CROQUET Online Issue 2 | July 2025 GAZETTE
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WELCOME I asked myself, is it coincidence or is it fate, that months ago I planned for Jenny Clarke’s image to be on the cover of this issue, and in this very month she has made the headlines in Croquet once again? You will read later how Jenny won the second Sugar Beach Interna7onal Croquet Cup, and this issue follows far too soon a'er the Associa7on Croquet Open Championships to include a full report, so here comes the spoiler: Having just won the New Zealand Open Championship in 2025, she has now become the first woman in nearly 60 years to have competed in the Associa7on Croquet Open Singles Championships final. My congratula7ons go to Robert Fulford for claiming the 7tle of the Singles Championships for the twel'h 7me, which matches Reg Bamford’s record for the event. Reg has hit the headlines himself in the last month, winning the Golf Croquet Open Singles Championships for the thirteenth 7me. Now it’s 7me to ask the big ques7on: Why has it taken so long for a woman to get back into the finals? And for the big answer, well I suppose we need to ask the smaller ques7ons first. Croquet England have ini7ated a plan to encourage more women to a8end coaching across both codes in the 2026 season, which in turn will hopefully encourage more women to enter tournaments and increase the probability of their success at the highest levels in the game. Alison Alison Maugham Editor editor@croquetengland.org.uk SURVEY OF ALL COACHES By Ruth Raunkiaer Many thanks to the 282 coaches who completed the survey when first asked. It is a great help to the volunteers on the Coaching Commi8ee that we didn’t have to chase you for a response. Also thank you to the 94 coaches who have so far responded to our reminder. If you are one of the 134 coaches who s7ll hasn’t responded, please do so now! The survey really only takes less than 2 minutes to complete. If you don’t respond, we cannot know that you are s7ll ac7ve as a coach and should remain on the CqE Register of Coaches. The Coaching Commi8ee is responsible for maintaining an up‐to‐date Register of Ac7ve Coaches. The current exercise has so far resulted in 71 coaches being removed from the register, as they were no longer coaching. CqE Coaches are covered by the CqE Professional Indemnity Insurance when coaching on behalf of a CqE member club, an academy or CqE itself. By responding, you will also be helping the Coaching Commi8ee to learn about what coaching takes places around the country and so be able to allocate our resources where they are most usefully deployed. Once the results have been thoroughly analysed, they will be shared with all in the Gaze8e. Please respond now! If you prefer, you can send an email instead, to confirm that you are ac7ve as a coach, to ruth.raunkiaer@croquetengland.org.uk.
Croquet Gaze8e Online Issue 002 | July 2025
Front cover: Jenny Clarke wins Sugar Beach Interna7onal Croquet Cup [Page 10]
CONTENTS 4 5 6 8 Hibiscus Chairman's Column Tunnel of Time Le8ers to the Editor
10 15 18 21 24 25 28 29
Sugar Beach Interna7onal Cup Associa7on Croquet Repor7ng Golf Croquet Repor7ng Mike's Story Measuring Improvement Club News Lawn Maintenance Mumbles Recruitment
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HIBISCUS COLUMN
you’ve slaved over into a bag to change into at the club, risking unsightly creases at point of use? Reg Bamford’s first rule of gamesmanship was to look smarter than his oppo. As a South African, he wasn’t raised to wash and iron. The week I played at Somerset West, the club outside Cape Town that he dominated as a young man, changed my own perspec7ve. My whites, normally on the scruffy side of Jeeves, were almost perfect, thanks to the services of Privilege, the beauty who emerged from her township on s7le8o heels dressed for the Royal Enclosure to look a'er us in our hilltop Airbnb. Other games have moved on from white, but croquet remains adamant. Seniors who have not gained weight like to show how well their Oxbridge cricket sweaters s7ll fit, even if they’ve yellowed slightly with age. Clubs encourage shirts, jackets and hats with embroidered logos for matches so that team members walk out in the same shade, a good plan if their choice of washing powder doesn’t play a part. Of course, the young look wonderful in white, lithe and supple as they
emerge from their home‐based IT consultancies to dominate the courts physically and mentally. No finessing for them. Mallet heads follow through to shoulder height, balls send shock waves as they smash into each other, or the perimeter fence; or howls of pain should it be someone’s ankle. Future world champion Aston Wade, back in his junior days when he was li8le more than an ominous rumour in the West Country, introduced me to the youth profile, while thrashing me at Hamptworth. I saw it again at the Cheltenham Easter tournament, when manager James Death amiably stepped in to offer a consola7on game to a lad who’d been knocked out early. Less than an hour later, he was smiling broadly having used his bisques to beat the European champion 26‐0. And at Blewbury where High Wycombe’s Gabriel lived up to his name with an avenger’s determina7on. A'erwards we asked two Wycombists how low they hoped their handicaps would go. The older man, an impressive seven a'er only three years, hoped for five. Gabriel said he’d rather learn to do a triple peel than set a handicap goal. Do you think he had a minus figure in the back of his mind…?
