Test Valley Croquet Club

A friendly and informal croquet club based in Timsbury, near Romsey in Hampshire

 

 

Who are we?

Test Valley Croquet Club was founded over 35 years ago. We have two dedicated croquet lawns at Hunts Farm Sports Ground, Timsbury, where we play from April to September.

We currently meet to play between 2–4pm on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays for informal ‘mix-in’ games where we draw straws to find with whom, and against whom, we’ll be playing. We play for fun, and we also hold an informal tournament each year for any members who want to take part.

 

What is croquet?

Just knocking balls through hoops? This isn’t like playing croquet in your garden, and there is a little more to it than meets the eye. The lawn is a lot larger – about half the size of a tennis court – and the hoops are only 3–6mm wider than the balls. A croquet player’s strike to successfully score a hoop from 20 metres is just as satisfying as the golfer’s drive from tee to green or, indeed, a 20-metre putt!

The game is played by 2 players with 2 balls each or by 2 teams of 2, playing 1 ball each. To make things more complicated, your opponents will be trying their best to stop your progress by blocking you or cannoning your ball away. A good game involves a lot of tactical thinking as well as accurate striking of the ball.

There are two forms of the game, golf croquet and association croquet. At our mix-ins we play golf croquet, which can be very demanding but is undoubtedly more enjoyable for beginners and more sociable. Games usually take 30–45 minutes.

The players in a game of golf croquet stay on the lawn together, unlike in association croquet. Each player takes one stroke in turn, trying to help their partner and/or block or cannon their opponents to hamper them. Once any player makes a hoop, their team scores one point and all players then move on to the next hoop. This makes it more sociable and enjoyable for beginners, as you’re always playing together with the other people in your game rather than sitting out waiting for another player to finish their turn. It might sound simple, but it can get very tactical and partners frequently discuss tactics between strokes.

For more information on golf croquet, click here.

 

Are you interested?

If you’re interested, whether you’re an experienced player or have never heard of croquet before, you’re very welcome to come along to meet us. We have all the equipment necessary to play croquet, including a range of mallets that can be used by club members and visitors, and we offer everyone two free visits before deciding whether you’d like to join the club. If you would like to play as a guest, perhaps if you’re visiting the area, we ask for a payment of £5. Come along to a mix-in at 2 o’clock on one of the three afternoons above to have a go, or just to watch. You can find a map here.

 

For more information click here to contact us by email.