TUNNEL OF TIME Past Gazettes can be found on the Croquet England website at croquet.org.uk/?p=members/gazette&Action=Issues. Currently there are searchable scans of the Gazette back to 1953.
CHRIS WILLIAMS Croquet England Archivist
AKA 'Statto' Keeper of Croquet Statistics, visit croquetrecords.com
70 YEARS AGO In the October 1956 Gazette (#22) Notes by Rover: Shortened Games The experiment of timed games at the Hurlingham tournament, together with Major Abbey’s letter in our August issue, has brought prominently before croquet players the difficult question of whether the game of croquet as played today is too long to attract many new players. This, we think, is the crucial question and not that any change is primarily desired either to help managers or to shorten tournaments. Doubtless the council will give consideration to the matter. It seems to us that there are two fundamental questions which must first be asked and answered. They are these: (a) is there a real and pressing need for the introduction of a shorter game, and (b) if there is such a need can the game of croquet be shortened in any way and still remain the same fascinating trial of skill that it is today. Major Abbey’s letter suggests that the answer to the first question is yes. Many are doubtful and few would go so far as to say that croquet will be dead in twenty years time if some change is not made (as we have on occasion heard it said). It is the natural inclination to say why not leave well alone and wait and see. Is this wise ? Still it would be far better to do nothing if the answer to our second question is no. This question seems to be even more fundamental than the first, for if croquet is to suffer by being shortened then let us make no mistake and know that there is nothing to be done about it. We hope the matter will be given the close consideration that it deserves and will be fully discussed.
I wonder if it is reasonable to expect them to continue to do so, particularly as the amount of time and travelling involved can become quite considerable. On much the same topic, there is still considerable interest in croquet as a possible television sport. This year, the winning prize for the Royal Bank Nations Trophy was just £150, but one has only to look at other televised sports to see how the prize money has increased dramatically as each sport has taken off. In my view, we ought to be thinking now about the impact of ‘professionalism’ on croquet. When professionals begin to appear (either as players or as coaches), do we want to keep them in the fold, or do we want to have two separate organisations? CHRIS HUDSON 45 YEARS AGO In the November 1981 Gazette (#164) 1981 ANNUAL REVIEW Trend confirmed Most of those deeply involved in croquet agree that the game must expand if it is to survive into the next century or at all. As labour-saving technology advances, so the age of retirement will retreat and the demand for organised leisure of all forms will increase. Croquet can wither advance to take its share of these youthful retirees or stand idly by, waiting for the inevitable competition from sports that covet large areas of flat turf for their more profitable ends — and ultimately suffocate. With this intentionally sombre backdrop it is slightly reassuring to conclude that the past season has seen a small acceleration in the drive for public awareness of the virtues of croquet.
35 YEARS AGO In the September 1991 Gazette (#217) New Sponsor for the President’s Cup Angostura Aromatic Bitters are to be the new sponsors of this year’s President’s Cup, to be held at Colchester Croquet Club from 4th-7th September. Whilst Angostura has been actively involved with sailing at its home base in Trinidad, this is the company’s first venture into sponsorship in the UK. Originally produced over 150 years ago and now sold throughout the world, like croquet itself, Angostura’s origins are somewhat mysterious. 40 YEARS AGO In the November 1986 Gazette (#188) Professionalism & Croquet Two members of the Australian team that recently played in the MacRobertson Shield Series are reported to be on their way to America to take up appointments there as croquet professionals. In much the same way as Golf Clubs have their own resident Golf Professional, croquet in the States has now reached the point where it is possible for someone to earn a living as a coach. The same situation could arise in this country, perhaps rather quicker than most of us think. The demand for coaching is increasing rapidly, and already we have a number of people who are spending a lot of their time (unpaid) in coaching new players.
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