MINTY CLINCH Travelling Croquet Journalist Telling the Croquet stories as they unfold
For a game so viciously compe77ve, croquet is o'en quite cosy. Substan7al is not a problem: many enjoy high level success with ill‐defined waistlines. When double banked, tense sideline sit‐outs while opponents go round seamlessly to peg trigger comfor7ng gastro chats. Local pubs with decent chefs? Oh no, is he doing a triple peel? Gigondas or Chateauneuf du Pape? Best to have things to look forward to when the chopper’s looming. The dress code isn’t helpful. White is too stark to fla8er the average 60+ croquista, emphasising avoirdupois and scrawniness in equal measure. Victorians who ordained it for croquet, cricket and tennis couldn’t imagine a world in which players might have to do their own laundry. Do you step out of the shower into the whites, temp7ng fate re breakfast spillage? Or do you fold the garments
QUEEN VICTORIA’S CHILDREN’S CROQUET SET
By Adrian Coles
Lord Beaverbrook. Max Aitken fought with dis7nc7on in the Second World War, became a Conserva7ve MP and later ran Beaverbrook Newspapers, including the Daily Express. So what has all this to do with croquet? On visi7ng the Aitken Museum I was intrigued to find a croquet set, pictured below. The very helpful volunteer member of staff in the museum that day told me that it was believed to be Queen Victoria’s children’s croquet set, which they played with on their holiday visits to Osborne House. It was believed that Edward VII cleared the set out a'er his mother’s death, although the member of staff didn’t know how it
TUNNEL OF TIME
For croquet players, a holiday to the Isle of Wight might o'en involve a visit to Ryde Croquet Club. On our recent visit, though, we decided history was our theme and visits to Osborne House, Carisbrooke Castle, Alfred Lord Tennyson’s home at Farringford, along with some very nice restaurants in Cowes, meant that we didn’t have enough 7me to fit in a game. However, that didn’t mean we had a croquet‐free holiday. The Sir Max Aitken Museum in Cowes' main street is an idiosyncra7c collec7on of naval artefacts connected to the son of Churchill’s war7me cabinet colleague
came to be in the Max Aitken collec7on.
I was keen to learn a li8le more about Queen Victoria’s interest in croquet. Sadly, a search of her le8ers and journals, now fully digi7sed and freely available online, showed no hits for the word “croquet”.
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CHAIRMAN'S COLUMN by Samir Patel Chair of the Board of Trustees
I’ve just returned from the Associa7on Croquet Inter‐county Championship, which is an annual jamboree of 165 players from 22 coun7es compe7ng over four days at Sussex County (Southwick) and Compton Croquet Clubs. As well as the players, there was a countless number of volunteers in all manner of roles – lawns, lines, hoops, catering, bar, gardens, maintenance, parking, finances, tournament management and refereeing. Thank you all, for this event and everyone else who volunteers at clubs across the country. A visit to Compton also allowed me to see the Padel facility that has been built next to the courts and compare it to the facility at East Dorset LTCC (described by Dave Fuller in the previous issue). Compton’s indoor courts are a much more imposing and less aesthe7c structure than the open three‐ court arrangement at Parkstone, but at both venues it’s clear that the courts have a regular stream of players across a range of demographics. Pricing for Padel ranges from £20 to £80 per hour, which is an interes7ng comparison to the £32.50 for four days in the inter‐county championship. The Trustees are considering the ques7on of how we secure more money to grow all levels of our sport as we seek to collate ac7on plans in support of the strategy. We currently rely on hundreds of hard‐working volunteers. This commitment and dedica7on is, and will remain, essen7al to the smooth running of Croquet England, but it’s clear that we need to a8ract more funding to sustain and grow our sport.
We’re always looking for people with ideas to support the strategy and we are currently seeking applica7ons for two new Trustees of Croquet England. As a charity, the role of the Trustees is an essen7al part of our governance. Trusteeship can be rewarding for many reasons ‐ from a sense of making a difference to our Sport, to new experiences and rela7onships. I encourage everyone to consider whether to stand, or whether they know someone else that they think might be appropriate. There is more informa7on available on the subscriber’s website: www.croquet.org.uk/?p=press/news&NewsID=8708
2000 MILE ROUND TRIP FOR SWISS CROQUET PLAYER By Mike Bradbury, Pendle and Craven Croquet Club
Ambassador’s party to celebrate the King’s birthday in order to give a demonstra7on of croquet. Peter is playing in a number of events in the UK this year, including the AC inter‐coun7es for Warwickshire. The 65‐year‐old, who holds joint Bri7sh and Swiss ci7zenship, has played croquet all over the world, including America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Egypt. Currently he is trying to start up a croquet club in Ticino, where he lives, and re‐ establish an Italian Croquet Associa7on as well as the Swiss. He is the Treasurer of the Cern Croquet Club, Secretary of the Swiss Croquet Associa7on and Treasurer of the World Croquet Federa7on.
At the Golf Croquet A level Series event at Pendle over the weekend of 7th and 8th June, it became apparent that one player was showing an extraordinary commitment to compete in the North West of England. Peter Payne had travelled from Switzerland, where he lives in Vicomorcote in the canton of Ticino. He had le' at 04.30 on Friday morning from Malpensa, arriving in Manchester Airport via Heathrow. If there were no delays, he would arrive home at 01.00 on Monday morning. The evening before his epic round trip, Peter had appeared at the Bri7sh
Peter was born in Birmingham in 1959. He moved to Switzerland in 1971 when he was 11. His croquet journey began in the mid‐1960s. Currently, he has an AC handicap of ½ and is a scratch player at Golf Croquet.
