Lakewood Croquet Club

EVERETT, WA – Less than 24 hours before his defense of the Champions Cup, 2004 winner Brian “Gurgles” Johnston was struck with a suspicious case of food poisoning, courtesy of a questionable Indian buffet lunch July 15th. Johnston had dined at an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet in the culinary capital of the Northwest, Everett. Though initially feeling fine, by late Friday afternoon Johnston was doubled-over in agony and trying to understand exactly what had happened.

The sickness, discomfort and frequent bathroom visits continued Friday night and into the mornign Saturday, just hours before the start of Champions Cup X. Johnston struggled to eat prior to the match, subsisting on apple sauce and crackers and clearly not feeling in top form for the match.

Despite the illness, Johnston, who described himself as “65-70%” on the day of the Cup, soldiered on, finishing in a three-way tie for second place.

Rumors have circulated suggesting that foul play on the part of one of Johnston’s competitors might have been responsible for the food poisoning, but thus far nothing has been confirmed.