Robert Fulford (croquet player)
Robert Fulford (born 1969) is a leading English croquet player who has dominated the sport since the turn of the 1990s.
Life and career
Born in Colchester, England, he started to play croquet at his local school at the age of 15. Fulford has a light attitude towards the game, often travelling from cheap hotel or homes of local croquet players to the next because he only makes about £8000 a year from the sport. One tournament yielded him a lawnmower.
He is an alumnus of the University of Durham, where amongst some of his friends he had the nickname 'fluffy'
He supplements his sporting career by working for a stone merchants in Thurrock in Essex. Robert has become a CPA [chartered public accountant] and it is not clear what effect, if any, this will have upon his sporting pursuits.
Robert also coaches croquet, particularly in Australia and the Chattooga Club in North Carolina. Robert has made croquet videos with Australian croquet expert Kevin Brereton in which Robert teaches both basic and advanced break tactics. He has won the world championship 5 times:[1]
- 1990 at Hurlingham Club, England
- 1992 in Newport, USA
- 1994 at Carden Park, Cheshire, England
- 1997 at Moorabinda Croquet Club, Bunbury, Western Australia
- 2002 in Wellington, New Zealand
Fulford has also won the President’s Cup eleven times (1989, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012), the Open Championship eleven times (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2015 and 2015) and the Men's Championship four times (1990, 1998, 2006, 2011).[2]
Career statistics
Major tournament performance timeline
| Tournament | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship | 4R* | W | SF | W | W | F | W | |||||||
| Open Championship | 2R | 1R | 4R* | F | W | W | QF | SF | F | W | SF | W | F | SF |
| Men's Championship | A | QF | SF | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | SF | W | A | A |
| Presidents' Cup | 5= | 6 | W | 2 | 4= | 2= | 5= | A | A | A | 3= | W | W | A |
| Win-Loss | 1-1 | 2-2 | 5-2 | 13-1 | 8-1 | 10-0 | 2-1 | 8-1 | 9-2 | 6-0 | 12-2 | 10-0 | 4-1 | 3-1 |
| Tournament | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | SR | W–L | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Championship | F* | W | F | SF | 3R | 3R | 3R | A | 5 / 14 | 45 - 9 | 83.3 | |||||||||
| Open Championship | F* | A | W | W | 2R | W | W | W | SF | QF | F | F | QF | W | W | A | F | 11 / 29 | 106 - 18 | 85.5 |
| Men's Championship | F | A | F | 2R | A | W | A | A | A | A | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | 4 / 10 | 32 - 6 | 84.2 |
| Presidents' Cup | W | W | 3= | 2 | 5= | W | 4= | W | W | W | W | W | 6= | 2 | A | 2 | 2= | 11 / 26 | ||
| Win-Loss | 8-2 | 5-0 | 8-1 | 5-1 | 5-2 | 9-0 | 5-0 | 8-1 | 4-2 | 2-1 | 8-1 | 4-2 | 2-2 | 4-0 | 4-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 20 / 54 | 183-33 | 84.7 |
The 1989 and 2001 World and Open Championships were combined events.
