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Australia

Robert Fletcher – CAP

Robert is a member of the Caloundra Croquet Club on the Sunshine Coast. He began playing croquet at the Lismore CC when he was 10. Robert is the number 1 ranked player in both GC and AC, is the current Australian and US Open GC Champion and went on a 55 game winning streak in 2024. This is his second Openshaw Shield and he is looking forward to competing for the Shield with his teammates as Captain of the Australian Team. 

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Australia

Greg Fletcher

Greg is an Australian croquet player with years of experience at both national and international levels. He is currently living in Germany, working as a software engineer for Qwello, an e-mobility infrastructure company. This is his first time competing in the GC World Team Championships, an experience he is greatly looking forward to. Outside of croquet, Greg enjoys fitness and running to stay active.

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Australia

Malcolm Fletcher

Malcolm was born in Victoria, Australia. By the time he turned ten, he was already training on local lawns, steadily refining the skills that would propel him into both Golf Croquet (GC) and Association Croquet (AC). Over the years, he has had the privilege of representing his various clubs and country in numerous prestigious international events. Among his most memorable successes was winning the MacRobertson Shield in Palm Desert, California, where Australia reclaimed the renowned title on the world stage. More recently, he achieved the runner-up position in the inaugural 2025 US GC Open.

Now based in Queensland, Malcolm plays at the Caloundra Croquet Club. 

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Australia

Edward Wilson

Edward is a croquet player from Adelaide, South Australia. With success in  both codes, He is looking forward to the challenge of the WTC, and competing hard along side close friends Greg, Malcolm, and Robert Fletcher.

Beyond croquet, Edward is a qualified winemaker, has an interest in fitness, and is a supremely average surfer.
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England

ASTON WADE – Cap

Aston Wade began playing Association Croquet in 2016 during his first year at Winchester College. He later learned to play Golf Croquet in the summer of 2020 at Hamptworth Croquet Club and made his first appearances on the tournament circuit in both AC & GC that August. Aston’s notable GC titles include: British Open Champion (2021), European Champion (2022), Winner of the First Eight (2022), U21 World Champion (2023), and U21 European Champion (2023). His AC victories include The Chairman’s Salver (2022), The Hurlingham Cup (2023, 2024), and the AC Sin the Solomon Trophy. He has captained England on several occasions and has so far played in 8 different countries. Back in the UK, Aston is undefeated as Lincolnshire’s captain at the GC Inter-Counties and also represents Essex in the AC Inter-counties. He is a member of The Hurlingham Club and captained their team to victory in the National GC Inter-Club Championship (2023). He is currently studying Medicine at the University of Exeter.  Aston has represented England teams at both the AC and GC Home Internationals, multiple England vs Spain GC Test Matches, the England vs Egypt Test Match, and the European Team Championship. He has also represented Great Britain

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England

EUAN BURRIDGE

Euan took up the game at the age of 7 under his Dad’s wing at Nottingham Croquet club and has since gone on to play various national and international tournaments. He is predominantly a GC player and his notable performances have been a Semi-Final at both the U21 & Open Worlds. He has also won the GC Welsh Championship, AC National Junior Championship, GC Under 25s Open Championship and also reached the final of the 2021 Ricki Savage Memorial. Euan is delighted to have been selected to represent England in this prestigious event and looks forward to testing his game against the best players in the world again.

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England

JACK GOOD

Jack  Good, (18) – from Bolton, Greater Manchester – is currently in his first year of studying Natural Sciences at the University of Nottingham. Jack has been knocking croquet balls around various clubs since he was 7, mainly to stave off boredom while his dad was playing. He started showing more consistency in 2018 and as a member of Bowdon CC played for their handicap golf and short teams aged 11. His first tournament was the year later. Jack unexpectedly played a lot in 2020. The following year he became more consistent, ending the season with a good series of tournaments. 2022 saw him selected for the GC Worlds where he made the knockout stages. Over the last two years, he has had domestic success, which climaxed with the Ascot Cup, which he won in the grounds of his new uni. This will the second time he has played outside the UK, but the first time for GC after the European AC Championships held in Carrickmines, Dublin in August 2024

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England

JAMIE BURCH

I am a painter and decorator from Redhill in Surrey and play croquet at the mighty Reigate Priory Croquet Club. I live with my beautiful wife and 2 children. I was introduced to croquet by my dad when I was about 10 years old. I enjoy playing both AC and GC and am the current British Open GC champion

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England

CHRIS CLARKE (TM)

Aged 53, Chris was born in Lancashire but has lived in NZ with his wife Jenny for the past 20 years. Chris is the only player to have captained winning Openshaw Shield and MacRobertson Shield teams and has been ranked world number 1 at both codes. Due to health problems, he now watches more croquet than he plays and is looking forward to watching and supporting a dynamic young England team in what should be a close and exciting event.

