Carissa Price with the national women’s championship trophy. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
CROQUET
CHRIS COGDALE
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Masterton’s Carissa Price adopted an aggressive approach last Sunday and the move paid off with her first national women’s title.
Price scored a convincing 2-0 win over defending champion Kathie Grant [Auckland] in the final played at the Dannevirke Croquet Club.
The only game Price dropped on her way to the final was to Grant in round robin play earlier in the week. However, it was a different story in the final, which Price dominated to win 26-17 26-5.
Price started the final nervously as Grant took the lead for the first two hours.
Then Price gathered her confidence and began to play her more usual attacking style and chased Grant down to peg out close to full-time.
In the second game Price continued to play aggressively and went on attack from the outset. She played a controlled game and led all the way to finish in short time by a 21-point margin.
Price admitted that her form had been off heading into the championship.
“I hadn’t been playing that well and I just didn’t really give myself a chance, so I just went up there and went for it,” she said.
“It’s really exciting when you see some of the names on the trophy, which has been played for since 1912.
“It’s what I’ve been aiming for and it’s another step up the ladder.”
The win lifted 43-year-old Price to a world ranking of 29, and she wants to improve that to get direct entry into the world championships in Christchurch starting in late November.
“I haven’t represented New Zealand yet and that’s my aim.
“If I stay in the top 30, I’ve got a reasonable chance of making the direct entry, so I’m aiming on getting my ranking down further.”
Price’s next target is to defend the national women’s invitational open title that she won in Masterton last year. The tournament will be held in Marton from February 21-23.
She has also been invited to the prestigious Roger Murfitt Tournament in Petone in March for the first time.