Major Championship Finals: 39 (25 titles, 14 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1990 | NZ Championship | Joe Hogan | -26tp -17tp |
| Winner | 1990 | Men's Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +26tp +7tp -6tp +14 |
| Runner-up | 1990 | Open Championship | Stephen Mulliner | -23 -24tp |
| Winner | 1990 | World Championship | Mark Saurin | +26 +24tp |
| Winner | 1991 | Open Championship | Chris Clarke | +14otp +26tp -8 +26tp |
| Winner | 1992 | World Championship | John Walters | -5tp +4tp +12tp |
| Winner | 1992 | Open Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +26tp -14otp +14 -12tpo +26tp |
| Winner | 1993 | NZ Championship | Bob Jackson | +21tp +12 |
| Winner | 1994 | Australian Championship | Rohan Carter | +24tp +3 |
| Winner | 1994 | World Championship | Chris Clarke | -12tpo +12tp +18tp +13 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | NZ Championship | Bob Jackson | -26 -26 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | World Championship | Chris Clarke | -18tp +12tpo -26tp +26tp -26 |
| Runner-up | 1995 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -24tp -26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp |
| Winner | 1996 | Open Championship | Aaron Westerby | +24tp -26tp +26tp -13tpo +26tp |
| Winner | 1997 | World Championship | Stephen Mulliner | +17 -3tpo +9otp +11otp |
| Winner | 1990 | Men's Championship | Phil Cordingley | +4 +14tp +24 |
| Winner | 1998 | Open Championship | Jacques Fournier | +26tp +22tp +25tp +26tp |
| Runner-up | 1999 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp -26tp |
| Winner | 2000 | NZ Championship | Chris Clarke | +26tp +26tp |
| Runner-up | 2001 | Men's Championship | Reg Bamford | -3 +8tp -8 +20tp -17qnp |
| Runner-up | 2001 | World Championship | Reg Bamford | +16tp -17sxp +2 -26sxp -26qp |
| Winner | 2002 | World Championship | Toby Garrison | +26tp +26tp -17tp +15tp |
| Runner-up | 2003 | Men's Championship | Pete Trimmer | -16tp -18tp -26tp |
| Winner | 2003 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +26tp +12 +18tp |
| Winner | 2004 | Open Championship | Pete Trimmer | +26tp -26tp -18tp +16 +26tp |
| Winner | 2005 | NZ Championship | Ronan McInerney | +26tp +26 |
| Runner-up | 2005 | World Championship | Reg Bamford | -17tp -26sxp -17sxp |
| Winner | 2006 | NZ Championship | Paul Skinley | +26sxp +25sxp +26tp |
| Winner | 2006 | Men's Championship | Jack Wicks | +26tp +26tp +26tp |
| Winner | 2006 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -2qp +25sxp +26qnp -8sxp +1 |
| Winner | 2007 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +26tp +25sxp -16tp +26sxp |
| Runner-up | 2008 | NZ Championship | Rutger Beijderwellen | -26qp -17tp +26 -26tp |
| Winner | 2008 | Open Championship | Samir Patel | +16qp +17 +26tp |
| Winner | 2011 | Men's Championship | Paddy Chapman | -25tp +20tp +26tp +4 |
| Runner-up | 2011 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +18tp -26sxp -17 -26sxp |
| Runner-up | 2012 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | -25sxp +14tp -24sxp -24sxp |
| Winner | 2014 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +16 +5qp +18qp |
| Winner | 2015 | Open Championship | Paddy Chapman | +20 +7 |
| Runner-up | 2017 | Open Championship | Reg Bamford | +25sxp, +3, -20sxp, -26sxp, -19sxp |
Style
Fulford's playing style includes the ability to play a range of shots. His tactic of peeling an opponent's ball through hoop 1 makes a triple peel as hard as possible for the opponent. His sextuple peels are also more frequent than those of any other player. Robert Fulford uses an Irish grip [rather like a golf grip] and employs "casting" [swinging mallet over the ball] about three times before each shot. He has strong wrists which makes the Irish grip work for him without it causing the R.S.I. that the grip is sometimes blamed for. In fact, Robert admits that he has quite a wrist-dominated technique which contradicts most coaching manuals that advise minimal wrist involvement.
World Championship Results
Fulford has played in the following World Championships:[1]
- 1989: Round 4: (lost to John Prince +26tp, -17, -26tp)
- 1990: won (beat Mark Saurin +26, +24tp)
- 1991: S/F (lost to John Walters -14otp, -26tp)
- 1992: won (beat John Walters -5tp, +4tp, +12tp)
- 1994: won (beat Chris Clarke -12tpo, +12tp, +18tp, +13)
- 1995: runner-up (lost to Chris Clarke -18tp, +12tpo, -26tp, +26tp, -26)
- 1997: won (beat Stephen Mulliner +17, -3tpo, +9otp, +11otp)
- 2001: runner-up (lost to Reg Bamford +16tp, -17sxp, +3, -26sxp, -26qp)
- 2002: won (beat Toby Garrison +26tp, +26tp, -17tp, +15tp)
- 2005: runner-up (lost to Reg Bamford -17tp, -26sxp, -17sxp)
- 2008: S/F (lost to Chris Clarke +26tp, +26tp, -11tpo, -17, -26)
- 2009: Round 3: (lost to Ben Rothman -14, -15tp, -17)
- 2012: Round 3: (lost to Marcus Evans +26tp, -20tp, +26sxp, -3tp, -25qnp)
- 2013: Round 3: (lost to Andrew Johnston +17tp, +12tp, -26, -15, -15)
References
- 1 2 WCF World Championship
- 1 2 "Croquet Records". Retrieved 8 August 2015.