2025 WGCA Women's GC Doubles Open
Albemarle Croquet Club
October 14-16, 2025
Thirty two women from around the country competed in the first WGCA Women’s GC Doubles Open
Pictured L-R, Lory Lockwood, Nancy Rendleman, Julie Wright, Susan Hogan,
Lisa Maloney,Sarah Persons, Polly Joa, and Caroline Robison.
There is something incredibly special that happens when women gather together. It’s more than croquet, it’s a sisterhood of support, encouragement, and laughter mixed with the opportunity to bring out the best in one another both on and off the croquet lawn.
On behalf of the Women’s Golf Croquet Academy, we would like to thank the entire Lassiter family for their gracious hospitality and the Albemarle Croquet Club for being the host site for this inaugural event.
The event kicked off with an afternoon training session and practice to get players primed to compete led by instructors Ellie Griffith and Cheryl Bromley. A fun evening of pizza and team trivia kept things hopping as doubles block matches were underway.
At the end of block play, the top four teams in each block moved on to the Quarterfinal Knockout of the Championship Flight, while the remaining four teams in the blocks headed into the First Flight Quarterfinals. All along the way it was so exciting to see how the level of play for women is on the rise and how fiercely they love to compete!
MaryCarol Stearns and Ellie Griffith had a heart-pounding 7-6 win in the CH Quarterfinals against Mel Eckhart and Ellen Brown who were stellar coming out of the blocks with a 6-1 record. Stearns hit a clutch shot at hoop 13 going through the “back door” to knock away her opponent’s ball and leave herself in an enviable scoring position.
The Semi-finals were sensational with Lisa Maloney and Sarah Persons knocking off the top seeded team of Cheryl Bromley and Debbie Davidoff 10-8. Maloney’s fearless clearing shots and Persons well placed positional shots were the edge they needed to advance them to the Final.
Meanwhile, in the other half of the draw, Julie Wright and Susan Hogan continued their winning streak after a solid 6-1 record in block play. They took down Stearns and Griffith 10-8 in the Semis to earn their spot in the Final.
Wright and Hogan methodically made their way to top of the podium with a 7-6, 7-5 victory over Maloney and Persons to claim the Championship title.
In First Flight action, Lory Lockwood and Nancy Rendleman faced off against Polly Joa and Caroline Robison in the final match. Both teams had overcome some challenges in block play with matching 2-5 records. Lockwood and Rendleman managed to pull out a tough 7-6 win in the semis against Patti Malpass and Susie Parker enroute to the Final.
It was Lockwood and Rendleman coming out on top with a solid 10-6 victory over Joa and Robison to capture the First Flight title.
A very special thank you goes out to our Tournament Referee
Marc Stearns!
Mark your calendars for a return trip to Albemarle next year for the 2nd WGCA Women’s Doubles Open October 13 – 15, 2026!
The Women’s Golf Croquet Academy was founded in 2021 by MaryCarol Stearns, Debbie Davidoff, Ellie Griffith, and Cheryl Bromley with the shared mission to develop and improve women’s croquet skills by providing a nurturing environment to embolden more women to successfully compete in tournament play.
CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT
01. Julie Wright & Susan Hogan
02. Lisa Maloney & Sarah Persons
03. Cheryl Bromley & Debbie Davidoff
03. Ellie Griffith & MaryCarol Stearns
05. Jane Louise Smith & Susan Langston
05. Sybil Turner & Mary Anne Hamilton
05. Mel Eckhart & Ellen Brown
05. Lynda Bjorklund & Adrienne Lucke
FIRST FLIGHT
01. Lory Lockwood & Nancy Rendleman
02. Polly Joa & Caroline Robinson
03. Trudy Crowetz & Jane Grandusky
03. Patti Malpass & Susie Parker
05. Janet Mullen & Kim Howell
05. Kathie Gamble & Renee Sebiatnigg
05. Betty Robinson & Jeanmarie Dellosso
05. Barbara Hayworth & Meike Grayson