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Warkworth Croquet Club member Nelson Morrow has jumped 54 places in the world rankings following the 2018 Association Croquet World Championships.
The competition was held across five different venues in Wellington, from February 3 to 11.
A total of 80 players attended, representing 12 countries.
Nelson has competed at four other world championships, but this was the first time he made the final 32 and he was also a semi-finalist in the shield competition after being knocked out of the main draw.
“I was the eighth seed in my pool and only four go through to the main draw, so I was stoked to get that far for the first time,” Nelson says.
“In the main draw I played a four-time world champ so that was tough. After losing to him, though, I beat the 1989 world champ in the shield draw and moved to a ranking of 103 in the world.”
His New Zealand ranking has also climbed to 18 while the number one NZ player, Paddy Chapman, moved to third in the world after winning the event.
Nelson’s previous best result in association croquet was winning the 2016 North American Open and in golf croquet winning the plate at the 2015 world championships.
“Like any sport, it’s all about how you handle the big moments mentally that separates the top players.
“There aren’t many shots that world champs’ competitors can’t make, but the context of the shot brings nerves into play that can cause critical errors.”
His next competition will be the Croquet Association Silver Tray Open Invitation in Epsom.
He currently holds a position on the Croquet New Zealand tournament committee.
