the croquet
association
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The Croquet
Association
C
roquet is regarded as a quintessentially English game, redolent of garden tea parties. But it’s also a vibrant sport at
which British players excel. Anyone looking for a sport requiring skill, stamina and intellectual challenge should
consider croquet. It’s popular with bridge and chess players and there are over 200 clubs around the country, with
more being developed each year.
The Croquet Association was founded in 1897, the first croquet
association in the world. There is a serious tournament
programme and there are over 180 fixtures in the CA’s
Tournament Calendar and the game has been growing in recent
years. The number of clubs has increased from 145 in 2006 to
more than 200 in 2015 in England and Wales (up from 145 in
2006) and there are around 6/7000 active players.
The active tournament programme means that there is strength
and depth in the game; at the moment four of the World’s top ten
players are English, more than any other country. The Croquet
Association has always experimented and trialled improvements
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to the game and continues to do so, with a current change, known
as ‘super-advanced’ rules now becoming standard for top-class
play in England. Other countries are showing some interest in
this.
A simpler version of the game, Golf Croquet, is developing
in popularity and a tournament programme has been steadily
growing, particularly at regional and international level.
Croquet requires tactics and skill and so it is attractive on many
levels. Both sexes play on equal terms; it can be played by all ages
from 9 to 90 and there is a comprehensive handicap system. One
of the best features of the sport is that it can be played by such a