By Roger Booth What would possess three players with an average age of 71 to play Golf Croquet continuously throughout the shortest night of the year? SUNSET TO SUNRISE
The answer is simple: we enjoy a challenge.
At 9.29pm on the eve of the Summer Solstice, three members of Eynsham Croquet struck the first ball of a game that would not finish until sunrise at 4.46am. Our aim was to raise sufficient funds to replace one set of championship balls which, after 22 years of faithful service, had become rather battered and worn around the edges — not unlike the players themselves. The weather could not have been kinder. The night remained cool, dry and still, although a heavy dew gradually formed across the lawns as the hours passed which allowed us to track the balls. Head torches and floodlights created dramatic shadows across the lawns. What kept us going was the banter, the challenge, the silence of the night, several mugs of builder's tea and the unique experience of having the lawns entirely to ourselves. Remarkably, despite the limited visibility, there were several successful jump shots and only one wrong ball played throughout the darkness. As for the overall standard of play, perhaps the less said the better. As dawn approached, the eastern sky slowly turned brilliant shades of pink and red while a thick mist drifted across the outfields. The long shadows, the silence and the gradually emerging daylight created an atmosphere none of us will ever forget. Sunrise over Eynsham: after seven hours of play, the shortest night produced some of the longest shadows.
Sunset over the Eynsham lawns before play commenced at 9.29pm
By 4.46am we had completed 7 hours and 25 minutes of continuous play.
The fundraising exceeded all expectations, with donations reaching £715 and with further support still arriving we hope to stretch to buying a second set of balls. Plans are already under way to make the event bigger and better next year. So here is our challenge to other clubs. Choose the Summer Solstice. Put up some lights. Gather a few willing players and discover what your lawns feel like at two o'clock in the morning.
Or simply join us next year at Eynsham — the home of the Solstice Croquet Challenge! Sunday 20 June 2027 is already in our diaries. Who will join us? Photographs: © Roger Booth 2026
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