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TUNNEL OF TIME
CHRIS WILLIAMS Croquet England Archivist
together. A moment's considera7on will show that as with the primary colours this partnership brings the two brighter coloured together leaving the two darker balls in partnership. If I may further enlighten Rover it is both customary and usual in Sydney Clubs and in N.S.W. Country Clubs which have insufficient lawns to accommodate all members, to use 8 balls on the same lawn and so have two games in progress regularly. I have myself in Tamworth, N.S.W., played when 3 games were in progress on a Saturday a'ernoon on the one lawn. Twelve players on one lawn playing 3 doubles at the same 7me is, however, a trifle disconcer7ng. 80 YEARS AGO In the June 30th, 1945 Gaze8e, War Emergency Number (6) Editorial Notes Victory! Although this number of the C.A. Gaze8e s7ll bear the 7tle “War Emergency Number” (the sixth of the series), it may have been called the “V.E.” Number. The amazing defeat of Germany, a'er nearly six years of the most terrible war the world has ever seen, when at one 7me it looked as if nothing could save us from being invaded and vanquished, had been as welcome as it has been almost miraculous. For at one 7me in 1941 par7cularly, it was, in croquet parlance, as if Hitler was for the peg with both balls before we had started and to win as we have proved, that in war, as in croquet, the contest is never won 7ll both balls have hit the peg.
70 YEARS AGO In the June 1955 Gaze8e (#11) Notes by Rover
AKA 'Sta1o' Keeper of Croquet Sta0s0cs, visit croquetrecords.com
An inquiry has reached “Rover” from Australia, to which he is quite unable to give any confident reply, and he would be interested to know whether anyone else can. It concerns the supplementary colours which are s7ll, he understands, obtainable from some sports dealers by those who, for whatever reason, desire to have more balls in play on a court than the four to which we are accustomed. These colours are Green, Pink, Brown and White, and what we are asked is in what partnership these balls should properly play. It is possible, indeed very probable, that this ma8er was specifically dealt with in the codes of laws published at the end of the last century, when the game revived, but if so we cannot recall what the ruling was and do not know where an inquirer could now lay his hands on the relevant document. If it be asked why anyone in Australia or anywhere else should require such informa7on, the answer we fancy is not that it is proposed to brighten Croquet by the introduc7on of an eight ball break. It is that in countries where the number of enthusiasts for the game largely exceeds the courts available to accommodate them, it is o'en necessary to play two games on a single lawn at the same 7me. But perhaps it will be well for us to se8le this partnership problem in case our propagandist efforts succeed so well that our own clubs find themselves faced with the situa7on which our Australia friends have to meet. THE QUESTION WAS ANSWERED IN THE NEXT EDITION (JULY 1955) BY AE SAALFELD The second colour balls are properly paired White and Pink together leaving Brown and Green to be paired
In this sec7on, we once again take a look through the 'Tunnel of Time' to see what was taking place in the Croquet World in the past, as seen in the Croquet Gaze8e. 65 YEARS AGO In the July 1960 Gaze8e (#45) Notes by Rover Lady Minus Players of the Future At the end of Ladies’ Field Cup week in July last year a spectator remarked that Joan Warwick was the first winner to have come from players who have taken up croquet since the war. Previous winners since 1946 were Miss Lintern, Mrs. Elvey, Mrs. Rotherham, Mrs. Reeve and Mrs. Longman, all of whom had acquired croquet prowess in pre‐war days. Indeed, we are prompted to ask where are the lady minus‐players of the future. The lack of improving players is hard to account for unless it be that domes7c du7es occupy so much of women’s 7me nowadays compared with the past, with the result that those who do take up the game have not the necessary 7me or concentra7on to advance to the top levels. The part played in Australian and New Zealand croquet by first‐class women players would seem to dispose of that par7cular argument as will be borne out by those who recall seeing Miss Wainwright and Mrs. Watkins, to name but two of the New Zealand Test team who played here four years ago.
Past Gaze8es can be found on the Croquet England website at h8ps://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=ca/gaze8e&Ac7on=Issues. Currently there are searchable scans of the Gaze8e back to 1953.
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STEP FORWARD AND SHAPE THE FUTURE OF CROQUET ENGLAND By Andrew Stewart Croquet England Trustee
WHO CAN STAND? We’re looking for candidates in the following regions: • The Central Coun7es and Wales • The Eastern Coun7es • The South West Coun7es • The Weald Coun7es To stand, you must: • Be a vo7ng member of Croquet England (easy to register if you’re 16+) • Be proposed and seconded by vo7ng members from your cons7tuency • Be habitually resident in the cons7tuency you stand for • Submit your agreement to stand KEY DATES This is your opportunity to guide a na7onal spor7ng body, support your fellow members, and leave a las7ng legacy for croquet. Whether you're a seasoned strategist, a passionate promoter of the sport, or simply someone who cares deeply about our croquet community — we encourage you to put your name forward! Croquet England needs you. Will you answer the call? For nomina7on forms and more informa7on, visit the Croquet England website h8ps://www.croquet.org.uk/? p=press/news&NewsID=8803&pup=y • Nomina7ons Open: 9 June 2025 • Nomina7ons Close: 4 August 2025 • Vo7ng Opens (if required): 16 August 2025 • Vo7ng Closes: 6 September 2025
Step onto the lawn where tradi7on meets new ambi7on— this is your invita7on to become a driving force in English croquet. As our sport evolves, there has never been a more exci7ng 7me to get involved at the highest level and help shape its future. Do you love croquet? Are you passionate about the future of our sport? Then this is your chance to make a las7ng difference. Croquet England is calling for enthusias7c and commi8ed candidates to stand for elec7on to the Board of Trustees! With the transi7on from the Croquet Associa7on to Croquet England, our governance is entering a bold new era — and we need dedicated individuals to help lead the way. WHY BECOME A TRUSTEE? Being a Trustee of Croquet England is more than just a 7tle. It’s an opportunity to: • Shape the vision and strategy for the future of croquet in England and beyond. • Safeguard the organisa7on’s finances, ensuring sustainability and long‐term growth. • Champion good governance and ethical standards, promo7ng trust and transparency. • Act as an ambassador for the sport, inspiring players, stakeholders, and the wider public. You’ll collaborate with a passionate team, lend your voice to key decisions, and help build a vibrant, inclusive croquet community.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Readers are reminded that the views expressed in the le8ers pages of the Gaze8e are those of the authors only, and not those of their clubs, unless specifically indicated.
