"The prospect of beating the Johnnies keeps most Mids interested," he said. "The croquet match is huge in Annapolis, and it is fun to be on the big stage."
The competition involves 12 players on each side, divided into two-person teams. The object of the game is to move a ball by hitting it with a mallet through a course of small, wire arches, or wickets, and wooden stakes. A point is scored each time a ball is hit through a wicket and when a ball strikes a stake in the correct order and direction. The first side to score 14 wicket points and 2 stake points for each of its balls wins.
Though the game of croquet dates to the 19th century, the history between the Johnnies and Mids is a relatively recent one. According to Patricia Dempsey, assistant communications director at St. John's, the idea for the match began in 1982 with Kevin Heyburn, a St. John's freshman at the time.
Heyburn went to a pep rally for an Army-Navy football game. Afterward, he overheard the Naval Academy's commandant talking about the Navy athletic programs and started a conversation with him. Heyburn told the commandant that St. John's had a competitive athletic program in the old days and that they often beat Navy in sports like football. The commandant scoffed and said that St. John's could not beat the academy in any sport. Heyburn challenged him, saying St. John's could beat the academy in croquet. Heyburn subsequently proposed a croquet match between the schools, and the first one was held in 1983.
For Sunday's free event, which begins at 1 p.m., the St. John's Freshman Chorus will sing and the Naval Academy's Trident Brass Band will play swing music.
if you go
Who: St. John's College vs. U.S. Naval Academy
What: 27th annual croquet match
When: 1 p.m. Sunday
Where: St. John's College, Front Lawn, Annapolis
Information: 410-626-2539
