SHREWSBURY CROQUET – PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE?

In 2008 Shrewsbury Croquet Club celebrates 25 years of its existence. A chairman’s garden party is being arranged for members (and ex-members) in June, in recognition of such. (local press already informed apparently)

We began in 1983 following a croquet demonstration and coaching course held by an accomplished Association player then resident in county – John Coutts (He moved south before Club formally constituted). I, Brian Christmas, was its instigator and first ‘Secretary’ and have been active (albeit for several years from afar, and largely by proxy) in its administration ever since.

We began courtesy of Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council, who let us use an old double lawn tennis court at Monkmoor, maintaining it for us at a then nominal rent. We employed a set of homemade hoops our founder donated to the Club, and a single set of garden mallets and simple plastic balls obtained on ‘permanent loan’ from sports council. We wouldn’t be seen dead using such childish equipment now!

We had a nominal 13 members, perhaps half a dozen active ones, each paying a mere £5 as subscription. None of us were experienced, knowledgeable or skilled in the game back then, just enthusiastic. Looking back, it was like the blind leading the blind.

The Club has developed hugely over the years, both in the number, experience and quality of its players, (several of whom now regularly play in open tournaments) and in the extent of its infrastructure and the efficiency of its administration, not to mention its financial strength.

The first big leap forward came in 1987. A new road was to carve through the old Monkmoor Rec, including our patch! The council had obtained the adjacent playing fields of a by then defunct private school in order to restructure it, and were persuaded to construct us two new lawns and, crucially as it has turned out, surround them by a solid fence.

In 1988, as a club of growing material substance, we were able to add our own wooden Clubhouse and shelters. Apart from playing equipment, which has continually been improved upon and added to across the years, these are still the physical parameters of our set up to this day.

This has proved more than satisfactory for the casual socially minded recreation of ordinary members, which still forms the greater part of our day to day club activity, and the lawns are in use at some time or other on most fine days between April and September.

Other activities include occasional inter club matches, (both Federation League matches and ‘friendly’s), and a variety of internal competitions in forms varying to suit members of different standards, tastes and competitive aspirations. Many of these now have long and fascinating rolls of honour. A veritable who was who of Club history.

We do things for the community that lies beyond the Club too, offering to supervise (for a fee) ‘Fun Evenings’ of the simplistic ‘Golf Croquet’ or ‘Pirates’ for W.I. groups, U3A etc.  We’ve even entertained a group from the Environment Agency, and another from a firm in Telford.

Last year, several matches in The Rotary organisation’s ‘Golf Croquet Competition’ were hosted by us. This year, we are under negotiations to package these together in a single ROTARY DAY, hoped to be Saturday July 5^{th. Teams from as far afield as Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Wem are expected to be taking part.}

Last but not least there are the formal ‘beginners coaching courses’* we have offered to the public in each of the last ten years, in the hope that some students shall go on to be successful members. And indeed, many have! Both our current Chairman and Secretary started on such a course, as did our last Secretary. They are all now experienced and capable competitors. The Secretary’s every bit as croquet mad as I am! 

*We now have several C.A. registered croquet coaches in our number.

Yet, for all this, we remain a greatly ambitious organisation. The likes of myself and my fellow world ranked members (I’m afraid we’re a long way from ‘world class’ though), often bemoan the vagaries of the playing surfaces, and we lack the third lawn (at least) which would enable us to hold open tournaments of our own. ALL members would also like access to a proper Clubhouse with running water, flush toilets and heating too! For in our travels, we have seen ‘gay Paris’.

With this in mind, various other factors ( not least the healthy state of our finances), and the support of the membership, we have for several years been exploring options for either the redevelopment or replacement of our current facilities, or of translocation to another site, under another landlord, but so far without success.

Seeing all the monies which are lavished on spots halls, football pitches, bowls,  Tennis and Golf, I dream of a time when a local millionaire entrepreneur might get the idea for creating a ‘National Minority Sports Centre’ in Shropshire’s green and pleasant lands. If you’re out there sir, give us a call!

Brian Christmas. S.C.C Captain. April 2008.