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Egypt

MOHAMED NASR – Cap

Mohamed was born in Cairo, Egypt. He started playing croquet at a young age and has had many achievements throughout his career with many national and international titles. Mohammed was a one time World Champion in 2006, one time Teams World Champion in 2012. He is very motivated to achieve his second Team’s Championship. 

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Egypt

KHALED KAMEL

Khaled was born in Cairo, Egypt, on December 4, 1985. I have been playing croquet for more than 10 years. I got 3rd place in the last Croquet World Championship in USA. I am aiming to achieve my first teams World Championship.

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Egypt

MOHAMED TAHA

My name is Mohamed Taha and I live in Cairo – Egypt. My nickname is Mido. I’m 36 years old and I won the Tenerife tournament in Spain in 2023 and I also won the Egypt Open Tournament in 2023. I  play national croquet with the Zohour club and I hope to get a title with my Egyptian team in Tasmania.

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Egypt

MOHAMED WALEED

Mohamed Waleed is 31 years old. He is a banker at Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait-Egypt. Mohamed has been playing croquet for more than 10 years now and plays for Shooting club. He has played three World Croquet Championships but this will be his first Teams Championship. He is excited to be part of this event with high hopes for our team.
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Egypt

YASSER SAYED

Yasser Sayed is 23 years old and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting Likewise in his career he is a supervisor in the Egyptian sugar and integrative industries Yasser started playing croquet just under 10 years ago. He participated in four World Championships and came in third in the 2019 under 21 World Championship and World Team Championship 2020 Tier and he came in second with his team. Yasser has many national titles with his teams. Yasser loves his game and he has high hopes for achieving his goals.
South Africa

REG BAMFORD – Cap

Reg was born in 1967 and Reg is married with two sons. A South African Chartered Accountant by training, Reg started his own business in the UK in 1996 and now employs over 250 staff in his professional services business. Reg lives in London, and is a member of the Surbiton and Roehampton Clubs.Hehas been playing croquet since he was 7, and has represented South Africa since the age of 14 in numerous Test matches. Reg has been a top-ranked player in the world for over 30 years, and is a 11-time AC Open Champion, 12-time GC Open Champion, 5-time AC World Champion (2001, 2005, 2009, 2012 and 2020) and twice GC World Champion (2013 and 2017). As well as croquet, Reg enjoys skiing, golf and sailing.
South Africa

ANDREW HOBBS

I grew up in Somerset West, Cape Town until the age of 16 where I then moved, finished school and went to university in Johannesburg. I am happily married to my wife Lindsay with two children, Caitlyn and Calum. I am also now a proud Grandfather to granddaughter Rowen-Lillie.  I have played both forms of croquet AC and GC over the years and aspired to play at the highest level I could. My notable achievements are winning the Dilys Hobbs trophy 1995.  The Riggall Gold Trophy 2000, the SACA Gauteng Championship 2000 and the SCA Edinburgh Crammond Cup 2004 as well as the Hunstanton Open in 2024 and the Scottish Open 2024 for Golf Croquet.

South Africa

JUDITH HANEKOM

Judith Hanekom is deputy bursar at a private primary school in the beautiful town of Somerset West, where my home club is too – situated in the Western Cape Winelands area and 45 minutes away from central Cape Town. I’ve been playing both AC and GC for a number of years and croquet has taken me to many international destinations; to name a few, Japan, England, Egypt, Ireland, New Zealand. I have been privileged to participate in all the Openshaw Shields, and am very much looking forward to this one too – it’s a fabulous event.

