October 31—November 2: Etowah Valley Croquet Club

The CARVA Challenge has been revived after a four-year hiatus. The tournament, an interstate competition between teams representing the Virginias and the Carolinas, started in 1993 and continued until 1999. In those seven years, the home team never lost (there was one tie). The 2003 CARVA Challenge continued this tradition, the Carolinas team coming from four matches down to take their first and only lead at the end of the final round.

Etowah Valley CC has built a new oversized lawn that can be set up as one full court with plenty of extra space around, or as two smaller courts. Like the original lawn, the new lawn is flat and fast. Players had many compliments for the lawns, and also for the courtside lodge rooms and the evening meals featuring live entertainment.

The team captains (Daley Craig and Conrad Haas for the Virginias, Harold Allison and Gene Young for the Carolinas) conferred before each round to draw up matches. In all, the 35 players played 75 games, mostly doubles.

Largely on the strength of their Second Flight players, the Virginias team took a four-match lead on Day 1. They still held this lead at the end of Day 2. In Sunday’s first round the Carolinas team pulled level by winning five of six matches. The second round was tied, leaving three singles games (one in each flight) to decide the outcome. Carolinas swept the round, earning the right to hold the beautiful carved-wood CARVA trophy for the coming year.

Team MVPs

Carolinas

• Joan Allison
• Bob Cherry
• Chris Christian
• Karen Christian
• Paul Embry
• Danny Huneycutt

Virginias

• Allen Clem
• Dorothy Craig
• Conrad Haas
• John Harralson
• Claiborne Minor
• Wayne Synan
• Travis Watson
• Betty Williams

Last modified on 20 November 2005 by Jeff Soo