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Zack Anderson and David Yearsley never played the sport before they came to Harvard.
There's no regulation court in Cambridge, so serious practice is limited to once a week.
Yet these Quincy House seniors are two of the most talented collegiate players in the New England area, if not the nation.
If you haven't guessed by now, the sport in question is croquet.
Bet you hadn't.
Croquet at the competitive level is very different from its backyard counterpart, the version everybody plays on their grandmother's lawn on the Fourth of July. Yearsley compares it to a "big version of billiards," while Anderson feels it is more "a combination of fishing and equestrian events."
In collegiate croquet, the players try to complete two rotations of the six-wicket, 84- by 105-ft. course within a specified time limit. Players compete alone or in two-person teams.
And the sport is growing in popularity in the New England area. In fact, the New England Collegiate Croquet Association (NECCA), which is made up of such schools as Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Brown, Cornell and Williams, just added a new member: the Bryman School for Dental Assistants. How's that for diversity.
The member schools of NECCA compete in numerous fall and spring tournaments, one of which was the Wellesley College Invitational held last weekend in Dover.
An all-Harvard final pitted Anderson and Yearsley against senior Captain Peter Finch and his partner, David Lamarre.
And what a final it was.
Both Anderson and Yearsley "pegged out," or completed the two circuits of the course and hit the peg before the time limit expired, a highly unusual event in collegiate action.
The Crimson players hope the accomplishment will increase their chances of being invited to the national championships held in West Palm Beach, Fla., next spring.
"We're one of the top three teams in collegiate ranks," explained Anderson, "and we beat the guy who placed third at the championships last year."
Berths in the national tourney are by invitation only, a system Yearsley terms "very political." Harvard team members expressed optimism about their chances to make this year's play-downs.
But where do they play croquet?
As Anderson was quick to point out, there are "not that many croquet lawns around here."
The club was bailed out by Dr. John Schott, a Harvard alumnus who happened to own a well-manicured court at his house in Dover. The team holds serious practices in Dover only about once a week, using the Quincy Courtyard for more informal sessions.
"We practice there [the courtyard] a lot," Yearsley said. "In fact, we even have a tradition of playing in the courtyard on New Year's Day. We come back from break a day early just to play on the ice."
With the shortage of facilities and general lack of knowledge concerning the sport, you might wonder how these Quincy House residents got involved in croquet.
"I met these guys in the [croquet] club who said they were going on a free trip to New York and asked me to join, and I wanted to go to New York so I did," admitted Anderson.
Why Play?
Now, three years after Anderson's first experience with competitive croquet, he's still playing because, quite simply, "croquet is fun."
"Once you start to understand the game it becomes very challenging. It's very intellectual and each shot requires strategy," emphasized Finch.
"It's a great game on every level and you can play it for many, many years," Yearsley said. "Besides," he added, "you get to meet girls."
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