Top women will be in for a battle of wits

Margaret Grant is looking forward to returning to familiar territory after being named by Croquet New Zealand as one of 12 top-ranked players to play in an invitation women's tournament in Wairarapa from December 9-12.
Grant, who has been playing croquet for 22 years, is a member of Napier's Marewa club but the Wairarapa region has a special place in her heart.
For 16 years, Grant was a member of the Masterton Croquet Club and holds life membership of that body.
Her major successes include winning the NZCC championship doubles title and being runner-up in the NZCC A grade handicap singles.
Grant sees croquet as a battle of the mind as well as providing useful physical exercise.
"It can be arrested at any stage while considering the next move, it has the tactics of a good board game," she said.
Hot favourite for the invitation tourney to be played on the Masterton and Carterton greens will be Cantabrian Jenny Clarke, recent winner of the Australian Open.
A lecturer in sports science at Canterbury University, Clarke, 38, took up croquet 11 years ago while at Oxford University.
She didn't take long to excel at the sport, winning the British women's singles titles in 2002 and 2005, winning the British mixed doubles twice - the last time with husband Chris Clarke - and also winning the 2007 Swiss Open.
She has also twice been a bronze medallist at the world women's golf croquet championships.
Clarke rates one of her biggest honours as being selected to play in the 2010 MacRobertson Shield tier 1 world championship for New Zealand with the Kiwis placing second to Britain and coming close to what would have been a major upset.
A highlight for Clarke was winning all five of her matches against the United States when partnered in the doubles by Greg Bryant, the first Kiwis to achieve that result in the MacRobertson Shield.
On the domestic croquet front, Carterton have edged out Masterton for the Wairarapa Interclub Cup in an exciting competition which went right down to the wire.
Carterton dominated the first round, winning all four of the matches played. In the singles, Harry Murrell beat Annette Rowland 26-9 and Roy Smith beat Ian Wyeth 18-14 while in the doubles Terry Price and Fran Jenkins combined for a 20-11 win over Cheryl Johnston and Elaine Laidlaw and Stella Smith and Malcolm Calman beat Noel and Ian Wyeth 19-10.
The second round saw Masterton hit back strongly with Ian Wyeth beating Roy Smith 14-9 and Yvonne Fraser and Fran Jenkins defeating Tricia Moran and Malcolm Calman 11-9. The other doubles fixture was a thriller with Carterton's Judy Betts and Stella Smith scoring a 15-14 victory over Pat Percy and Carl Redvers in a match which went to extra time after the scores were level at 14-14.
An association croquet fun day held by the Masterton club involved four teams of four, two from Masterton and one each from Carterton and Upper Hutt. Masterton A won the trophy with two wins and 28 points and Carterton was a close second with two wins and 26pts.
Carterton club have held a number of events over the past month and results are:
Association croquet: Stella Smith and Harry Murrell beat Terry Price and Veronica George 19-17, Malcolm Calman beat Tricia Moran 17-12, Judy Betts beat Stella Smith 16-13, Stella Smith beat Tricia Moran 26-15, Harry Murrell beat Stella Smith 26-18.
Golf croquet, November 9: Eddie Gowers and Melanie Greenwood beat Madeline Tacon and Daphne Healy 4-1, Veronica George and Anne Horne beat Heather Crawford 4-3, Bill Edginton and Dawn Dryland beat John Crawford and Gary Morris 4-3, Heather Crawford and Veronica George beat Gary Morris and Madeline Tacon 4-3, John Crawford beat Dawn Dryland and Melanie Greenwood 4-2, Eddie Gowers and Bill Edginton beat Daphne Healy and Anne Horne 4-1, Veronica George and Dawn Dryland beat Daphne Healy and John Crawford 4-1, Anne Horne and Bill Edginton beat Madeline Tacon and Ross Smith 4-2, Eddie Gowers and Gary Morris beat Heather Crawford and Melanie Greenwood 4-1, Madeline Tacon and John Crawford beat Heather Crawford and Anne Horne 4-1, Daphne Healy and Ross Smith beat Gary Morris and Melanie Greenwood 4-2, Veronica George and Bill Edginton beat Eddie Gowers and Dawn Dryland 4-2.
November 13: Eddie Gowers and Gary Morris beat Brenda Calman and Dawn Dryland 7-3, Anne Horne beat Ross Smith 7-2, Steve Davis and Veronica George beat Madeline Tacon and Bill Edginton 7-6, Anne Horne and Eddie Gowers beat Madeline Tacon and Dawn Dryland 7-2, Brenda Calman beat Steve Davis 7-2, Veronica George and Gary Morris beat Ross Smith and Bill Edginton 7-4, Bill Edginton beat Eddie Gowers 7-2, Anne Horne and Veronica George beat Dawn Dryland and Ross Smith 7-4.
November 15: Eddie Gowers and Veronica George beat Madeline Tacon and Daphne Healy 7-3, Gary Morris beat Heather Crawford and Anne Horne 7-5, Madeline Tacon and Veronica George beat Gary Morris and Daphne Healy 7-4, Anne Horne beat Eddie Gowers 7-2, Gary Morris and Veronica George beat Anne Horne and Daphne Healy 7-6, Eddie Gowers beat Madeline Tacon 7-5, Daphne Healy and Anne Horne beat Madeline Tacon 7-6, Gary Morris beat Eddie Gowers 7-3.
November 20: Eddie Gowers and Anne Horne beat Steve Davis and Daphne Healy 7-4, Brenda Calman and Heather Crawford beat Veronica George and John Crawford 7-4, Veronica George and Eddie Gowers beat Heather Crawford and Steve Davis 7-5, John Crawford and Anne Horne beat Brenda Calman and Daphne Healy 7-4, Anne Horne and Veronica George beat John Crawford and Brenda Calman 7-2, Veronica George and Anne Horne beat Eddie Gowsers and Daphne Healy 7-3, Steve Davis beat Brenda Calman 7-5.
Twilight golf croquet, November 9: Jean Falconer and Suzanne Ching beat Fay Wills and Margaret Veeneman 4-3, Jan Heard and Brenda Calman beat Margaret Hunt and Sue Crundwell 4-2, Fay Wills and Margaret Veeneman beat Margaret Hunt and Sue Crundwell 7-5, Norma Harris beat Aileen Wales 7-2, Suzanne Ching and Jean Falconer beat Jan Heard and Brenda Calman 5-3.
November 15: Sue Crundwell and Fay Wills beat Margaret Hunt and Jan Heard 7-3, Jean Falconer beat Norma Harris 7-6, Suzanne Ching and Judy Shakespeare beat Margaret Veeneman and Aileen Wales 7-2, Sue Crundwell beat Margaret Hunt 3-0, Jean Falconer and Jan Heard drew with Fay Wills and Norma Harris 1-1.