In a ‘Funday Monday’ gathering, the two clubs joined forces for a great social morning out, hammering around the court on a summery August morning.

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“Croquet is a tactical sport, but physically gentle, and it is entirely accessible to people on walkers and wheelchairs,” Sue Dodds, from the Myall Park Croquet Club, told NOTA.

“COVID stopped everything, but we always welcome new members who want to try a sport that lets you socialise outdoors and get some exercise in a less strenuous arena.”

The rolling lockdowns were long-past, as almost 30 Probus members crowded the Myall Park Croquet courts, which had been sub-divided from the standard two into four to accommodate them.

The burgeoning and bustling Myall Park area, which recently saw the first stage of a new Sports Complex building, now has facilities to host a multitude of sports, from boxing and tennis, to less vigorous pickleball and croquet, not to mention the full-size football field.

Croquet, in its own way, engenders a level of mental focus as the player must consider the position and trajectory of their balls, the location of other players’, and the physics involved as you aim your course through the narrow hoops.

At the Probus gathering, the pressure multiplied exponentially as mallets swung pendulously and purposefully, sending most balls across the court, and some off towards the beach, some blocking and stymying it for others’ passage.

The target pegs were passed by the narrowest of margins, as homebrew strategies saw ricochets and hoop-traps, morphing the once-casual stroll around the green into a desperate and determined bid for glory on the court.

While no players are asked to make hard and fast commitments, Ms Dodds added, “The Myall Park Croquet Club usually runs matches on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings, 8:45 for 9am start.”

By Thomas O’KEEFE