We have a full yearly schedule with Association Croquet, Golf Croquet and other forms of croquet being played thoughout the year.
Dedicated sessions are set aside for both Association Croquet and Golf Croquet. We play Golf Croquet on Monday afternoons and Thursday is Club Day where we split the lawns evenly between Golf Croquet and Association Croquet. If you wish to try it out then come along either Monday or Thursday afternoon when there will always be a friendly face ready to welcome you to the club and the game. We have four lawns, a stock of mallets and other equipment for you to try, and we’ll give you the basic instruction you’ll need. All you need is a pair of flat-soled shoes.
Croquet is played on our club’s four full-size lawns from April to October (actual dates controlled by the weather) and on reduced lawns over the winter months. We also play indoors, at Aldham Village Hall, during the winter (see bottom of page).
In recent years two lawns have remained open during the winter season, although the playing area has been reduced to 28 by 22.4 yards by turning said playing area through 90 degrees. To reduce any adverse effect on these lawns players must exercise common sense. Jump shots are not allowed and the lawns must not be played on if there is a hard frost.
A number of in-house competitions and competitions against other clubs are arranged throughout the year.
The club also hosts tournaments for both the Croquet Association (See the CA Tounaments page of this website for details) and the East Anglian Croquet Federation (EACF).
Competitions and tournaments that are run regularly at the Colchester Croquet Club are as follows:
Association Croquet B-Level Invitational Tournament
Golf Croquet B-Level Tournament
Other knock-out tournaments to suit all skills and ages.
Examples of other open and invitation tournaments include:
Croquet Association Advanced Tournament
Croquet Association B-Level Advanced Weekend
Croquet Association 50+ Handicap Tournament
Croquet Association Selector’s Cup
All England Association Croquet Area Final
Golf Croquet English National Final (Ascot Cup)
EACF Anderson Shield (Association Croquet, Advanced, Doubles)
EACF Association Croquet League Finals
EACF Golf Croquet Championship
Some of the above CA and EACF tournaments are rotated amongst a select number of clubs of which Colchester is one.
Winter Croquet at Aldham
During the Winter months, October to April (actual dates controlled by the start and end of the outdoor season), we play Association Croquet once a week, currently 0930 to 1700 hours Thursdays, on a small artificial surface set up in a hall at Aldham Village Hall.
These sessions are intended for first and second club members of the Colchester Croquet Club.
However, where spare places are available, other players will be considered at the discretion of the organiser.
The cost of these sessions is not covered by the club membership fee and, currently, the following charges are levied:
| Morning or Afternoon | £5.00 |
| All Day | £10.00 |
Please note that, because numbers are limited, one cannot be guarateed a place every week.