You must either re-edit it, Save as Public or Delete Item (using the links below). Note that aged drafts are deleted automatically each day.

Gender, Changing Facilities and Toilets

by Gabrielle Higgins [^]
1st April (CqE Official News)

We know that many clubs are keen to have guidance on how the Supreme Court decision last year in For Women Scotland affects them. Croquet England has recently published a Gender Policy
which covered eligibility to participate in events organised by Croquet England, including those
publicised in the Fixtures Calendar. Clubs may wish to adopt the same approach.

Regrettably, in respect of changing facilities and toilets, the Equality and Human Rights Commission
(EHRC) Code of Practice on the Equality Act, updated to take into account the Supreme Court
decision as well as many other developments, is not yet available and there appears to be no clear
timetable as to when it will be published. In those circumstances, the Gender Review Group feels
unable to do more than other sports such as Bowls and Tennis have done, and note that it is not
possible to offer advice at present and that clubs should read such guidance as is available when
deciding what is appropriate for them in the context in which they operate.

More information on the reasons for this, and such advice as it is possible to give can be found in this guidance document. [ADD LINK WHEN PUBLISHED]

European Clubs League 2026

by Ian Burridge [^]
30th March (GC)

Final entries have been confirmed for the 2026 European Clubs League. A record 60 teams will take part from 12 countries, in total over 250 players can be expected to participate.

The winners of the 7 Championship heats will contest the Grand Final to be hosted by Carrickmines 'A' (IRE) 9-11th October. The 8 Qualifier heat winners are guaranteed a place in the Championship heats in 2027.

The first heat, to be hosted by Balgreen (SCO), is only 3 weeks away, remaining heats will run through to the start of August. Defending Champions Roehampton (ENG) find themselves in what is considered the strongest heat, with previous winners Dulwich (ENG), the host Club de Campo de Vigo 'A' (SPA) who finished 4th overall last year and Newbridge House 'A' (IRE). Teams from Sweden and Greece will feature for the first time, Corfu (GRE) hosting a Qualifying heat and Win and Tonic (SWE) travelling to Phyllis Court.

Competitive Croquet: Understanding Handicaps and the World Ranking System

by Alison Maugham [^]
29th March (CqE Official News)

All competitive croquet games should be recorded; this is to enable fair assessment and monitoring of all players' standard of play.

There are two systems of establishing a player's standard of play, locally through the handicap system, and globally through the world ranking system.

Handicap System

When croquet is played to the rules of handicap play, the aim is to give each player a fair chance of winning. Any advantages they receive at the beginning of a handicap game should be aligned to their level of play, and if this level is set incorrectly then the game could be played unfairly.

All competitive croquet games, handicap and level, must be recorded on player handicap cards, unless stated otherwise by an event or tournament manager.

World Ranking System

Only level competitive games are recorded in the ranking database, which is operated by the World Croquet Federation. Handicap games are not eligible for this system. For players who are looking to play 'ranked' games, they must enter tournaments which are eligible for the ranking system according to the regulations published by the World Croquet Federation.

For an event to be included in the World Ranking System, it must be played to the internationally recognised laws or rules of croquet. In addition, the regulations require that for an event to be included in the ranking system:

1. it must be recognised by the Governing Body (i.e. published in the Croquet England Fixtures Calendar); or,
2. it appears in a tournament calendar published by a Federation; or,
3. it is endorsed in writing by the relevant Ranking Officer prior to the start of the event.

Event organisers should ensure that one of the above criteria is met if they wish the event to be eligible for inclusion in the ranking system. Any event not meeting one of these three criteria will not be included. Events are not eligible if more than 75% of the places are reserved for members of one club.

There are also criteria to be met regarding how a game is played, in terms of court size, time limits, and the number of points that need to be scored. Results must be submitted in the correct format or entered onto Croquet Scores. The full regulations can be found on the World Croquet Federation website under WCF Ranking Regulations here: https://worldcroquet.org/wcf-business/statutes-regulations/.

It is important that these regulations are understood and followed by tournament managers, to ensure that players who are entering competitions have clarity regarding which games will be recorded by which system, whether it be the local handicap system or the world ranking system.

