With all quad qualifiers completed, the States Shield final four is down to defending champion Wisconsin, the Cinderella Colorado team, expansion team Florida and wildcard Missouri. All teams are set for battle in Tulsa, Oklahoma, August 17-18. 

The event also includes an open singles US GC Classic tournament for local players, alternates, starters and anyone that wants to come watch and support the Shield event. The full three day schedule is below:

NOTE: Court Setup is Thursday evening and we will allow practice on the available courts that evening. More details to be posted at a later date.

AUGUST 16 - FRIDAY - US GC CLASSIC
8:00 AM -- Block play US GC Classic R1
9:10 AM -- Block play US GC Classic R2
10:20 AM -- Block play US GC Classic R3
11:30 AM -- Break and Open Practice for Shield Players
1:00 PM* -- Quarterfinals US GC Classic (Top 8 to Championship Knockout, Lower finishers to Plate Knockout)
2:00 PM* -- Open Practice for Shield Players
*Times dependent on speed of play in the morning games
 
AUGUST 17 - SATURDAY - SHIELD + GC CLASSIC
8:00 AM -- SHIELD SEMIFINALS - R1 DOUBLES
9:10 AM -- SHIELD SEMIFINALS - R2 SINGLES
10:20 AM -- SHIELD SEMIFINALS - R3 SINGLES
11:30 AM** -- SHIELD SEMIFINALS - R4 SINGLES
BREAK FOR LUNCH
1:00 PM -- US GC Classic Semifinals
1:30 PM** -- SHIELD SEMIFINALS - R5 DOUBLES (IF NEEDED)
2:10 PM - US GC Classic Finals
** R4 and R5 may be played earlier or later depending on the speed of games. The teams can take lunch prior to R4 if the early games run long.
 
6:30 PM -- Optional Teams Dinner at player’s own expense (Location/Details TBD)
 
AUGUST 18 - SUNDAY - SHIELD
8:00 AM -- SHIELD FINAL - R1 DOUBLES
9:10 AM -- SHIELD FINAL - R2 SINGLES
10:20 AM -- SHIELD FINALS - R3 SINGLES
11:30 AM** -- SHIELD FINALS - R4 SINGLES
BREAK FOR LUNCH
1:30 PM** -- SHIELD FINALS - R5 DOUBLES (IF NEEDED)
 
US GC CLASSIC INFORMATION
16 player spots available. Entries above 16 will be put on a wait list. Two players are currently on the list. Entry fees: $65 standard entry. $40 for Shield players and alternates
All games will be ranked. 

PAY FEES ONLINE
 
MEALS
No lunches provided for the Shield or Classic but there are several restaurants near the courts.
 
WORLD RANKINGS
The Shield event is sanctioned through the USCA and all singles game played in the Shield and the Classic will be submitted to the WCF World Rankings.

Wisconsin continues to reign over the Midwest Quad with 7-3, 7-2 wins at the Prairie Lights Club in Manhattan, Illinois. Read the full report on croquetnetwork.com.

Two teams have already advanced in the 2019 Croquet Network States Shield and one is waiting on a potential Wildcard slot for the championship in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to be held August 16-18. 

Florida got past Georgia 6-4 in the first round of the Southeast Quad despite Georgia's Kent Lovvorn putting on a show with a 3-0 record. Up next, Florida bounced a secondary North Carolina line-up in the final 8-2 to claim the Quad. (FULL REPORT)

In the Central Quad, Colorado took out home team Oklahoma in the opening round with a hard-fought 6-4 win. And yes, the decider came down to the 13th hoop. The final brought more intensity and a lot of rain. Colorado came back from down 3-0 against Missouri to force a tiebreaker doubles. They rolled in that final game 7-1 and claimed the Central title and overall championship bid with a 6-5 win. (FULL REPORT)

The Midwest Quad is set to play out this weekend (7/5-7/7) in Joliet, Illinois. Minnesota has withdrawn just this past week leaving no time for a replacement team. They were matched up with Indiana and the early report is that Indiana advances to the final. If they win there against the winner of Illinois and Wisconsin, they will need to take on the loser of Illinois Wisconsin.

Based on wildcard rules, Missouri has the edge over North Carolina based on 12 game wins versus eight. The Shield organizers have not yet announced if the three-team Midwest is eligible for the wildcard.

After starting with just two state teams in 2016, the Croquet Network States Shield will officially have 12 teams for the 2019 edition. Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina have joined the event and will form the Southeast Quad district. Their Quad Qualifier will be first out of the gate in 2019 and will be hosted by South Carolina and the Tega Cay Croquet Club in Tega Cay, South Carolina, June 7-9, 2019.

That moves the States Shield to three Quad qualifiers with four teams each. Each quad will have will have one winner advance to the States Shield Championship to be held August 16-18. One second place team from the Quads will be awarded a wildcard spot in the Championship to round out the four-team championship.

Each Quad is relatively straight forward. It is essentially a single-elimination bracket with the four teams matched up in two tests in the first round. The two winners advance to play for the Quad title and a bid to the Championship.

The other two Quads include the Midwest with Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin; and the Central with Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Wisconsin is the defending Shield Champion after taking a 6-4 win over Oklahoma in the 2018 Championship.

​2019 STATES SHIELD SCHEDULE
06/07-06/09: Southeast Quad, Tega Cay, South Carolina
06/21-06/23: Central Quad, Tulsa, Oklahoma
07/05-07/07: Midwest Quad, Joliet, Illinois
08/16-08/18: States Shield Championship, TBA

The Croquet Network States Shield is a sanctioned USCA event and all singles games count in the WCF world rankings. However, the event is not a USCA managed event.