SIR COLLINGWOOD HUGHES Dear Editor Can any reader help iden7fy where the a8ached photograph was taken?
I KNOW WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE BUT.... Dear Editor In the old days it was the "thunk" as the blue CA fixtures book came through the le8erbox and a search ensued for stamps and envelopes to send off SAE entries to various tournament secretaries around the country. Now it's an e‐diary reminder to check the Croquet England website, followed by the intense pleasure of the Rubik ‐ ludic? ‐ cubic a8empts to marry tournament dates with holiday bookings, grandparent duty and appointments with the proctologist .... Blewbury... what a deligh6ul se9ng! Betjeman must surely have visited here, hoping to peel Miss Joan Hunter Dunn, enjoying the rural pubs and hot tubs, the short walk from peg‐out to cemetery... So I enter ‐ maybe the first ‐ and get booking my accommoda7on. However..... in they pile, days, weeks later, the minus 1s, the minus 1.5s, spor7ng their England shirts and their Trimmer mallets, secure in the knowledge that however late they book, as long as it's pre‐alloca7on, they'll bump some lowly 2 like me into fourth reserve.... no pub, no grub, no tub. Fourth reserve? I was once invited to the Selectors' Weekend! We B‐level players demand recogni7on! Our manifesto: for every week beyond the opening date, confirmed entrants to receive a 500 upli' to their alloca7on grade and every dilatory, inefficient, sextuple‐ obsessed A‐player to get 500 knocked off. 4th reserve? Never again! Aux armes, citoyens! Christopher Crowcro!
It is of Sir Collingwood Hughes (1864‐ 1932) and was probably taken in the 1920s. He's the one with the megaphone overseeing a croquet compe77on somewhere. He was the great‐grandfather of a friend of mine, and was reputedly a county champion, likely to have been of either Suffolk or Hampshire. If anyone could throw any light upon his croquet career, my friend would be most grateful. Richard Pla1
RESPONSE: Sir Collingwood Hughes appears to have had a long croquet career and seems to have played un7l at least 1931, although mainly at the B level. His games that were at ranking level can be seen at h8p://butedock.com/cgsfull/player_full.php? pffn=collingwood&pfsn=hughes Much more play was at handicap level in those days so I expect that he played in more handicap events. For info I have his birth as being in 1854 (May 12) and not 1864. The Gaze8e used to feature a Prize List at the end of each year and I can see from the 1929 list that he was a 5 handicap who won the Handicap Singles at Felixstowe and the B Level at Southsea, so I expect he was only ever a B class player. I hope this helps. I do have a couple of photos of him, which I a8ach. Regards Chris Williams Croquet England Archivist
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LETTERS CONTINUED
Readers are reminded that the views expressed in the le8ers pages of the Gaze8e are those of the authors only, and not those of their clubs, unless specifically indicated.
GLOBAL WARMING AND CROQUET
Should the 7tle be Global Warning? My view is not based on any science which comes from somewhere like the Met Office, but on a conversa7on I had with Pete. Pete had been our contrac7ng mower of lawns for 30 years and I asked if there had been any significant changes during his 7me with us. A'er a short period of thought, which is always accompanied by the use of the index finger and thumb forming a “v” to stroke the point of the chin, he said "yes". He informed me that in recent years he started to mow the lawns three weeks earlier and reduced mowing about three weeks later than when he first started with us. One hopes therefore that a commi8ee somewhere within Croquet England is giving this some serious thought? Do "hot" countries play in the morning and late a'ernoon only? Floodlights powered by solar energy? Does Duncan Hector have anything to say on the subject?
Should the grant/loan systems give priority to rainwater collec7on in "wet" 7mes? What about indoor courts or ar7ficial surfaces? Water sta7ons around the courts? Can the shop supply Croquet England water flasks? Should there be more encouragement for shorter forms of the game? I o'en hear the "shorter" argument in favour of GC. I wonder if climate change might be a subconscious factor? Tournament play to be on courts with longer‐cut grass? I understand that tennis balls are 6% heavier and grass tennis courts are “slower”. I remember si9ng in an outdoor café in Singapore which had a mis7ng system to keep customers cool. Klim Seabright, Cheltenham Croquet Club
THE WORLD CROQUET FEDERATION (WCF) ARE RECRUITING FOR A NEW SECRETARY‐GENERAL, A NEW TREASURER AND NEW MEMBERS OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE.