If you have any questions, please contact the relevant committee for support:

Handicap enquiries
handicap#croquetengland.org.uk

Association Croquet Tournament enquiries
tournaments-ac#croquetengland.org.uk

Golf Croquet Tournament enquiries
tournaments-gc#croquetengland.org.uk

General enquiriescommunications#croquetengland.org.uk

Dulwich beat Watford 5-1

by Guy Scurfield at Dulwich [^]
21 Mar (GC - Inter-Club)

England Selection for AC Home Internationals on 6-7 June 2026 at Carrickmines

by Ian Lines (Chair of International) at Carrickmines [^]
17th March (International)

The AC Home Internationals is a match that takes place every year between teams of five from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. This event moves around between the nations, and this year is being held on 6-7 June at Carrickmines Croquet & Lawn Tennis Club (https://www.carrickmines.com/) on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland.

The AC Selection Committee has selected the following team for England:

• Euan Burridge
• Davd Fuller
• David Maugham (Captain)
• Nick Parish
• Andrew Winn

1^st Reserve: James Hopgood

This will be David Maugham's 32nd successive appearance in this event, and England will be hoping for their 12^th consecutive win since Ireland won in 2013 at Carrickmines.

We wish the England Team the best of luck.

Croquet England Bursary Scheme

by Sarah Andrew [^]
16th March (CqE Official News)

Bursaries are available for the 2026 season from the Croquet England Bursary scheme.

The scheme is designed to provide financial support for potential international players of both AC and GC. It is primarily intended to assist players under the age of 25 who wish to take part in tournaments and other challenging croquet activities and, when selected, in international events, both at home and abroad, and require assistance with the costs involved.

However, there is no age limit and no formal "means test". Preference will be given to applicants aged under 25 at the beginning of the year but older players may also apply. Preference will also be given to applicants who satisfy the Committee that they reasonably require financial support but financial disclosure will not be required.

The scheme will be administered by the Croquet England Funding Committee in conjunction with the International Performance Directors (IPDs). The IPDs will recommend and nominate applicants. Players who have not been nominated by an IPD, who feel that they may qualify, may present themselves to the IPDs for possible nomination and/or may apply to the Funding Committee directly.

Applications must be made using the form on the website. Applications may be made from now until the end of April.

Any questions: Contact the Funding Committee Chair, Sarah Andrew (sarah.andrew#croquetengland.org) or a Performance Director: Phil Eardley (AC)(philip.eardley#croquetengland.org), Lionel Tibble (GC) (lionel.tibble#croquetengland.org)

Women's GC European selection announced

by Chris Clarke at Carrickmines [^]
14th March (CqE Official News)

Liz Drury has been selected for England's Member place at the 2026 Women's European GC Championship which will be held at Carrickmines. She joins Diana Wilson, Liz Farrow, Louise Smith and Glynis Davies who have all received Ranking places. We wish all 5 representatives the very best of luck.

Chris Clarke

Chair CqE GCSC

Player Pathway Introduction

by Alison Maugham [^]
9th March (CqE Official News)

The Player pathway is intended to support players as they enter and progress the journey from beginner to international player, including everything in between. The pathway is designed to support you to achieve your croquet ambitions and have fun while playing the sport.

For those who are interested Euan Burridge will be hosting a forum, to answer queries and anything else relating to the Pathway at 7pm on Wednesday the 25th March.

Please could those who are interested in attending the forum please get in touch at which point further documentation will be circulated for review prior to the day.

The link for attendees is Croquet England Player Pathway Forum | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams.

The full information about the Player Pathway can be found on the new Player Pathway website page where a Player Pathway Booklet and Poster are available for download.

A key part of the pathway is club facilitators, the aim is to have a number of these regionally throughout the country where players can access advice and support from someone local to them. If you are interested in becoming a facilitator, please contact pathway#croquetengland.org.uk.

Prize fund confirmed for Golf Croquet Open Championship

An initiative to attract partners and distribute prize money at the Golf Croquet Open Championship is being supported by Croquet England. The first prize fund was collected and awarded as a private initiative for the same championship in 2025, attracting players wearing the colours of seven different countries.

Read the full story >> https://www.croquetengland.org.uk/news_and_media/prize-fund-confirmed-for-golf-croquet-open-championship/

Support the initiative through GoFundMe >> https://www.gofundme.com/f/golf-croquet-singles-open-championship-2328th-june-2026

Draw

by Hilary Smith [^]
6th March (AC - Inter-Club)

Draw

by Hilary Smith [^]
6th March (AC - Longman Cup)

Draw

by Brian Havill [^]
6th March (AC - Secretary's Shield)

Draw

by Brian Havill [^]
6th March (AC - Short Croquet Inter-Club)

WCF March Newsletter

by James Death [Admin] [^]
5th March (Other News)

The latest WCF newsletter has now been published and is available here.

