CAIRO: In the Hawke's Bay Seventh Golf Croquet Championship, Egyptian Mohammed Nasr claimed the world title after beating fellow Egyptian Salah Hassan in the final match. According to the World Golf Croquet Federation, which organized the championship in New Zealand this month, Nasr is ranked eighth worldwide, while ranking third in Egypt. He plays for the Alexandria based Semoha Club and has won several titles, the latest of which was the 2005 Egyptian Championship. During the final game, Nasr defeated Hassan, ranked sixth worldwide who plays for the Shooting Club, three sets to one (7-4, 7-6, 3-7, 7-5). "Nasr s power and precision was something to behold, even for the lay person, reported the New Zealander newspaper Hawke's Bay Today, "But for golf croquet aficionados, it was almost a religious experience. The final reportedly attracted the largest crowd in the sports history: more than 300. According to the Croquet Association, golf croquet has simpler rules and is more interactive than croquet, "as each turn is just a single stroke, but it requires the same or even greater accuracy of hitting and tactical awareness.