By Ian Lines Chair of Interna0onal Commi1ee
Debbie Lines has advised that she does not intend to do a second term as Secretary‐General and that she will therefore re7re on 31st December 2025. Croquet England would like to thank her for her hard work over the past 5 years. The WCF Management Commi8ee are looking for a replacement to start on 1st September 2025, so that there is a four‐month hand‐over period. Furthermore, five members of the current Management Commi8ee, including the Treasurer, finish their terms at the end of this year, and not all of them have indicated they wish to stand for a second term. In par7cular, the current Treasurer has indicated that he will not be standing again. With Debbie leaving, the Management Commi8ee will have no UK based representa7ves. Croquet England would therefore like to encourage English or UK based candidates to come forward. We think it is important that the WCF Management Commi8ee includes representa7ves from our region from 2026 onward. We encourage candidates to talk to those familiar with the WCF and how it operates, before applying for any of the above roles. Both Debbie Lines and the current members of
the Management Commi8ee are all more than happy to respond to queries. To find out more about the Secretary‐General role and how to apply, please visit: h8ps://worldcroquet.org/recruitment‐of‐ new‐secretary‐general/. Applica7ons and enquiries should be sent to secretary@worldcroquet.org by 15th July 2025. Nomina7ons for the other roles on the Management Commi8ee should be made via Croquet England, who will put forward one or more candidates later in the year, when applica7ons open. To express an interest, please contact Ian Lines, current Chair of the Croquet England Interna7onal Commi8ee. Email: ian.lines@croquetengland.org.uk. The WCF is the governing body for the sport of croquet. The WCF organises and runs all the World and European Championships and also administers the sport, so it maintains and oversees the Rankings (GC and AC), the GC Rules and AC Laws, the Refereeing Regula7ons etc. If interested in ge9ng involved, we recommend reading the WCF’s Business Plan: h8ps://worldcroquet.org/wcf‐business/business‐plans/ and also some previous ‘Annual Management Commi8ee Reports’, which can be found here: h8ps://worldcroquet.org/wcf‐ business/management‐commi8ee/.
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CROQUET IS BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN IN MAURITIUS
By Duncan Ca1erall
Flying in from around the world, croquet players once again returned to Mauri7us for the second edi7on of the Sugar Beach Interna7onal Croquet Cup. A fun, new style of croquet tournament combining a des7na7on holiday with an exci7ng compe77on. Croquet lawns beside the beach, lined by palm trees and overlooking the Indian Ocean, is this the most picturesque croquet lawn in the world? The players certainly agree. Topped off with a lawn side bar, big screen to show all the ac7on and live streamed on YouTube! Events kicked off on the Monday evening for all the players and their partners with a welcome cocktail party on the beach terrace where we announced the doubles partners for the following day. The deep orange sunset over the ocean providing a perfect backdrop for a warm welcome by the hotel management and a big welcome from the Mauri7an croquet team captain, Jeremie, who awarded Jenny and Guy, Dodo themed croquet shirts for best male and female player of 2024 as well as honorary membership to the Tamarina Croquet Club in Mauri7us. For those that don’t know, Mauri7us is the island that was home to the Dodo before passing sailors drove it to ex7nc7on in the 17th century. Post cocktail party, the players and partners all gathered at Le Pa7o restaurant for a welcome dinner for everyone to get to know each other. Our first day of play saw the doubles compe77on mixing up all the players so everyone got a chance to meet each other. The morning consisted of qualifying blocks and a'er breaking for lunch, when a few players took the opportunity to have a dip in the pool, the players returned for the knockout and consola7on in the a'ernoon. A'er some 7ght games that went to 7‐6, the final saw Peter & Agueda vs Beatriz and Adam. All the players gathered to watch and with the hotel providing a bar for us right beside the
Wednesday kicked off with Jenny providing an amazing masterclass that even the top players found really useful, running through ball hi9ng drills, shot selec7on and tac7cs. A couple of the players even came away with a new and improved grip! The a'ernoon saw the start of the singles championship, split into 6 blocks, played over 2 days (Wednesday and Thursday). This meant everyone played a half day block qualifier and then had a day to relax at the hotel or explore the island before finals day. Several people went to explore the local nature and safari park, others went snorkeling on the reef and some did a tour of the southern half of the island, which I heard included a few rum dis7lleries along the way. Wednesday evening brought all the players back together for the Mauri7an Themed night in the main restaurant with tradi7onal dishes and a performance of music and dancing. Our finals day on Friday featured the plate knockout in the morning, which saw Samuel, one of the Mauri7an players, narrowly miss out on reaching the plate final in a close game with Mar7n Gill, who made it through to face defending plate 7tle holder, Peter Haydon, in an all Dulwich Croquet Club plate final. The a'ernoon saw
lawns, everyone enjoyed a drink in the sun while enjoying the croquet. Peter and Agueda had looked unstoppable all day but they met their match in the final and a closely fought game resulted in Beatriz & Adam coming out on top to win the doubles. All the players having been able to get to know each other, the evening’s dinner at the hotel’s new beach side Mare restaurant was a buzz of conversa7on followed by drinks at the beach bar, because when you are in Mauri7us, another drink the day before a compe77on is always a good idea.
Con nued on page 11
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CROQUET IN MAURITIUS CONTINUED
But it wasn't just the trophies and medals which caused excitement. The hotel also announced plans for the first croquet youth academy in Mauri7us, providing an opportunity for young Mauri7ans to play and learn croquet which will culminate with a youth championship before next year's compe77on. A'er the presenta7ons, all the players were treated to a cocktail party as the sun set over the ocean. Finishing off with a Gala Dinner, by the beach and everyone looking great dressed in white.
