According to legend a rivalry began in 1982 when the commandant of the U.S. Naval Academy was speaking with St. John’s freshman Kevin Heyburn and remarked that the Mids could beat the Johnnies in any sport. “What about croquet?” was the Johnnie’s retort. He later proposed the match to a group of midshipmen in the interest of fostering better relations between the schools.
The 29th Annual Croquet Match - SJC v. USNA – will be held Saturday, April 30, 2011, at 1 p.m.
The imperial wickets (i.e. team captains) will be St. John’s Senior Blake Myers (Tex’s close friend) from Santa Fe, New Mexico and Midshipman First Class Dan Abney from Oviedo, Florida. Last year Blake and Tex teamed up to take second place at the United States Croquet Association Collegiate National Championships, where both St. John’s and the Naval Academy teams compete each year.
The big event however is the head-to-head match with Navy. The sides compete for the Annapolis Cup which has been housed everywhere from the Little Campus to a storage closet to the front window of 49 West in Annapolis. Passersby can view it, and it is adorned with the colors of the winning team.
St. John’s has won the Annapolis Cup 23 out of 28 matches.
The Midshipmen wear crisp, U.S. Croquet Association “Croquet Whites,” along with a team tie that varies from year to year. The entire Johnnie uniform changes each year and is revealed only minutes before each match. Uniforms in past years have included camouflage, tuxedoes, Viking garb, kilts, and even imitation USNA crackerjacks. Plebes in dress mess uniforms serve refreshments to the players.
In preparation for the match, both St. John’s and the Naval Academy play the Ginger Cove Croquet Team, from the Ginger Cove retirement community. They have met a few weeks prior to the St. John’s match each year since 1992.
The day before the match, the Johnnies have lunch with the Mids at the Academy mess hall, where the Imperial Wicket for the Johnnies formally challenges the Mids to a match.
The match opens with music. The St. Johns’ freshman chorus sings and the Naval Academy Trident Brass band plays. The Johnnies then emerge in their surprise uniforms and at 1 p.m. the ceremonial first ball is struck and the champagne bottles pop open.
The event has evolved to become one of Annapolis' major annual events, with people wearing "Gatsby era" clothing, grilling, swilling and chilling.
The event has evolved to become one of Annapolis' major annual events, with people wearing "Gatsby era" clothing, grilling, swilling and chilling.
Courtesy and good sportsmanship are expected of all players. No players may throw a mallet or hit a ball in protest or anger. No trash talk is allowed.
The game played at the annual match is nine-wicket, or “backyard”, croquet. A full-size croquet court is a rectangle 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. Nine metal wickets and two wooden stakes are arranged in a double diamond pattern. The object of the game is to advance the balls through the course by hitting them with a mallet, scoring a point for each wicket and stake made in the correct order and direction. The winner is the first side to score 14 wicket points and 2 stake points for each of its balls. Teams can also win bonus points by “scoring” a wicket or stake or by hitting another ball. For the Annapolis Cup, each side has 10 players divided into two-person teams.
Betsy took this photo of Tex and his playing partner at the 2010 match with Navy. As previously noted the SJC uniforms are different each year; chosen by the imperial wicket and often with a theme intended as an esoteric, inside joke. The inside joke about the uniforms last year is that St. John's College is often confused for St. John's University in New York City, a school known for its basketball teams. Thus, the SJC croquet team was decked out in basketball uniforms last year.
In the background of the photo you can see the crowd, the tents, etc. - sort of like a genteel tailgate party. You may also note that most people seem a lot more interested in partying than in watching the croquet match. The people in the foreground who do seem to be paying attention to the match include three of Tex's closest friends at SJC.
This is a link to photos taken during the 2011 Croquet Match.
http://historicannapolis.patch.com/articles/photo-gallery-spectators-flock-to-st-johns-college-for-29th-annual-annapolis-cup-competition#photo-5864434