Nailsea and District Croquet Club

Nailsea & District Croquet Club was formed in 1981 and is now well-established as a centre of excellence.  There are four full-size lawns that are maintained to a high standard having been levelled in 2017.  The two forms of competitive croquet, Association Croquet and Golf Croquet,  are  played at Nailsea. The Club is frequently used by the Croquet England as a venue for high level events for both codes.  In July 2024, on behalf of the Welsh Croquet Association, we will be hosting the Golf Croquet Home Internationals. The last time this event was staged in Nailsea was 2021, when Nailsea member James Galpin represented England – the winning team.

The club house has a club room with facilities for socialising, eating, coaching etc, a kitchen, changing rooms, toilet facilities and a machine room. The machine room houses the lawn maintenance equipment including a professional standard Toro lawn mower.

We welcome new members of any standard of play – from beginner to International level.
For beginners we offer a course of six 2-hour lessons, usually taken in small groups. The first lesson – a Taster session providing an overview of the strokes and strategies inherent to both forms of croquet – is free, then we charge £60 for the remaining five lessons. These are arranged at times convenient for all involved, and are usually at a regular weekly time, whether that be morning, afternoon or evening.  New players very often decide to join the club when their course is complete and will benefit from further coaching as they get to know their way around the club. The charge for membership in that first season is reduced to take account of the £60 already paid and the fact that only some of the playing season remains at that stage. Children from the age of about 9 are welcome to try croquet. Nailsea has a long history of producing International level players, particularly from the Junior Section which is run by a player who made just that transition.

The playing season is from the end of March until the end of October. During the summer, there are internal competitions, League matches, tournaments and National and International events. These contests cover the full range of standards of play so there is something for everyone at Nailsea & District Croquet Club. There are much-coveted trophies for the winners and runners up of the annual Beginners Competition and a myriad of other trophies for internal competitions. Our teams regularly win prizes in the South-west Federation. In 2023 we won the B League for high handicap play and also the Short Croquet League for croquet played in short games on a small lawn. In 2022, we won the prestigious Parkstone Trophy for Advanced Play – the highest level in the League.

Croquet is a great sport and it suits a wide range of people. It offers them all fresh air, physical and mental exercise, fun and friendship.  For many, it’s a completely new hobby that might take them to some beautiful places both locally or the other side of the world. Other new players might prefer to stay in Nailsea and enjoy the internal competitions – or just play socially.

If you would like to know more about croquet or the Nailsea Club, phone Erica on 01275 852023 or 07754 092800 or e-mail her: ericacroquet@gmail.com