music and a cheering crowd as she li'ed the trophy. The way all croquet winners should be treated! Especially when the tournament ends up on the na7onal news and in the papers! Doubles Winner ‐ Beatriz Cabeza de Vaca Acha & Adam Newbould ‐ 7 Doubles Runner Up ‐ Agueda Alvargonzalez Blasco & Peter Haydon ‐ 4 Plate Winner ‐ Peter Haydon ‐ 7 Plate Runner Up ‐ Mar7n Gill ‐ 6 Championship Winner ‐ Jenny Clarke ‐ 7 Championship Runner Up ‐ Jane Morrison ‐ 3
our championship knockout finalists ba8le it out in the quarters and semis, with a few stand out performances from a couple of players resul7ng in last year’s finalist Guy Scurfield ge9ng knocked out in the quarters by Paco from Spain but saw Jenny Clarke make it back to the final for the second year, with a new challenger, Jane Morrison from Ireland. With the lawn bar serving up Aperol spritz, blue skies overhead and lovely sunshine, the players gathered to watch the plate final, which saw clubmates Peter and Mar7n in a close ba8le resul7ng in Peter taking the win 7‐6. Bad luck for Mar7n but in this compe77on, there aren't any losers, when you are in Mauri7us. Our all women championship final between Jenny and Jane saw great play from both sides, but it was our defending champion who pulled out some incredible shots to take the win and retain the 7tle as Champion of the Sugar Beach Interna7onal Croquet Cup for the second year running! The prize giving ceremony on the lawns was honoured by the presence of the Mauri7an Minister for Sport joining us to present the prizes. Our tournament manager, Duncan, announcing all the players onto the stage to receive their medals. While the winners of the doubles, plate and championship were all treated to a round of applause and a show of pyrotechnics on stage. Our champion for the second 7me, Jenny Clarke, walked up to the stage to the Rocky
Dates for the Sugar Beach Interna7onal Croquet Cup 2026 will be Sunday 15th March to Friday 20th March 2026. To find out more informa7on follow the link below. For priority booking, please register your interest on the page too. h8ps:// www.croquetandcocktails.com/ events/Mauri7us Alterna7vely email Duncan to sign up for 2026: duncan@croquetandcocktails.com
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THE EFFECTS OF SLOPING COURTS
evident to the striker, but it shows up clearly when there is dew on the court. Were it not for the dampening effect of fric7on, the ball would actually spiral around its des7na7on before coming to rest. In prac7ce, the most we ever see of this final phase is what can appear to be the ball lurching to one side. This is the last gasp of the precessionary mo7on, not (as is some7mes suggested) evidence of a bias in the ball. The increasing curvature in the ball’s path means that, roughly speaking, it will only have deviated by about 15% of its eventual dri' down the slope when it reaches the halfway point of its journey. Hi9ng the ball harder than is necessary to reach a target therefore makes a lot of sense if the distance it travels does not ma8er: it ensures that the object ball is reached before the worst of the curvature comes into play. But hi9ng the ball harder tends to reduce the accuracy of the shot, so there is a balance to be struck – and for some shots, it will also ma8er how hard the target ball is hit. If the ball is hit with the same strength on a slower court, it will deviate rather more – at a given distance – simply because it needs to travel propor7onately further along its curved path. But the differences are not large within the normal range of court speeds. Calcula7ons show that even a small slope of 2mm per metre (about 50mm over the full width of a court) is enough to cause problems for shots at distant targets. On a 12 second court, for example, a ‘perfect’ shot hit with sufficient strength to travel about 55m will miss any ball which is more than about 24m away; with a 5mm per metre slope and a shot of the same strength, this cri7cal distance falls to about 15m – not much more than the distance of a short li' shot. Incidentally, for those of us s7ll not fully metricated, these modest slopes translate neatly into inches drop across the width of a court (a full‐sized court is 1008 inches wide – and covers an area of just under 1000 square yards). In prac7ce, of course, shots are not consistently accurate. Aiming or striking errors will push the shot away from its intended target, some7mes onto the path which the ball actually needs to follow to compensate for the slope. So how much effect on the outcome does the slope have in prac7ce? And does a slope really favour less accurate players, who may rely rather more on ‘lucky accidents’ than skill to hit long shots? The answer depends on both the extent and the varia7on of these errors. A useful baseline for accuracy is provided by the comprehensive sta7s7cs gathered by Dr. Grundy, mainly in the 1930s, which were summarised by David Prichard in the Summer 1977 issue of the Gaze8e. This gives us a measure of the average accuracy of tournament players over a range of distances. Dr. Grundy’s data only tell us about the hit rate, not the sca8er of shots away from the centre of their target. But his data are a good fit to a normal (bell curve) distribu7on whose standard devia7on increases pro rata with distance, which is a convenient star7ng point for modelling shoo7ng accuracy.
