CroqCan 18 AC runs August 9-12 in Victoria, BC.

Victoria now has two clubs playing croquet, with three excellent lawns available. New Golf Croquet players are joining in good numbers every year, and some are now moving on into Association. Given Victoria's unique situation, it is expected that croquet will grow steadily over the next few years, making Victoria a hub for serious croquet play in Northwestern North America.

This year's Canadian national championship has attracted 10 players, many of them local. Seven of Canada's 15 highest-ranked players are participating, including Chris Percival-Smith of Victoria, currently ranked #2 in Canada. Also playing is Carl Uhlman of Seattle, co-holder of the national American Rules doubles title (with Brian Cumming, Canada's #1-ranked player) in the US for 2005.

Play will consist of three days of round robin play, with three games per day for each player. Players will be seeded into a Championship block and a Second Flight block at the end of the round robin, with those seeded 4th and 5th playing off for the fourth position in the Championship semifinal, and those seeded 9th and 10th playing off for the fourth position in the Second Flight semifinal. Semifinals and finals will be held on Sunday, the 12th. Results will be entered into Croquet Scores at the end of each day of play.

After the completion of round robin play, Peter Rassenti opted out of further competition due to some back problems. Peter played well in the tournament and was competitive in all his games, despite coming in as the lowest-seeded player based on international rankings.

Peter's departure left only four players in the Second Flight group, so no playoff was needed before the semifinals. After completion of the semifinals, the two defeated semifinalists, Brian Wasylyk and Lorne Oakes, decided to withdraw, so no game was needed to determine the Third Place winner. At this point, the two finalists in the Second Flight also opted to withdraw as "co-winners": Brigitte Westaway and Carl Uhlman.

In the Championship Flight, Michael Dowling defeated Peter Westaway, earning the right to face #1 seed Chris Percival-Smith on Sunday morning. Chris beat Michael and went on to meet Bill Rowat in the final after Bill took down Pierre Dunn. Michael and Pierre then played for Third Place, with Michael prevailing. In the final, Bill Rowat showed what you can do with a long-handled mallet and a bum hip, limping determinedly around the court to defeat Chris 23-16.

Like many other tournaments in the Pacific Northwest, this year's CroqCan AC demonstrated how satisfactory a tournament can be when everyone pitches in to make it work. Courts were set by the competitors, excellent dining opportunities were provided by local club members (including lawn bowlers), and the executive committees of both local clubs made every effort to provide support. Even the weather cooperated, with beautiful, sunny days only once tempered by a late morning shower.