Give Croquet A Try At Broadwater Sports Club

Published on: 2 Aug, 2020
Updated on: 1 Aug, 2020

Croquet lends itself to social distancing very easily, and was one of the first sports allowed to be played in mid May after lockdown was lifted.

Training for beginners.

You can give it a try at the Guildford and Godalming Croquet Club, based at the Broadwater Sports Club, next door to Guildford Crematorium.

The club’s chairman, Mike Huxley, said: Twenty years ago, croquet as a sport was somewhat in the doldrums, but how times have changed!

“Guildford and Godalming Croquet Club has been an example of that phenomenon. The club was founded in the mid 1980s, on land at Broadwater.

Blue jumps over yellow and through the hoop.

“In the early 2000s it had around 20 members, mainly playing association croquet – the older and more traditional form of the game. At about that time, the variant of the sport called golf croquet became a popular alternative and started to attract new members.

“Our current membership is about 60 and association croquet and golf croquet are equally encouraged. This is a pattern that is repeated nationwide – in those 20 years the number of croquet clubs affiliated to the Croquet Association has roughly doubled.

More beginners’ training

“It is a four-lawn club, with a clubhouse and a busy, friendly and sociable atmosphere and welcomes beginners and the more experienced players alike.

“For those of a competitive nature, there are internal competitions both in summer and winter (yes, we do play all year round) as well as open tournaments that are competed in by our own members and by visiting players from other clubs.

The 2019 World Golf Croquet Championships – Final Qualifying Competition.

“We have also hosted some prestigious international events – in 2019 the final qualifying competition for the Golf Croquet World Championship was held at Guildford and Godalming.

“Croquet was one of the first sports to be allowed after the recent lockdown, as it is ideally suited to social distancing. We are actively seeking new members, including complete beginners.

“If you would like a free trial session, please do contact us.”

For more information, visit the club’s website or phone Mike Huxley on 07919 200218.