By Ian Bond
A formal exposi0on of the physics and mathema0cs underlying this ar0cle can be found in „A. R. Penner, The physics of pu2ng“, Canadian Journal of Physics (2002) or „Rod Cross, The trajectory of a ball in lawn bowls“, American Journal of Physics (1998), both of which are available online at no cost. Lacking the knowledge to devise the relevant equa0ons myself, I have simply followed their recipes – with parameters calibrated for croquet balls and courts – to draw some conclusions relevant to croquet. As we all know, croquet courts are rarely perfectly level. But how much difference does this make to our success rate at hi9ng or reaching our targets? Is it be8er to play against a good shot on a poor court, on the assump7on that this will weaken the advantage they gain from their accuracy? And how close to perfectly level do our courts need to be, to make the effects of any overall slope irrelevant for all prac7cal purposes? The first ques7on to deal with is extent to which a slope will affect the accuracy of a shot across it. This turns out not to be straigh6orward. Ins7nc7vely, one might suppose that it is simply gravity and the slope of the court which take the ball off course. But a moment’s reflec7on tells us that that cannot be the whole story. The ball does not roll down the slope before the shot is taken, nor does the slope prevent it from coming to rest once it is in mo7on. So both sta7c and rolling fric7on must be enough to stop the ball running down the slope, away from the intended line of the shot. It is only on quite severe slopes – rarely encountered on a decent croquet court – that gravity by itself will be able to do the job. Instead, the key driver of the ball’s curved path across a sloping court is its rolling mo7on once it has been struck by the mallet. Because the ball’s centre of mass is not directly above its point of contact with the court, its rolling generates a second rota7on around that main axis – a precessionary mo7on. This takes the ball away from its intended course and con7nues only for as long as the ball is rolling across the court. The earth’s axis of rota7on also precesses, very slowly, under the gravita7onal influence of the sun and moon. An important prac7cal result is that the ball follows a curved path, which becomes more 7ghtly curved as it con7nues on its journey: the further it travels, the more its trajectory is angled away from the intended line. This is not always
Con nued on page 13
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THE EFFECTS OF SLOPING COURTS CONTINUED The main effect of sloping courts is on the hit rate for longer shots, so the chart below focusses on those in the range 15m to 30m – from the length of a short li' shot up to the
improve their shoo7ng abili7es than to a8empt these complex adjustments. The other, normally less cri7cal, effect of an overall slope is on a player’s ability to land the ball on a specific target spot. Suppose that that spot is 20m away: how much will the ball dri' from its intended line on its journey there, for different degrees of slope, and how does that compare with the errors arising anyway from inaccuracy in the stroke itself? In this case, the player faces the full effects of the slope because the ball follows the en7rety of its curved path before reaching the target spot. Suppose the ball is struck on our 12 second court with sufficient force to reach a spot 20m away. It will dri' by a li8le over 0.3m on a 2 in 1000 slope, and pro rata for different slopes and distances (so the dri' to a spot 5m away on a 4 in 1000 slope will be about 0.15m). Dr. Grundy’s average player should be able to land two thirds of their single ball shots within 0.4m of the target spot at 20m, so the effect of the slope in this case is broadly comparable with the inaccuracy of their shots. But this dri' is the same for everyone, so it will lessen the advantage gained from high posi7onal accuracy. If the average player gets lucky, they may even end up exactly where they intended. That is less likely to happen for the accurate player, whose strokes will be more 7ghtly clustered around the wrong spot. Ge9ng the strength of the shot right also ma8ers, of course – and precise rushes or pin‐point posi7onal shots will require accuracy of both direc7on and strength. But over shorter distances, local varia7ons in the court – its humps and hollows – rather than its overall slope will generally be the dominant factor. They can be par7cularly no7ceable near the boundaries or close to hoops, where maintaining a flat surface is a constant challenge for the groundsman. Star7ng from a good overall level obviously makes it easier to deal with these tricky areas. So far, so hypothe7cal. Whether the overall slope of a court ma8ers in prac7ce depends on the extent of the slopes one is likely to be faced with on actual croquet courts. The chart below provides some prac7cal context. It plots the overall N/S (ver7cal axis) and E/W (horizontal axis) slopes of the seven courts at my local club, again in units of mm per metre, from the perspec7ve of someone on the South boundary (one of these courts has a different orienta7on – its South boundary corresponds with the East boundary on the other six). There are areas within these courts, and close to some boundaries, where the slopes may be more no7ceable – and which can be studied on the contour maps we have posted in the clubhouse and on our website. But they are certainly level enough for these overall slopes to be of li8le consequence. Examples of other club court surveys available to me show overall slopes of as much as 5mm per metre. These would certainly have a material effect on a crack shot’s accuracy and so would be less than ideal for top flight play. Con nued on page 14
full length of the court. Again, the court speed is taken to be 12 seconds. The central line plots the overall average hit rate (ver7cal axis) for the players Dr. Grundy observed, for different degrees of slope (horizontal axis – units per 1000); the upper and lower lines are for players twice and half as accurate as that average, respec7vely. Dr. Grundy’s sta7s7cs will have come from shots on courts which must also not have been perfectly level, so they will tend to understate accuracy pure and simple. But they do at least serve to illustrate the likely rela7ve importance of the slope for different groups of players. These results show that, for modest slopes (undetectable by eye), the hit rate is not much affected by the slope. But, as the slope increases, the hit rate of the crack shots starts to fall off quite markedly: they are too accurate for their own good. Indeed, once the slope reaches 8 in 1000, the average player’s inaccuracy becomes an asset and they are in fact more likely to be successful at long shots than the crack player (they would already out‐perform them at 30m when the slope reaches 5 in 1000). So if the slope of the court is sufficiently severe, hit and hope may indeed become the best strategy! This ‘levelling down’ is the basis of the case for wan7ng to play against the crack on an indifferent court. There are analogies with the ques7on of whether to aim at the centre of an imperfect double or at one of the two balls (see Allen Parker’s ar7cles in the Winter 1977 and Spring 1978 issues of the Gaze8e for a thorough analysis). It all depends on how far away it is, and how good a shot you are. The slope would of course be obvious well before it reaches 8 in 1000, so it might be thought that the crack could simply ‘aim off’ to regain their advantage. But it is not that simple, because the required correc7on depends not only on the slope itself but also on both the strength with which the ball is struck and the distance to the target. In this par7cular case, the crack would need to aim off by rather less than a full ball at 15m but over three balls’ width at 30m; and on a 5 in 1000 slope the adjustments would be half a ball and two balls’ width. Mere mortals would be be8er advised to
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THE EFFECTS OF SLOPING COURTS CONTINUED
Comprehensive lawn levelling is expensive, poten7ally disrup7ve, and is a long term investment, so it pays to know when it is needed and to get it right when it is. This analysis suggests that absolute perfec7on may not be necessary, but that overall levelness of 2mm per metre or be8er is good enough even for the most demanding requirements. That need not involve expensive equipment: one of the courts in the chart s7ll reflects the results of being levelled by hand thirty years ago with the aid of a tradi7onal surveyor’s level – just as our predecessors would have done the job in Dr. Grundy’s 7me. But with skill and modern laser‐controlled machinery, ge9ng close to perfec7on should not be impossible if the budget will allow it.
