5th – Mike McRee
5th – Ed Becker
FIRST FLIGHT: In first flight, Joe Moore and David Trigiani each emerged from the 4-player block with 5-1 records. But, Aong Dengler, playing in her first-ever sanctioned tournament rallied over Trigiani in the semi’s to challenge Moore in the Finals. As well as Dengler played, Joe Moore proved too much to handle in the finals and Moore emerged as the 1st Flight winner for 2022.
First Flight Results
1st – Joe Moore
2nd – Aong Dengler
3rd – David Trigiani
3rd – Kim Reniska
SECOND FLIGHT: For three of the four 2nd Flight players, this was their first sanctioned tournament, though that was not at all obvious when observing their skill and general knowledge of the game. Both Steve Inzinna and John Whitt emerged from block play with even 3-3 results, while Mark Saxon was undefeated at 6-0. Inzinna defeated Whitt in the semifinals and Saxon prevailed over Inez Canienne.
Inzinna upset Saxon in the finals to take the 2nd flight honors, winning the first sanctioned tournament he has played in.
Second Flight Results
1st – Steve Inzinna
2nd – Mark Saxon
3rd – John Whitt
3rd – Inez Canienne
Mark Fields
CCJ Croquet Tournament Co-Director