Draw

by Brian Havill [^]
5th March (AC - Mary Rose)

Golf Croquet Handicap/DGrade Guidance - 2026 Season

by Alison Maugham [^]
4th March (CqE Official News)

The following guidance and set of questions and answers have been prepared by Croquet England, the Handicap committee and the Golf Croquet Tournaments Committee to help players and officials for the forthcoming season.

Questions and Answers

1. Will old handicaps that have recently been changed under new method of alignment with DGrade be reinstated?
   1. Yes, if a handicap has been changed following the recently adopted guidance of the Handicap Committee, a players' previous handicap should be reinstated.
   2. However, if a handicapper believes the new handicap to be correct, this new assigned handicap can be retained.
2. Will A and B series tournaments be allocated by DGrade?
   1. Yes, all series tournaments will be allocated by DGrade.
3. Will entry to C and D series tournaments be restricted by handicap?
   1. Yes, the tournaments entry will be restricted to the stated handicap range but will still be allocated on DGrade.
4. Will there be further advice to align player handicap and DGrades in the future?
   1. Yes, the relevant committees will continue their work to find appropriate methods to ensure players' handicaps are as accurate as possible, but no further changes will be introduced for the 2026 season.
5. What will happen to places in tournaments that have already been allocated?
   1. No changes will be made, the places already allocated will stand.

Background

Prior to the 2026 playing season the Handicap Committee updated the guidance for Golf Croquet handicappers to align players' handicap with their DGrade. This was to address many occurrences where the two were significantly different. Methods to address this situation were then researched and approved by the committee.

At the start of February 2026, some of our managers and handicappers started the process of adjusting player handicaps based upon the published guidance. During this process, it was realised that amending all player handicaps to be in-line with their DGrade was not achieving the desired outcome. Unfortunately the results of this would likely have a detrimental effect on some players' season and the events they would be able to enter.

Advice for Handicappers

Whilst we have discovered that the original method of aligning handicap and DGrade would not be appropriate for all players, it is important to remember that there are significant differences for many players. And, in some cases, these differences do still need to be addressed. Handicappers are urged to be vigilant when assessing player handicaps and to seek guidance from the handicap committee for special cases. Although it is important we have standard practice, there will always be cases which need special attention.

Advice for Players

If you believe your handicap to be incorrect or would like to be assessed, please contact your club handicapper who will discuss the process of an assessment. When entering tournaments, please read the entry restrictions carefully to ensure that the tournament is appropriate for your handicap or DGrade, the tournament information will clearly state whether handicap or DGrade is used to determine entry and allocation.

Additional Information

The Handicap Committee maintain a section on the Croquet England website to provide useful guidance for players and officials. This can be accessed at the following link - https://www.croquet.org.uk/?p=games/golf/handicapping.

If you have any questions or require any support with this matter, please don't hesitate to contact Croquet England by email (communications#croquetengland.org.uk).

This communication has been emailed to all Croquet England subscribers unless they have opted out of our email communication service.

Draw

by James Death [Admin] [^]
4th March (GC - Murphy Shield)

Draw

by Jonathan Powe [^]
4th March (GC - Tier 3 Bowl)

Draw

by Jonathan Powe [^]
3rd March (GC - Inter-Club)

Draw

by Steve Leonard [^]
2nd March (GC - Federations Shield)

Welcome to Croquet England's New Treasurer

Debbie Lines (Photo: Ian Lines)

The Trustees of Croquet England are pleased to announce the appointment of Debbie Lines as the new Treasurer of Croquet England.

Debbie is CIMA qualified and spent 20 years of her career working as an accountant in industry. She later moved into project management, focusing on operational change and process improvement-experience that will be valuable in her new role as Treasurer. She has recently completed nearly five years as Secretary General of the World Croquet Federation.

We would also like to thank our outgoing Treasurer, Robert Fulford, for his significant contribution to Croquet England, particularly in guiding the organisation through the financial changes required as we transitioned operations from the Croquet Association to Croquet England.