Big Lobster Invitational
September 5-10, 2023
Woodlawn Croquet Program
The 2023 edition of the Woodlawn Big Lobster Croquet Tournament wrapped up Sunday afternoon after 5 days of spirited play at our Woodlawn Court in Ellsworth, Maine. The weather gods provided us with 6 straight days of perfect weather which was the longest stretch of rain free weather that we had all summer. The Woodlawn Big Lobster tournament was the brainchild of our Croquet Master, Larry Stettner, who passed away a few. years ago and we believe it is the only combination 9 wicket doubles and 6 wicket singles tournament in the country. We had 32 players in 9 wicket doubles with eight teams in 2 flights and 27 players in 6 wicket singles in 4 flights. They came from Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts.
The tournament commenced on Tuesday evening with a BBQ • dinner at Big Cat's Catering Event Center in Trenton. A social hour was held, tournament schedules were discussed and each player was presented a canvas tote bag with the Big Lobster logo embroidered on the bag. Nine wicket doubles play started on Wednesday morning at 8 AM on four 9 wicket courts setup on our full court at Woodlawn in Ellsworth. This unique 9 wicket game uses rules that were based on the Claremont Croquet Classic which was held at the Claremont Hotel in SWharbor for over three decades. The rules were modified for the Big Lobster Tournament by Larry Stettner and they continue to provide competitive play and exciting matches year after year. Each team played 7 games in two days and the winners were determined by the number of wins and in case of a tie, net points. In the Championship Flight, the team of Perry Mattson and Bob Van Tassel won the championship flight with a total of 6 wins and the Team of Mike Gibbons and Fred Beck came in second place with a total of 5 wins. In the first flight, the team of David and Ellen Fox came in first place by going undefeated with 7 wins and second place went to the team of Bill Whitman and Janet Pearson who had 6 wins and narrowly lost to Dave and Ellen Fox by 1 wicket.
9 Wicket Championship Flight Winners Perry Mattson & Bob Van Tassell
Six wicket play commenced on Friday morning at 8 AM with the Championship Flight playing at the Sorrento Court, the First and Third flight played on the Woodlawn Court and the Second flight play on the Hinckley court in SW Harbor. Each player played 6 games in 2 days and the top two players in each flight played in the championship games on the Woodlawn Full court on Sunday. Friday evening, players were treated to a lobster bake at Big Cat's Catering in Trenton which consisted of-lobster, clams, mussells, salads, steak and dessert ofMaine blueberry crisp. The 9 wicket awards were presented before dinner to the first and second place winners.
On Sunday morning at 8AM, the Third flight championship game was held with Katie Bull, who went undefeated in block play, prevailed over James Peasley from Rochester, New York who was playing in his first singles tournament. The second flight championship game was held at 9 AM and Glenn McAndrews prevailed in the match with Barbara O'Laughlin. The First flight championship game was held at 11 AM and Oakley Johnson won in the match with Victoria Albrecht. At noon, the players were treated to a lunch with fresh lobster rolls courtside. The Championship Flight was held at 1 PM and Bob VanTassel who played a masterful game and staked out both balls in a win over Bob Worrell. Awards were presented to first and second place in each flight upon completion of their games. The 2023 Big Lobster is in the history books and everyone had a great time . We look forward to having everyone back for the next Big Lobster in 2025.
Perry Mattson
Tournament Director
9W Doubles Results
Championship Flight
1. Bob Van Tassell & Perry Mattson
2. Mike Gibbons & Fred Beck
3. Don Parker & Bob Worrell
4. Glen McAndrews & Randall McAndrews
5. Dave Nelson & Jim Lane
6. Webster Bull & Katie Bull
7. David Ekstrom & Skip Strong
8. Ford Fay & Charlie Law
First Flight
1. Dave Fox & Ellen Fox
2. Bill Whitman & Janet Pearson
3. Rick Hayes & Bess Gallanis
4. Tom O'Laughlin & Barbara O'Laughlin
5. Harvey Geiger & Pam Geiger
6. Nicholas Sander & Nancy Sander
7. Mark Blumberg & Mary Blumberg
8. Nanette Ruppert & Susan Sergeant
6W Results
Championship Flight
1. Bob Van Tassell
2. Bob Worrell
3. David Ekstrom
4. Don Parker
5. Mike Gibbons
6. Webster Bull
First Flight
1. Oakley Johnson
2. Victoria Albrecht
3. Fred Beck
4. Bill Sadowski
5. Bill Whitman
6. Randall McAndrews
7. Janet Pearson
Second Flight
1. Glenn McAndrews
2. Barbara O'Laughlin
3. Rick Hayes
4. Tom O'Laughlin
5. Sonia Alexandra
6. Jim Lane
7. Rosemarie Maccario
8. Tina Hinckley
Third Flight
1. Katie Bull
2. James Peasley
3. Whitney Small
4. Ellen Fox
5. Susan Sergeant
6. Bess Gallanis