Some information about the game of croquet. Or perhaps you're an intermediate player and would like to try your hand at our question and answer page . A potted history of the game Games in which a ball had to be knocked around a course of hoops or obstacles with a mallet were popular in seventeenth and eighteenth century France. Croquet became the sports craze of Victorian England with National Championships held at Wimbledon before the lawns there were transformed into the tennis courts of today. Despite its genteel history, croquet is by no means simply the sporting diversion at vicarage garden parties which it is often portrayed as being.
Clubs exist in every part of Britain and in many countries overseas.
Both national teams and individuals compete at a variety of matches and tournaments every year. Nowadays, it is more popular than it has ever been since its introduction last century and it continues to be a fast-growing sport. Its spirit has remained completely amateur. Men and women can compete on equal terms. Age presents no barrier.