VITAL STATISTICS
Date: Saturday, August 8, 1998
Location: South Park, Tacoma, Washington
Winner: Jeff Gepner
The third edition of the Lakewood Croquet Club’s Champions Cup was held Saturday, August 8th, 1998, at South Park in Tacoma, Washington. History was made at the event as Jeff Gepner became the first competitor in Club history to repeat as Champions Cup winner. Jeff also won last year’s Cup.
The 1998 event also featured a special appearance by Ken Little, winner of the 1998 WACCOS Fourth of July Tournament. Little greeted LCC competitors, shared stories of WACCOS history, and also joined in play for the first part of the Champions Cup match. In addition to Ken Little, the match also marked Cup debuts for Mark Stibbe, Jessica Mullkoff and Kristina Miller.
The Cup match was off and running by 4:30pm Pacific Time, with competitors struggling through the initial wickets. The third wicket proved to be quite decisive as it split the field of competitors into two groups: Gepner, Stibbe, Andrew Cooper and Kevin Sutton (who also served as Special Referee) moved forward, battling for the lead; Tom Carmony, Brian S. Johnston III, Kristina Miller, Mullkoff, and Little remained trapped on the wicket, attempting to progress.
The lead jockeyed back and forth throughout the 2 hour, 15 minute match, with Gepner, Sutton and Stibbe emerging as the frontrunners. Sutton broke free from the pack to take a commanding lead late in the match, but was prevented from “staking out” for the win when Johnston used “kamikaze” tactics to roquet Sutton off course. Johnston’s roqueting of Sutton opened a window of opportunity for Gepner, who took over the lead and rolled on to victory.
Johnston’s interference was meant to slow down all of the leaders, but ultimately it allowed Gepner to take the win. The situation was particularly ironic because Johnston and Carmony had been very vocal in the weeks leading up to the event that they would do anything in their powers to ensure that Gepner nor Cooper would take the win.
Following Gepner’s win, the Champion was assaulted by his partner Andrew Cooper. The two had previously formed a union known as Double X and had signed a contract specifying that Cooper would win the Cup with Gepner’s help. Cooper viewed Gepner’s win as a double-cross and proceeded to engage the Champ in a wild post-match wrestling match.
It appears that the Lakewood Croquet Club has witnessed the birth of a dynasty… Gepner has won the 1997 and 1998 Cups after finishing a close second in the inaugural 1996 edition. Will Gepner pull off the three-peat in 1999? Will someone else step up to take Gepner’s crown? At this point no one knows, but Club members are already looking ahead and plotting for the next Champions Cup in August, 1999…
CHAMPIONS CUP III COMPLETE RESULTS
1 - Jeff Gepner
2 - Kevin Sutton
3 - Mark Stibbe
4 - Andy Cooper
5 - Jessica Mulkoff
6 - Kristina Miller
7 - Tom Carmony
8 - Brian S. Johnston III
9 - Ken Little