South Africa

WILLIAM LOUW

William Louw and his brother Wynand Louw go back a long way in the history of Somerset West Croquet Club, South Africa, starting the games as youngsters. He was taught in the mid 1990s by the legendary Jemima Benn from Somerset West Croquet Club, who encouraged many juniors then. At the time there was a thriving and highly competitive young group of Wynand’s peers whom William wished to compete against. His first mallet was purchased from Dick le Maitre, who trained Judith Hanekom in her junior years. William plays both Association Croquet and Golf Croquet

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Ireland

MARK STEPHENS – Cap

Mark has played senior international croquet since 2017. Over that time hehas achieved some moderate success in Europe and was part of the Irish Openshaw Shield team who placed 7th in New Zealand in 2020. This, so far, has been the highlight of his career. He is looking forward to captaining a strong Irish Team at this year’s event and hopes to match or improve on the Irish Teams Result in 2020. Outside of croquet Mark is an avid sportsman and movie enthusiast. He is looking forward to taking in some of what Sydney has to offer for a few days before the tournament and will enjoy everything Tasmania has to offer. “What we do in life echoes in eternity”

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Ireland

ALAN LOONEY

Alan Looney is the Honorary Secretary of the Croquet Association of Ireland (CAI) and Past President and current Croquet Captain of Carrickmines Croquet & Lawn Tennis Club in Dublin. Alan has represented the CAI on many occasions in the annual AC Appleton Trophy match between the CAI and the Scottish Croquet Association SCA and the McWeeney Trophy match between the CAI and CA . Alan represented Ireland in the AC World Team Championships Tier 2.1 in Budleigh in 2022. and 2023 European GC Championships in 2023. Alan has enjoyed visiting and playing in many croquet clubs Internationally in UK, Spain and USA.

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Ireland

KIERAN MURPHY

Kieran is 34 years old and grew up in County Wicklow, Ireland. That is where he began playing croquet at the age of 16, through an initiative at East Glendalough School, joining Newcastle Croquet Club soon after and making his debut for Ireland during the 2010 AC Home Internationals. He went on to represent Ireland several times in subsequent Home Internationals, as well as test matches against GB, Australia, and USA. Initially, Kieran’s involvement in golf croquet was mainly social, however his competitive interest increased once acquainted with the annual Irish GC Championships, where he was a finalist in 2010. Kieran represented Ireland at the inaugural WCF U21 GC World Championship in Cairo, Egypt, as well as the 2nd WCF U21 event in Hunstanton, England in 2011. He had a personal best year while living in New Zealand in 2013, reaching the final of the CNZ GC Open Championship and playing well at the Yvonne Yeates Invitation. After that, studies and work took centre stage, seeing him move to Canada for 3 years and spending the last 8 years in Tasmania, where he works at the University of Tasmania as a marine scientist. Kieran is currently a member of the New Town Croquet Club and is excited to represent Ireland and kickstart his involvement in the game after a lengthy period on the sidelines.

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Ireland

Evan Newell

Evan Newell has been playing croquet a long time – since the age of 8 years old. Evan says it is difficult to know whether his losses or his wins are the most surprising but he is often described as “Lucky Lucky” for some reason. His other known name as “Champion Loser” was given to him by the Egyptian Croquet Players after notably winning the Plate Competition at the Egyptian Invitational Championship some years ago. Evan’s other occupations follow a similar style and, in particular, a continued interest in thoroughbred horse-racing where a few wins are sufficient to keep the whole show on the road. The horses are all home bred and reside in Co Meath, Ireland within a Farm dedicated to Nature conservation. Evan is always ready to travel all over the World to play croquet and looks forward to many more years of occasional victories.

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Ireland

ROB O’DONOGHUE

Robert has been playing croquet for over 20 years, travelling to Egypt, New Zealand, and now Australia. He reached the knock out of the European Championships this year and placed 3rd in the Irish Championships for the second year running. Robert plays with a heavy Egyptian wooden mallet, and is known for his clinical jump shots. This is Rob’s second Openshaw Shield appearance, and he is relishing the chance to play against World class opposition and to help Ireland build upon their strong performance in 2020. Robert hails from Dublin where he currently resides and is an avid all round sportsman.
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Ireland

SIMON WILLIAMS

Simon Williams is one of the original “Friends of the World Croquet Federation”! Irish AC & GC Champion many times, and he has played on Irish teams since 1987. Simon has twice been Chair of the Croquet Association of Ireland. He has played all around the world, but this is his first time playing croquet in Australia, and his first visit to Tasmania.

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New Zealand
FELIX WEBBY

FELIX WEBBY – Cap

Felix is currently based in Hawkes’ Bay, New Zealand, where he is a member of the Heretaunga Croquet Club. He began playing croquet in 2014 through the secondary school programme. His major croquet achievements include captaining the winning Openshaw Shield team in 2020, winning the 2017 Under 21 GC World Championship and a Bronze Medal in the 2017 Open GC World Championships. He has also won national singles titles in both AC and GC, and represented NZ in the MacRobertson Shield. Outside of croquet, Felix works as a doctor and enjoys other sports including mountain-biking and basketball.

