Castlemaine Croquet Club prepared for the coming croquet season with the running of the first hoop last week.
Castlemaine play two versions of croquet – Association and Golf – and so local state member for Bendigo West, Maree Edwards, and mayor of Mount Alexander Shire, Toby Heydon both ran a hoop to get the season underway. Maree and Toby then joined members of the club for a game of croquet before enjoying lunch with everyone.Club president Paul Williams said membership is growing and they are looking forward to a strong season. The club won Division 2 of the Goldfields Croquet Association pennant last year and are expecting to have more pairs in both divisions this year. A number of players also go out and compete in tournaments around the state.
The club has two Come and Try sessions coming up, one is today, Friday August 14, and another one tomorrow, August 15.
Both sessions start at 1pm at the club courts in Berkeley Street.
Croquet is a sport that can be played by people of all ages and men and women compete on equal terms. It is a non-contact sport that is easy to play while requiring some strategic thinking which keeps the mind active while providing gentle exercise for the body.
Interested players of all ages can just turn up, all tuition and equipment will be provided. For those who want to go further, the club will be running five week training courses beginning later this month.
For more information the club can be contacted by email – cmainecroquet@gmail.com – or on Facebook.