2014 MCA President's Awards

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LEE'S SUMMIT, MO -- The MCA announced five winners for the 2014 MCA President's Awards at the beginning of the 2015 AGM Meeting on February 7, 2015:

OFF-THE-COURT: JODI ADAMS
Adams earned the Off-the-Court Award for her management of all MCA revenue and expenses during a record year for MCA revenue. The award also recognizes the work she did in 2013 to transition the MCA to a new bank account to accommodate a name change. Honorable Mention: Greg Adams for his work with Mahaffie Farmstead and Sunflower Wickets. Honorable Mention: Matt Griffith for planning and hosting the USCA Nine Wicket National Championship at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, MO.

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: BILL BERG
Honorable Mention: Jason Johnson

JUNIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TAYLOR AIRRINGTON

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: NATE BENZ
Honorable Mention: Taylor Airrington

GROUNDSKEEPER OF THE YEAR: BILL BERG Berg was awarded Groundskeeper of the year for his work in preparing the courts for the 2014 Kansas Challenge and for the opening of his nine wicket lawn at the Cleveland Croquet Club.

Also see: 2013 MCA President's Awards

MCA Crowns 2014 Champions

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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.

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MCA Gold Race Update

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LEAWOOD, KS -- Despite missing the KC Open, Taylor Airrington still has a strong lead in the Gold Points race with 174 points. Debbie Breeden and Deborah Millican are 42 points back at 132, but Millican is opting to play in the Pro Championship on September 13. Bill Berg is within reach as well as he follows closely at 125 points. With only two rounds though for the Gold Playoff, everyone will be hoping Airrington loses in the first round in order to have a shot at catching him.

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Airrington is Still Gold

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LEAWOOD, KS -- Despite only playing one game, Taylor Airrington expanded his lead in the Gold Race as his two main rivals, Jodi Adams and Deborah Millican, made the cut for the Pro Playoff. Debbie Breeden made the most of her day with three gold games and now holds second place with 132 points. Three players are just behind Breeden, so things could get interesting as we head into the final two events for 2014.
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VPC: Oklahoma Open Wrap Up, Part 4

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The MCA held a Virtual Press Conference (VPC) today with MCA President Dylan Goodwin as a follow-up to last Saturday’s Oklahoma Open. This is Part 4 of 4 of the Q&A which was geared more toward Goodwin's role as a player:

Now that we have your insight on the Oklahoma Open from your point of view as MCA president, tell us about the event from a player's perspective. We had touched on the "true croquet court" playing surface. How did the players fare in the nine-wicket game on the fast turf? What sort of adjustments did players make? Were there trade-offs?

So, this is a really interesting question. I've never really seen much of a standard opening strategy develop in 9W on long grass. Chernobyls are effective because you can make hoop 1 and 2 in one stroke to get two shots. I will say with the faster grass, red and yellow were opting for corner 1 a lot, but people were also rolling past wicket 2 quite bit after scoring #1.

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Airrington Controls the Gold Race

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Taylor Airrington entered the Oklahoma Open with a narrow four point lead in the Gold Race. But with Debbie Breeden opting out of the race it was up to Jodi Adams and Deborah Millican to close the gap. Airrington posts scores of 24-14, 30-11, 16-29 and 24-17 to keep his distance on the duo. In the end, he added another point to his advantage over Adams and kept the same 35-point lead he had over Millican. It's shaping up as a great race as now Bill Berg has slipped into fourth place in the race with only one event under his belt. It could be a wild one on July 12 when the Kansas Challenge rolls em' out for the next leg of the series.
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Goodwin and Airrington Repeat at Tulsa

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TULSA, OKLAHOMA -- The MCA made a successful trip on Saturday to expand the Nine Wicket Series into Oklahoma as thirteen players across two divisions battled the wickets and wind at LaFortune Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Both divisions ended up with repeat winners as Dylan Goodwin defeated Matt Baird 20-9 for the 2014 Oklahoma Open Pro Division title and 16-year-old Taylor Airrington went 3-1 to claim the Gold Division title. Bill Berg also had a 3-1 record in the Gold Division, but the Airrington won the head-to-head match 24-17.

PHOTOS | OFFICIAL SCORESHEET

Both Goodwin and Airrington started the MCA season with wins at the Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament in May and now both players will look for a three-peat on July 12 at the Kansas Challenge to be held at Mission Trail Elementary in Leawood, Kansas.

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Fourth Time's A Charm

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LEE'S SUMMIT, MO -- After three runner-up finishes in 2013, Dylan Goodwin finally broke through with a 24-15 win over Greg Clouse at the Lee's Summit T-Bone Tournament held in Howard Park in Lee's Summit, Missouri on Saturday. The final played out in front the MCA's largest gallery to date and featured a couple of good breaks by both players.
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