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
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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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