Golf Croquet (GC)
The Golf Croquet Open Club Singles Championship is open to all members who can play GC. It is level play (i.e. handicaps are ignored) and is the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Golf Croquet Open Club Doubles Championship is open to all members who can play GC. Two players team up and take on another team of two. If you don’t have a partner, one will be allocated to you. Each player plays one particular colour throughout. It is level play (i.e. handicaps are ignored) and is the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Jane Collier Cup Golf Handicap Singles is open to all members who can play GC. It is handicap play and the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Golf Croquet Handicap Doubles Cup is open to all members who can play GC. Two players team up and take on another team of two. If you don’t have a partner, one will be allocated to you. Each player plays one particular colour throughout. Each team’s two handicaps are added together and the total halved, rounding up to a whole number. It is the best of three 13 hoop games. Handicap play.
The Golf Croquet 3+ Singles Cup is open to all members who can play GC with a handicap of three and above. It is level play (i.e. handicaps are ignored) and is the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Clark & Cork 3+ Mixed Doubles Sugar Bowls is open to all members who can play GC with a handicap of three and above. Two players team up and take on another team of two. If you don’t have a partner, one will be allocated to you. It is level play (i.e. handicaps are ignored) and is the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Golf Croquet C-Level Singles Cup is open to all members who can play GC with a handicap of seven and above. It is level play and is the best of three 13 hoop games.
The Golf Croquet High/Low Handicap Cup is a high/low doubles competition open to all members and is ideal for someone new to GC. The teams are determined by the competition organiser pairing a less experienced player with a more experienced player who take on another team of two similarly selected high and low handicappers. It is handicap play taking an average of the two player’s handicaps for each team rounded up. Each player plays one particular colour throughout, providing an ideal way to discuss and learn the tactics, and the various shots available to GC players. It is the best of three 13 hoop games.
Locke Bowl (GC)
Historically an AC competition but due to numbers will now be GC. Players compete in two disciplines of croquet over one day, comprising:
- Handicap Singles (Advantage)
- Handicap Doubles (Advantage) – Partners will be drawn.
Exact format of the day will be based on numbers attending.
The Golf Croquet Winter League is open to all members who can play GC. It is handicap play and is the best of three 13 hoop games. For new members a temporary winter league handicap will be allocated by the league organiser. More details on the league can be viewed here.
The winner of each match must email cccresults@gmail.com the result of an in-house competition game immediately after and update the relevant sheet on the left hand notice boards.
NB. For those GC players starting out in Association Croquet see The Ratcliffe Cup (one-ball), The Associates Cup, Freeland Cup, & Harbord Memorial below.
One-ball Croquet
The Ratcliffe Cup is open to all members and played in the One-Ball format, a simplified variant of Association Croquet. Instead of each player having two balls, they play with just one, making it accessible for both GC and AC players, including beginners.
One-Ball shares similarities with Golf Croquet (GC) in that most turns consist of a single shot, used for positioning or targeting another ball. The objective is to be the first to run all 12 hoops in sequence and hit the centre peg. The main difference to GC is that both players attempt to run all the hoops sequentially and should a player strike the other’s ball they get two extra shots.
Instead of simply positioning their ball, a player may choose to strike (roquet) their opponent’s ball. If successful, their ball is placed alongside the struck ball, allowing them to take a croquet shot to position their ball and their opponent’s ball advantageously – ideally in front of the hoop and their opponents beyond the hoop, or to disadvantage their opponent. This is followed by a continuation shot, which can be used to run the hoop.
Once the hoop is run, the player can begin contesting the next one by either playing a positioning shot or striking (roqueting) their opponents ball again, leading to another croquet shot followed by a continuation shot. In theory, a player could run all the hoops in a single turn, but the game’s tactical depth makes this rare. The balance between attack and positioning creates a compelling challenge, with most games lasting under 30 minutes.
The format follows traditional handicap play, with extra shots (bisques) awarded to higher-handicap players. The competition is played as a best-of-three match.
All members are encouraged to take part, whether new to the format or looking for a different challenge.
Association Croquet (AC)
The AC Open Club Singles Championship is open to all members who can play AC. It is level advanced play with the winner the best of three 26 point games.
The AC Open Club Doubles Championship is a doubles competition open to all members who can play AC. It is level advanced play with the winner the first to score 26 points in a single game.
The Acland Cup is open to all members who can play AC with a minimum handicap of six. It is level advanced play with the winner the first to score 26 points in a single game.
The Associates Cup is a form of Association Croquet (AC) played on a half-sized court, known as Short Croquet, making it well-suited for beginners. The competition consists of a single game using the short handicap system and is an excellent introduction for Golf Croquet (GC) players transitioning to AC. The shorter distances make the game easier to play while helping players grasp key AC tactics. The objective is to run both balls in sequence through hoops one to six and then hit the centre peg, with each ball scoring a total of 14 points. The first player to achieve this wins the game.
The Booth Cup is open to all members who can play AC with a minimum handicap of ten. It is played using individual handicaps with full bisques to base six (meaning each player receives bisques equal to their handicap minus six). The winner is the first to score 26 points in a single game.
The Butlin Bowl is open to all members who can play AC with a minimum handicap of 0.5. It is level advanced play with the winner being the first to score 26 points in a single game.
The Cant Cup is open to all members who can play AC. It is handicap play (i.e. weaker player only receives bisques) with the winner the first player to score 26 points in a single game.
The Freeland Cup is open to all members who can play Association Croquet (AC) and have a minimum handicap of 16, making it suitable for those new to AC. It is played as a single game on a full-sized court using individual handicaps, with full bisques to base six (meaning each player receives bisques equal to their handicap minus six). The objective is to run both balls in sequence through hoops one to six and then hit the centre peg. The first player to score 14 points wins the game.
The Haslam Trophy is a handicap doubles competition open to all members who can play AC. It is handicap play (i.e. weaker team only receives bisques) with the winner the first team to score 26 points in a single game.
The Harbord Memorial Cup is a high/low doubles competition open to all members and well-suited for those new to Association Croquet (AC). Teams are arranged by the competition organiser, pairing a less experienced player with a more experienced one. Each team competes against another similarly matched pair. The game is played under handicap rules, with the team handicap determined by averaging both players’ handicaps. The weaker team receives bisques accordingly. Players take alternate shots, providing an excellent opportunity to discuss and learn tactics, the use of bisques, and the different shots available in AC. The winning team is the first to run both their balls in sequence through all twelve hoops and hit the centre peg with both, scoring 26 points in a single game.
The Len Connor Cup is open to all members who can play AC. It is handicap play with advanced rules with the winner the first player to score 26 points in a single game.
The Ted Davey Cup is open to all members over the age of 70 who can play AC. It is handicap play with the winner the first player to score 26 points in a single game.
The AC Handicap League is open to all members who can play Association Croquet (AC). It is played under handicap rules with no restrictions and a three-hour time limit per match. Each participant plays one singles match against every other player. The winner of each game is either the first to score 26 points or the player leading when the time limit expires. The overall tournament winner is the player who secures the most victories.
The winner of each match must email cccresults@gmail.com the result of an in-house competition game immediately after and update the relevant sheet on the left hand notice boards.