ABOUT CROQUET
There are several variations of croquet, but the main ones are Association Croquet and Golf croquet, both of which are played at the club, and for both of which free and expert coaching is available.
Association Croquet is more the game for the thinking person, who is happy to take longer to learn the game and all its subtleties. This game is often described as being akin to Snooker played on grass; planning ahead as in Snooker, or in Bridge, or Chess: as you become more proficient so you are able to build breaks and use both attacking and defensive moves. See here for a good description and here for the Association Croquet links on the Croquet Association website.
Golf Croquet is easier to learn, and is a very popular sociable game, and one that is played at a faster pace. See here for a good description and here for the Golf Croquet links on the Croquet Association website. Both Association and Golf require great skill to compete at the top level and both are played to European and World International level.
There's also a handicapping system, involving extra shots (called bisques), to allow weaker players to play even games against stronger ones, so you don't have to be worried about being much weaker than your opponent!
Unlike most outdoor sports, both men and women are able to play croquet socially and competitively and on equal terms. At Tunbridge Wells we have a membership covering all ages and in more or less the same proportions of men and women. It is a game, too, that can be played to a high standard by those who are not as active as they once were! Some quite severely disabled people enjoy playing croquet. However, please note that although our main entrance has 10 not so easy steps wheel-chair access is available via a side-entrance across the lawns.
For a good overview of Croquet played seriously with some excellent examples of shot making see the video here (16Mb). It's a production by the USA Croquet Association, so please excuse some of the Americanisms.
However, the site Croquet on Film provides a wide variety of goodies to watch.
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