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New Zealand

EDMUND FORDYCE

Edmund Fordyce is a passionate croquet player with 16 years of experience in the sport. Originally from New Zealand, he has been fortunate enough to achieve several milestones, including winning the New Zealand GC National Singles and Doubles titles and being a former Under 21 World Champion. He currently lives in the United States, where he works as a croquet professional in Florida and North Carolina, sharing his knowledge of the game with others. Edmund was also a member of the winning 2021 NZ Openshaw Shield team. Outside of croquet, he enjoys staying active by playing golf and exploring other ways to keep fit. He also has a passion for travelling and hopes to be able to do more so in future.
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New Zealand

LEVI FRANKS

Kia Ora, my name is Levi and I am 20 years old. I have been playing croquet since late 2017 at the Cashmere Croquet Club in Christchurch, New Zealand. I have been studying towards a Bachelor of Science at the University of Canterbury for the past few years, and in my spare time, aside from croquet, I work at the Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre and I also play a bit of football. Some of the major successes I have had in croquet include winning the New Zealand Secondary Schools tournament in 2019, winning the NZ GC Open in 2023 and the NZ GC Open Doubles for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023, winning the NZ U21 Doubles twice and NZ U21 Singles three times, and winning the Shield event (5th place) at the 2023 U21 Worlds. I have also had some success in AC, and I’m currently working towards getting my first triple peel in a competition game. I am very excited to have been selected for the New Zealand Openshaw Shield team, as I have been working towards this goal for several years. I will also be playing in the U21 World Championship in Florida in April. 
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New Zealand

LOGAN MC CORKINDALE

Logan McCorkindale is a seasoned croquet player and a multiple national champion in both Association Croquet (AC) and Golf Croquet (GC). Starting his croquet journey at the age of 9, Logan has since competed on the international stage, participating in two Under-21 Golf Croquet World Championships and two Open Association Croquet World Championships. Off the croquet lawn, Logan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sport Coaching, with a double major in Strength and Conditioning with Nutrition, and Performance Analysis. Currently taking a year’s break from his studies, Logan plans to pursue a Master’s degree in Sports Science, furthering his expertise in athletic performance and development. Logan lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, with his partner and their new puppy, Stevie. This marks Logan’s debut at the Openshaw tournament, and he is excited for the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best players

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New Zealand

NELSON MORROW (TM)

Nelson Morrow has played Golf Croquet since 2002. In this time he has played in 6 Open GC World Championships and 2 Over 50 World Championships. His greatest success was winning the Plate event at the 2015 World Championships. This is the first time Nelson has been the Manager of a NZ team. He is also a NZ selector, an examining referee and on the CNZ Tournament Committee.

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Spain
NICOLAS DENIZOT

NICOLAS DENIZOT – Cap

Nicolas was born in 1997 and he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from CIS University in Madrid. He currently works at the marketing and communications firm Dentsu in Madrid. Outside of work, he enjoys playing sports such as paddle, tennis, golf, and football. He started playing croquet in 2017 and has steadily climbed the Spanish rankings. Some of his most significant achievements include winning the Madrid Open Championship in 2020, being named the Spanish Improver of the Year in 2020, and winning the Spanish President’s Cup in 2021. He also won the Spanish Singles Championship in 2020. Representing Spain in the World Croquet Championship is a huge honour for him. It’s a dream come true to have the chance to compete at such a prestigious tournament and to play against some of the very best players in the world. Nicolas is incredibly proud to represent his country on this stage and is determined to give his absolute best.

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Spain
Begoña Elzaburu

Begoña Elzaburu

Begoña Elzaburu started playing this sport 8 years ago.  She has been part of her Clubs Croquet Committee, a member of the WCF MC and Vice-president of the Spanish Federation. She has always tried to promote this sport that gives me so many joys!! Begoña is Mother of 4 sons who also play Croquet and is very proud to have competed with them and traveled together to many countries with this great excuse! She is part of Real Club de Puerta de Hierro team who this year has won the Spanish championship of Clubs and the

European Clubs League. Individually she has won European Women’s Championship as well as some other titles. I am very excited to represent my country and play with the top world players. I will also enjoy coming back to Australia

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Spain
JUAN OJEDA

JUAN OJEDA

My name is Juan Ojeda and I am 49 years old, born in Gijon, northern Spain. I am married with two children. I have a company of para pharmacy products, and I am also a croquet teacher. I have six Spanish AC Croquet Championships, and one GC Croquet Spanish Championship. I am ranked in the Spanish top 10.  
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Spain
JULIAN GUTIERREZ

