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 twelve times (1989, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018), the Open Championship eleven times (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2014 and 2015) and the Men's Championship four times (1990, 1998, 2006, 2011).[2]

Career statistics

Major tournament performance timeline

Tournament19871988198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000
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 1-1 0-0


Tournament2001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019SRW–LWin %
World Championship F* W F SF 3R 3R 3R A 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 QF A 11 / 30 107 - 19 84.9
Men's Championship F A F 2R A W A A A A W A A 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= W A 12 / 27
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 1-1 0-0 20 / 55 184-34 84.4

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-up1990NZ ChampionshipJoe Hogan-26tp -17tp
Winner1990Men's ChampionshipStephen Mulliner+26tp +7tp -6tp +14
Runner-up1990Open ChampionshipStephen Mulliner-23 -24tp
Winner1990World ChampionshipMark Saurin+26 +24tp
Winner1991Open ChampionshipChris Clarke+14otp +26tp -8 +26tp
Winner1992World ChampionshipJohn Walters-5tp +4tp +12tp
Winner1992Open ChampionshipStephen Mulliner+26tp -14otp +14 -12tpo +26tp
Winner1993NZ ChampionshipBob Jackson+21tp +12
Winner1994Australian ChampionshipRohan Carter+24tp +3
Winner1994World ChampionshipChris Clarke-12tpo +12tp +18tp +13
Runner-up1995NZ ChampionshipBob Jackson-26 -26
Runner-up1995World ChampionshipChris Clarke-18tp +12tpo -26tp +26tp -26
Runner-up1995Open ChampionshipReg Bamford-24tp -26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp
Winner1996Open ChampionshipAaron Westerby+24tp -26tp +26tp -13tpo +26tp
Winner1997World ChampionshipStephen Mulliner+17 -3tpo +9otp +11otp
Winner1990Men's ChampionshipPhil Cordingley+4 +14tp +24
Winner1998Open ChampionshipJacques Fournier+26tp +22tp +25tp +26tp
Runner-up1999Open ChampionshipReg Bamford-26tp +26tp +26tp -26tp -26tp
Winner2000NZ ChampionshipChris Clarke+26tp +26tp
Runner-up2001Men's ChampionshipReg Bamford-3 +8tp -8 +20tp -17qnp
Runner-up2001World ChampionshipReg Bamford+16tp -17sxp +2 -26sxp -26qp
Winner2002World ChampionshipToby Garrison+26tp +26tp -17tp +15tp
Runner-up2003Men's ChampionshipPete Trimmer-16tp -18tp -26tp
Winner2003Open ChampionshipReg Bamford+26tp +12 +18tp
Winner2004Open ChampionshipPete Trimmer+26tp -26tp -18tp +16 +26tp
Winner2005NZ ChampionshipRonan McInerney+26tp +26
Runner-up2005World ChampionshipReg Bamford-17tp -26sxp -17sxp
Winner2006NZ ChampionshipPaul Skinley+26sxp +25sxp +26tp
Winner2006Men's ChampionshipJack Wicks+26tp +26tp +26tp
Winner2006Open ChampionshipReg Bamford-2qp +25sxp +26qnp -8sxp +1
Winner2007Open ChampionshipReg Bamford+26tp +25sxp -16tp +26sxp
Runner-up2008NZ ChampionshipRutger Beijderwellen-26qp -17tp +26 -26tp
Winner2008Open ChampionshipSamir Patel+16qp +17 +26tp
Winner2011Men's ChampionshipPaddy Chapman-25tp +20tp +26tp +4
Runner-up2011Open ChampionshipReg Bamford+18tp -26sxp -17 -26sxp
Runner-up2012Open ChampionshipReg Bamford-25sxp +14tp -24sxp -24sxp
Winner2014Open ChampionshipReg Bamford+16 +5qp +18qp
Winner2015Open ChampionshipPaddy Chapman+20 +7
Runner-up2017Open ChampionshipReg Bamford+25sxp, +3, -20sxp, -26sxp, -19sxp

[2]

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. WCF World Championship
  2. "Croquet Records". Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  • The Croquet Records site
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