MALLET DESIGN & PERFORMANCE by Chris Alvey, dbmallets@gmail.com, Sponsors of the Townsend Club Award
In a previous ar7cle I wrote about players wan7ng a 3lb mallet and that technology had moved on, with performance and distance being achievable with more modern, lighter materials. We figured that we could make a lighter 11” mallet that would perform as well as our best‐selling SP6… I mean how hard could it be?! We inherited our mallet designs from David when we took over the company and they work very well for a huge variety of players. But if we want to keep up with the changing demands, we needed to start looking at something new. So, the MP1 and MP2 were born. Actually, they were scribbled on a scrap of paper, and at that point I started to realise that we didn’t know how to balance the weight to the playing surfaces. What we did know, was that we wanted the head to be wider than it was tall, and that meant we could take more material from the ver7cal plane, genera7ng the weigh7ng in the ends and looking,
well… cool. We used David’s placement of the Aerotech holes from the SP6 to gauge the distance we could make the holes from the faces and the sha'. This was pre8y much “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” in ac7on. We demoed the mallets with two members of Bury Croquet Club and of course David. Anne and I are split on which we like best, but it seems so are other people as we have sold several of each prior to us having them in as stock items. These mallets are light (2lb 9oz light), but the designs that David had done previously helped us create a nicely balanced mallet that strikes the ball well, has the same sha' as the other models and has improved my jump shot. I re‐iterate my point from the earlier ar7cle ‐ why 3lbs? Try something new; mallet manufacturers are doing so and that is so we can help you elevate your game.
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PENDLE B AND C LEVEL ADVANCED AC 17TH AND 18TH MAY 2025
you on? 5 back was the reply). Congratula7ons to Adrian Apps (B Level winner) and Phil Snowden (C Level winner and a handicap reduc7on to 6), and to Alan Dix playing in his first tournament. The picture shows the compe7tors, including Stefan in black mourning garb due to his handicap going the wrong way! Thank you to the hospitable Pendle Club and to Brian for his excellent management.
By Liz Wilson
Wonderful weather and interes7ng lawns welcomed 12 players to Pendle. One of the original 12 entrants had to pull out with 24 hours’ no7ce due to injury, but Bowdon's Adrian Apps stepped up at short no7ce to avoid a Manager's nightmare. The tournament was run as a 5 round Swiss Amalfi by Brian Medley in his 2nd year of Tournament Management. With the sun bea7ng down constantly for the whole weekend at 7mes it felt like we were on the Amalfi Coast! Handicaps ranged from scratch to 10 ‐ the C Level compe7tors being in the range 6+. Surprising giant killer results started to appear in the first round with Peter Wilson (3.5) bea7ng Brian Medley (0.5), Steve Skelton (3.5) bea7ng Charles Harding (0), Andrew Gould (10) bea7ng Stephen Pra8 (3.5), Chris Williamson (8) bea7ng Steve Skelton (3.5) and Phil Snowden (7) bea7ng Stefan Colling (0.5). In the 2nd round Phil con7nued his onslaught bea7ng Steve Skelton, whilst the other matches went with handicaps. The final round was played in the evening sunshine where the only surprise was a very lucky win for Liz Wilson (4) vs Charles. In the 7me turn Liz needed to scoop off penult and rover and peg out in a 3 ball ending. Two hoops were nego7ated but the roquet on recep7on ball was missed, only for the strike ball to trickle to corner one where Charles had “safely” le' his ball – the fluke roquet of the year gave Liz the win! Day 2 started with Adrian Apps (3) and Peter on 3 wins each. Phil had to take on his coach and mentor Liz, who for once didn't want him to win! In a close match, won by one point a'er the 7me turns, age and experience won out over youth. Sco9sh visitor Stefan con7nued to claw back 1 or 2 points per game a'er his 19 point loss in the first round and joined Liz and Peter Wilson on 3 wins with Adrian on 4. The Amalfi system is supposed to throw up an exci7ng final round and so it proved to be. 5 of the 6 games were going to affect the results. Liz had to play her husband Peter, and Stefan played Adrian. If Stefan won then there would be a 3 way 7e of 3 players on 4 wins, all of whom had not played each other. Magnifying glasses were out to read the small print! Adrian had the upper hand and eventually all he had to do was rush to the peg and finish. Did you know in B Level hoops o'en get in the way? The rush to peg put the roqueted ball in rover. Adrian took croquet from the ball in the hoop which didn't quite make the distance to the peg but did stop his strike ball from shoo7ng at it! A sca8er shot sent the two balls in a wide split. Stefan hit in – just 4 hoops to make and a rover peel – unfortunately 4 back rejected his ball. Game over for Liz and Stefan and the Tournament winner was the unbeaten stand‐in Adrian. Much fun and B level hacker play made the whole atmosphere quite amusing. Many swear words as hoops were blobbed and some new terminology (which hoop are
Adrian Apps
Phil Snowden
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