JULIAN GUTIERREZ

Julián Gutiérrez Fernández is 62 years old and has been living in Marbella since 2002. He works as a psychologist. His main concern in croquet is basically psychological. He has been playing croquet for 6 years and is the current runner-up in Spain in 2024. He works at the Raquet Club Villapadierna in Marbella. Julián really likes croquet and plays regularly because the weather is nice. There are few croquet players in his club, but in Spain it is growing rapidly. This sport is social, funny, very interesting and strategic. For Julián, it is his first international competition and he hopes that won’t be the last. He will try to look for free moments to be able to compete more outside Spain. Australia is a very attractive and interesting country and Julián is very happy and excited to get to know it and be able to play his favourite sport.

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USA
USA Ben Rothman

Ben Rothman – Cap

Ben won the WCF Golf Croquet World Championship and achieved the world #1 ranking in 2019. He has nine U.S. National Golf Croquet Championships including four consecutive years winning singles and doubles. He has 20 total U.S. National Championships. Ben was inducted to the CFA Hall of Fame in 2018. Ben has captained all four U.S. teams in the history of this event. Ben met Sherif Abdelwahab at Ben’s first USCA tournament at Newport, Rhode Island, in 1996, coached Matthew Essick in AC at the US Open in 2009, met Stephen Morgan at Stephen’s first USCA tournament at Merion Cricket Club in 2010, introduced Blake Fields to Golf Croquet at Mission Hills in 2013, and met Tom Balding at the Piping Rock Invitational that Tom won in 2018. Ben is proud to be on the first World Golf Croquet Team with 3 World Champions, and the best ranked U.S. team in history.

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USA
USA Tom Balding

Tom Balding

I am 27 years old and originally from Long Island, New York. I now live full time in North Carolina where I work as a professional croquet.  I focused primarily on AC rules for the first several years of my competitive career, and I have become a huge fan of golf croquet, and began competing more extensively in it over the last couple of years. I was honoured to win the 2023 USCA GC National Championship doubles title alongside fellow Openshaw teammate Blake Fields, as well as the 2024 Australian Open doubles title alongside my other Openshaw teammate, Stephen Morgan. I reached the quarter final round in the main knockout of the 2024 GC world championship, which was my first time competing in that event. I also represent the USCA on the WCF GC Rules Committee. This is my first time on the Openshaw shield team, and I am excited for the opportunity to represent my country on this stage. This will be my third time competing in Australia

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USA

Stephen Morgan

Stephen began his croquet career playing a version of 9 Wicket Croquet at the Capitol Croquet Club, located in the Washington, D.C. area. Stephen was introduced to Golf Croquet while playing with the West River Wickets in Maryland. Stephen won the US GC Singles National Championship in 2016 and the GC Doubles Championship in 2017. Stephen and Tom Balding are the current Australian Open Doubles Champions. Stephen has competed for the US team in AC events since 2017 and this is his first time competing for the US in Golf Croquet. Stephen finished as the runner-up for the Shield in the 2024 GC World Championships. Stephen is currently the Croquet Director for the Hillsboro Club in Florida during the winter and the Ocean House in Rhode Island during the summer
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USA

Matthew Essick

Matthew started playing croquet at the age of 3 in Lexington, NC and started competing in tournaments at the age of 6. He started with American Rules and Association Rules but started playing Golf Croquet seriously in 2021. Matthew won the 2022 Golf Croquet WCF World Championship and has 2 silver medals in AC World Championships in 2020 and 2023. Matthew has 11 national championships total and 3 singles GC titles. He is proud to represent the USA in this prestigious event for the first time. Matthew is happily married living in Winter Park, FL in the winter and on Long Island in NY in the  summer. He teaches croquet as a full –time job and his wife Sadie does Interior Design

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USA

Blake Fields

I am 18-year-old from the beautiful desert city of Ranch Mirage, California. From a young age, I’ve been driven by a love of competition and the desire to achieve greatness, and I’m incredibly honoured to represent my country on the world stage. Being part of the United States Croquet Team has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life as I have had the privilege of competing alongside the most talented team the U.S. has ever assembled.  I’ve earned the title of Golf Croquet National Champion five times and have been honoured to serve as the Captain of the U21 United States Croquet Team three times.  In addition to my competitive achievements, I am proud to serve as a Croquet Professional and the Director at Mission Hills Country Club. Looking ahead, I am excited to further my education by pursuing a major in Business Management and Administration at a university

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