A lawn game, croquet is played with mallets used to knock heavy coloured balls through a course of metal arches – known as wickets – and stakes in a set pattern.
Put on the competition back-burner during Covid, Holroyd District Croquet Club welcomed Cooks River Kookaburras to their lawns at Jones Park in Barnett Street, Parramatta, for their first inter-club competition in a ‘Makara’ event.
The competition was set up by seven clubs south of the harbour, including Holroyd, almost 40 years ago, with the title coming from the Seven Sisters star cluster, called ‘Makara’, in the Plieades – a group of over 800 stars about 410 light-years from Earth.
One Holroyd novice was victorious, another came close and two others enjoyed a nail-biting doubles game.
Holroyd secretary Fiona Gale says croquet is ideal for retired people as the group practises and plays Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 9am-12pm.
“It’s very good, gentle exercise and I usually clock up 2,000 steps just in a morning,” she said.
“The games are short, so you get fast results, it’s fun, great for your mental health and very sociable.
“We would love more players to come along and give it a go.”
Costs $50 a year and $5 a week. Details: Fiona, 0487 377 787.
Croquet player invite
ONE of the earliest forms of golf, croquet has been a traditional favourite of royalty for centuries but is enjoying a surge in popularity among fans who love its affordability, fast action, hard play and passionate participants.