Twenty-three players are girded for battle at the 2010 North Carolina Singles Championship, starting this Thursday at beautiful Bald Head Island. The odds-on favorite is Danny Huneycutt, looking for his third consecutive state title and fifth in six years.

If Huneycutt reaches the final he will have a different opponent than in 2009; Jeff Soo is taking a vacation from croquet after the recent MacRobertson Shield. The remainder of the top flight includes Pinehurst pro Ron Lloyd, up-and-coming Pinehurst players Mike Taylor, Chris Christian, and Horace Hayworth, former state champion and local player Harper Peterson, and Meadows Mallet Club members Steve Summer and Tommy Harrington.

First flight has fourteen players from across the state, with a great mix of fast rising players from NC’s most active clubs. There are sure to be some exciting matches. The players are:

• Bill Hartmann
• Bob Roth
• Rodney Lassiter
• Bill Daigle
• Dick Johnston
• Tony Reaves
• Bob Porter
• Avril Nicholson
• Dave Strawson
• Judy Porter
• Rob Byrd
• Elaine Moody
• Brenda Quanstrom
• Anne Boozell