LETTERS TO THE EDITOR FIFTY SHADES OF WHITE
The article on Tournament Regulations in the February 2026 edition of the Croquet Gazette highlighted a subject close to my heart in the form of Regulation P4(d) relating to dress codes. The definition of ‘whites’ has always been open to interpretation due to the wide range of whites and off-whites available on any colour chart, so I agree it is time to be more flexible, particularly when Croquet England is encouraging More People Playing more Croquet in More Places in order to promote croquet as a sport accessible to everyone. I play at a croquet club situated in a public park, with the public walking alongside our lawns. There is no ‘whites’ dress code for club play in order to avoid any impression of elitism that may discourage new members from joining. We also do not insist on whites being worn in ‘entry level’ tournaments, which has the advantage of removing a barrier for new players who may not be sure if competitive play is for them and would like to try it out as a one-off, for which buying a new set of whites is not justified. The club website and publicity also uses images that depict the club as informal, so that prominence is given to showing members playing in casual wear, with pictures of whites being worn confined to areas describing competitive play and the club achievements in competitions. We welcome both novices and experienced players as new members, but feel it is important not to put off potential new members by over-emphasising the more formal aspects of the game. However, I do wonder whether the additional options of tournament dress codes described as ‘smart casual’ and ‘strict whites’ (also referred to as ‘formal whites’ in the tournament regulations) is any clearer. I am a firm believer in individuality in a sport that does not require participants to dress identically for reasons of identifying which team they are on, while my interpretation of what form of casual clothing might be deemed ‘smart’ would probably vary from the opinion of others to the same extent that there are any number of variants on what constitutes white. To make matters more confusing, clubs with a ‘strict whites’ dress code seem to accept cricketing pullovers that are decidedly cream in colour, emphasising that a degree of flexibility in interpreting the rules is already in place. There will be many players who will continue to wear whites by choice, particularly at the ‘higher level’, so the definition of ‘smart casual’ in the regulations being in addition to all clothing permitted as ‘whites’ is important, but perhaps ‘whites optional’, rather than ‘smart casual’ would be a better description, one that would cater for everyone, particularly when the term ‘smart casual’ is frequently used in other settings, ones where turning up in sports clothes would not be acceptable. There is clearly an aesthetic quality imbued by the sight of players in whites on a lawn in a park setting on a summer’s day, but any move away from an overly strict dress code should be welcomed if it encourages greater participation in the sport. It remains to be seen how many competition organisers will opt for ‘smart casual’ rather than ‘strict whites’. I hope it is the majority and believe the image of the game would benefit as a consequence and might even encourage more people to take up the sport when they see it being played. David Graham
www.croquetengland.org.uk | 10
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