Highlighting fun and interesting things that have happened in the world of croquet. We will showcase clubs, organisations and individuals who are getting more people playing more croquet in more places. If you have a story you would like featured, please email: duncan.catterall@croquetengland.org.uk
Is this the Future of the Croquet Lawn?
Spain is leading the charge once again, this time into the realm of artificial croquet lawns. This February, the A La Par Foundation Sports Club (www.alapar.ong) became the first club with an artificial grass court approved by the Spanish Croquet Federation (FEC), enabling it to host federation tournaments for the first time. The club is located in the Fuencarral-El Pardo district, in the North of Madrid, and has more than 60 players enjoying this facility which opened in June 2023.
The World Croquet Federation (WCF) has been working with the FEC on this project to better understand how artificial croquet lawns perform. One of the main problems they have come up against is trying to make the hoops perform as if they were in grass: the hoops are anchored within a concrete socket, which makes them respond very differently from being set in a lawn. Both the WCF and FEC are interested in how this lawn performs over time and how this example can contribute to best practice for other clubs should they wish to build an artificial lawn.
Most people will agree that one of the appeals of croquet is playing on a beautiful lawn (or the ability to complain about the lawn) but do the benefits of artificial lawns start to offset this? Artificial lawns are perfectly flat, have consistency in lawn speed and crucially need less maintenance. The initial construction cost will be high but if clubs can benefit from very low ongoing maintenance costs, this option could be a viable solution for many clubs. Of course, it does not score well in the sustainability argument but in areas of the world where demands on water are strained, eliminating this demand could well be argued as a net benefit.
Do you know of any other artificial croquet lawns? Let us know, so the WCF can start to understand their long term performance better.
4,000 Spectators for Croquet
Since 1983, St John’s College and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, USA have been facing off for an annual croquet match in a friendly-but-fierce rivalry for the Annapolis Cup. Victory brings bragging rights as the best croquet team in town. St John’s is a liberal arts college while the US Naval Academy is military focused, two opposing ideologies located across the street from each other. Once a year, each April, the Johnnies and the Seamen put aside their differences and come together to see whose balls will peg out first.
This year's victory went to the Johnnies, who continued their winning performance to take them to 32 wins, surpassing that of the Seamen who have only finished first 8 times. It’s not quite the 99% success rate I had seen advertised but it’s still pretty good for the Johnnies.
The event attracts over 4,000 spectators from students to locals with many local businesses sponsoring the event. It's a big event in the Annapolis calendar and many people get dressed up to enjoy the day. Definitely one to look out for next year.
