Rookie Playoffs - 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
On a cloudy Monday afternoon, 6 rookies participated in the Second Rookie Playoff to take home a trophy and title “Rookie of the Year”. All 6 players were regulars in the Monday afternoon clinic and it was time to give them a taste of tournament play and push them out of the nest.
The last “Rookie of the Year”, Tony Dos Santos, was responsible for putting together the games.
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In the first round, it was Lindsey Brown against Rachel Olson. After the coin toss, they both had to find a way to get through the log jam at the first wicket. After that, Rachel was off and running and led the way during most of the game, but Lindsey was able to catch up and eventually outscored Rachel to win the first game 17 - 15.
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Round 1
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On an adjoining court, Dick Olson was matched up against Bill Todd. In this game, Bill got off to a fast start and never gave up the lead beating Dick 19 - 10.
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Round 2 |
In the second round, the winner of the first game, Lindsey Brown, played Daniele Todd for a spot in the Championship round. The ladies game was very competitive, but Daniele was able to beat Lindsey by 3 wickets, winning 17 - 14.
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The men’s match up for the second round was between Greg Brown and Bill Todd. It was a battle with each taking the lead during the game, but Bill was able to outscore Greg and won the game 12 to 8. |
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Before the finals, everyone took a break to enjoy some beverages and snacks and get ready for the big game to determine the “Rookie of the Year”. |
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The players in the Monday afternoon clinic, have been coached over the past year by: (L to R) Tony Dos Santos, Nancy Crouch, Charlie Greer, Yvonne Croizer, David Yurk, and Nobi Koop (not in photo). There was a great feeling of accomplishment by all the coaches who nurtured the fledglings along. It was obvious that all of their hard work paid off and the coaches will soon be faced with more competition.
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The Main Event - the Championship Game
The final game came down to a matchup between Daniele & Bill Todd. You could call it “The Battle of the Sexes” or “The Battle of the Todds”, but what ever you call it, you didn’t want to miss the action. The Championship game started with Daniele taking control of the game and took off with an early lead. Bill kept reducing the deficit and around the 10 minute mark, Bill tied the score by peeling both of his balls through the one back wicket. 
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During the next five minutes, Daniele managed to regain and increase her lead to three points. Bill once again kept on reducing the lead and tied the score at the end of regulation play.
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Because of the tie, another rotation was played. Daniele played both her balls and scored one more point. Bill, who scored a point with his first ball, was about to play his second ball with the score tied again. Bill managed to stay calm and made a couple of great shots to score the winning point, win the playoff, and claimed the title.
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Congratulations all around for a close and hard fought game that could have easily gone either way.
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Daniele gets the congratulatory handshake and runner up trophy from Club President, Rich Burns.
Bill Todd takes home the trophy and title “Grand Haven Croquet Club - Rookie of the Year”! 
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Tony Dos Santos - Rookie Playoff Director
"I would like to thank everyone for supporting this event"
"I would like to thank everyone for supporting this event"
Fall 2012 Graduation Celebration
Additional Photo’s are available on Picasa Web Albums to view, play a slideshow, download, and even order prints. To download, click on the photo desired, then go to Actions Pull Down Menu and select Download Photo. To order prints, go to the Prints Pull Down Menu and select Order Prints.
Additional Photo’s are available on Picasa Web Albums to view, play a slideshow, download, and even order prints. To download, click on the photo desired, then go to Actions Pull Down Menu and select Download Photo. To order prints, go to the Prints Pull Down Menu and select Order Prints.
