Croquet is fun, exciting, challenging, competitive, addictive, for people of all ages, very easy to learn, and the new game of today so why not give it a go on Corfu this summer?!?
The opportunity to play one of the finest and most enjoyable outdoor games is on your very own doorstep. The two playing lawns are located in Gouvia Marina.
You can play a game of Croquet with a minimum of 2 people and maximum of 4 people.
Mallets and Balls are available and you can have a free introduction to the game.
You must dress correctly: Flat shoes and preferably white or light coloured clothing! |
The Croquet Club of Corfu is to be found on land which has a cricket pitch to one side and all the facilities of the Gouvia Marina on the other. These include a restaurant, cafes, shops, a swimming pool and a seaplane service. The club will be open all year round. The land belongs to the Marina, whose manager, the charming and urbane Dimitrios Koutsodontis has been outstanding in giving tremendous support for a sport he had never even seen being played.
Our lawns have been created to a top specification by Domokat A.T.E., one of the most advanced construction companies in Greece under the control of its brilliant young director Theodoros Asonitis who also had no previous experience of croquet. Fortunately he has the benefit of guidance from Peter Craig the highly respected head groundsman at London's prestigious Hurlingham Club whose parks and lawns are renowned world-wide. |
The game of Croquet originated in the South of France as Paille-Maille (Pall Mall) in the 14th Century. New versions of the sport developed in France where it was called Croquet (Crooked Stick) and in Ireland where they called it Crookey in the early 19th Century. It was adopted by England in about 1850 and has been played at a serious level since 1862. It is a purely amateur sport now enjoyed by enthusiasts in a number of countries which have their own Croquet Associations.
These are responsible for regulating rules, competitions and handicaps. The Associations are affiliated to the World Croquet Federation which organises the world championship held every two years and certain competitions between teams from participating countries.
These are USA, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Sweden, Russia, Jersey, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, South Africa, Japan and Canada. It is most popular in the USA where it is estimated there are in the region of 2 million players and 150 clubs. (It must be appreciated that many people play in their own gardens and may not be members of a club.) There are approximately 400,000 players in England and 60 clubs. It also has around 100 hotels with croquet lawns. Despite its small population, Australia has some 150,000 players and 200 clubs. In Egypt, where golf croquet is remarkably popular, there are 40 clubs.
Croquet was introduced to Corfu by the British when they occupied the Island from 1816 to 1864 but, as far as is known, it never developed beyond the gardens of several Corfiot families - until the Croquet Club of Corfu.
There are essentially two different forms of the game - Golf Croquet and Association Croquet. Golf is simpler and easier to understand. A game should only take 45-60 minutes. Association is rather more complex and games last 3-4 hours. Both can be played as singles or doubles. Both use the same equipment and are played on the same sized lawn. Men and women play on equal terms.
Each lawn occupies 33 x 27 metres of ground prepared so as to provide a flat smooth grass finish. It has 6 hoops, a centre peg and a very low fence around the sides designed to stop balls vanishing into the distance. The balls are struck by mallets usually owned by the players who can purchase them from specialist makers of equipment through mail order. Of course the club will carry a range of mallets for the use of those who do not have their own. Without going into detail, the game can be best described as being like snooker on grass involving subtle tactics, gentle exercise and varying degrees of skill.
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