LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Readers are reminded that the views expressed in the letters pages of the Gazette are those of the authors only, and not those of their clubs, unless specifically indicated.
THE ULTIMATE HANDICAP ASSESSMENT SYSTEM?
The Fairness in Amateur Recreational Croquet Enterprise (FARCE) has been following with interest the ongoing debate within the croquet community of how to improve handicapping assessment within the sport. Using their internationally renowned expertise, they have developed the Integrated Croquet Assessment Leveller system. Known as FARCICAL it comprises the following set of fully integrated components that will guarantee fairness in handicap play to the satisfaction of the whole croquet community. 1. A full body scanner. This enables a full physiological profile of a player to be obtained thus ensuring an accurate assessment of the level at which they are able to play the game. Note: the associated blood analyser can only be used if a suitably qualified nurse is available to take samples for analysis. 2. A sophisticated shot monitoring system equipped with 12 high definition cameras capable of 1000 frames a second to determine the skill and accuracy to which a player is making their shots. Coupled with heart rate & perspiration monitors plus other unique patented biometric sensors the system can also alert if the 3. An AI assisted psychological, tactics and laws assessment testing package. The players tactical ability and knowledge of the game is an obvious factor in the handicap assessment. The psychological tests enable fine tuning of the handicap calculation to take into account the players emotional state and hence how their standard of play may change as events unfold during the game. 4. A drone equipped with a comprehensive array of environment and ground scanning sensors to factor weather and court conditions into the handicap calculation. For example, a player with limited strength will struggle if the court is very slow and player under test is trying to manipulate the evaluation.
will require a handicap increase. Conversely, a very fast court may disadvantage a heavy‐handed player who struggles with accuracy in very delicate shots. 5. Full dynamic real‐time court scanning so that each shot played can be verified against probability predictions from the initial assessment. Additional software (at extra cost) can be added to provide automated live‐streaming including commentary, playback and game analysis. 6. A powerful computer system to analyse all the data providing an accurate determination of a player’s handicap to ensure a 50% winning probability. Together with real‐time monitoring during a game, handicaps can be continually re‐assessed. In the case of Advantage GC, it can be used to adjust the number of hoops during the game that need to be made if a player is deemed to not be playing to their previously calculated handicap. 7. A particularly important feature is the ability to adjust handicaps on a game‐by‐game basis to accommodate the comparative strengths & weaknesses of the two players. Also, the changes to court conditions and player concentration/stamina levels as the day progresses. As one of FARCE’s dedicated researchers discovered, a player who has taken advantage of a host clubs excellent lunchtime dining and drinking facilities will have a significant disadvantage in the afternoon playing someone who has brought their own banana and bottled water. In addition to the food/alcohol consumption factors that could affect play FARCE is currently negotiating with the relevant bodies to further enhance the system by factoring in information from a player’s Medical, Police, Employment and other personal data records. FARCE is pleased to offer the FARCICAL system to clubs for a discounted price of £450,000 subject to agreeing a 5‐
year annual maintenance and support fee of £10,000/year. To monitor multiple courts simultaneously, additional court monitoring sub‐systems can be purchased for £25,000 each. The central system can support up to 4 monitored courts. Response from an independent FARCICAL evaluation: We believe that the FARCICAL system will be of great benefit to the sport in ensuring fair play in handicap competitions. We are slightly concerned about the time taken to scan and assess players before play starts but specifying a 05:00 arrival time should address this issue and ensure that play can commence around the normal start time of 09:30. We would also recommend that a club procures a system for every 2 courts for efficient reassessment before the commencement of afternoon play. We have pointed out to FARCE that their claim of exactly 50:50 chance of winning cannot be fully justifiable until a comprehensive biometric package (including player voice recording) is developed for players to wear during the game to supplement the visual analysis from the courtside video system. We also noted that the on‐court monitoring system was vastly superior to the VAR system used in football. It was able to make instant decisions on any suspect shot thus making referees obsolete. It is recognised that some shortsighted clubs who do not take handicap play seriously will refuse to procure the FARCICAL system. To accommodate this, and to achieve an equivalent 50:50 chance of winning, the tournament regulations will be amended to provide the option for both players to agree just to toss a coin to decide who has won and then adjourn to the bar to await the next round to be scheduled. FARCE representative
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