Shilling off to world champs
LEADING Otago player Chris Shilling has been selected to represent his country at the world championships early next year.
The 2018 Association Croquet World Championship will be held at the Kelburn Croquet Club in Wellington on February 311.
The event is limited to 80 players and Shilling has qualified courtesy of his ranking.
He is the No 5 ranked player in New Zealand and hopes to make it through to the knockout stage.
Shilling made the top 32 at the tournament in Adelaide in 2012 and hopes to do as least as well on home soil.
‘‘This is the same format as previous said.
‘‘You start off in a block of 10 players and the top four go through to the top 32.
‘‘I’m probably seeded third or fourth in my block. But there are up and coming players and if you get a couple of them in your block, you could be hard pushed to qualify.
‘‘I hope to qualify but it is certainly not guaranteed.’’
In April, the 54yearold Dunedin radiation therapist was part of the New Zealand team which contested the MacRobertson Shield in the United States. He initially missed selection but was called in when another player pulled out.
‘‘It was the offseason, so I
tournaments,’’ he kind of haven’t played in anything since then.’’
The New Zealand Championship will be staged in Christchurch just before the World Championship and the tournament will provide Shilling, who plays for the Punga Croquet Club in Dunedin, the perfect leadin.
‘‘That will be good for testing out the form and hopefully improving it. It finishes on the Sunday and worlds start the following Saturday.
‘‘It has been set up so that overseas players who are interested in playing in it can.’’
The English players are expected to offer the strongest competition, although Australia won the MacRobertson Shield for the first time and has some good players.