Mike Fisher sends his ball through a wicket.Mike Fisher sends his ball through a wicket in the championship match of the ITS croquet tournament, Monday in the residence quad.

Champs outwit and outplay on pitch

Some cool play on a hot day helped decide the championship of the annual IT Services croquet tournament, played under a heat advisory Monday in the residence quad.

Fish and Computer Chips — Mike Fisher, John Murer, and Lana Barei — defeated the previously unbeaten Flannagan’s Shenanigans (Karen Flannagan, Viren Parasram, and Tara Das) 21-14 in a hotly-contested final.

It was a measure of redemption for Fish and Computer Chips, whose only loss this season came in the round-robin stage to the Shenanigans.

Murer, speaking for the winners, noted that the team benefited from the contributions of several substitute players in the earlier rounds to qualify for the playoffs.

“My teammates and I want to thank the subs who helped us get here,” he said during the post-victory celebration.

John Murer, Lana Barei, Albert Luo, Karen Flannagan, Viren Parasram, Tara Das

John Murer, Lana Barei, and Albert Luo, subbing in for Mike Fisher, celebrate their win over second-place Viren Parasram, Tara Das, and Karen Flannagan in the ITS croquet championship.