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Croquet England Logo

How to Play: Rules, Coaching, Handicapping, Ranking, Refereeing

What is croquet all about - and why should you give it a try?

Croquet: six hoops, four balls, two mallets and a patch of grass.

Sounds easy enough.

Croquet is a game of skill and strategy, angles, tactics, and guile. A bit like snooker on grass. Will your balls get through the hoops and peg out before your opponent's? It is played on equal terms by men and women and between young and old.

Croquet offers sport, friendships, fun, competition and a whole lot more.

To see what we mean, please watch the adjacent short video.

With over 200 croquet clubs nationwide to choose from, look up your nearest club to find out more about the outdoor sport that keeps you physically and mentally fit, providing a competitive yet sociable environment. Clubs belong to regional Federations.

Croquet is played on a 35 x 28 yards completely flat and closely-mown fine grass court.

Six cast-iron hoops and a peg set firmly into the ground, four balls weighing one pound (in top-class competition 1/32" smaller than a hoop), and mallets weighing around three pounds are used to play at club to international level.

Golf Croquet and Association Croquet are the two main variants of the game played in the UK:

The Coaching section will get you started through to international champion.

The Refereeing section tells you how to become or be a better referee.

The Handicapping system allows competitive games between players of different abilities.

The Ranking System ranks all croquet players in the world.

The Tournaments section tells you all about the competitive scene.

The Technical section tells everything else!

Coming Up

Where are the top players?

July

  • 26-27: Colchester The Eastern Championship View details (AC)
  • 19-20: Balgreen The GC Home Internationals View details (GC)
  • 14-19: Budleigh The AC National Seniors' (50+) Championship View details (AC)
  • 22-24: Sussex County The GC Veterans' (60+) Championship View details (GC)
  • 26-27: Oxford Uni. The AC Students' Championships View details (AC)
  • 19-20: East Dorset The Dorset Open Golf Croquet Championship (Championship Series) View details (GC)
  • 26-27: Budleigh The GC English National Doubles Championship View details (GC)

August

  • 2-3: Ramsgate The Ramsgate Golf Croquet Championship (Championship Series) View details (GC)
  • 1-3: Surbiton The 57th Championship of Surrey View details (AC)
  • 2-9: Carrickmines The Championships of Ireland 2025 View details (AC)

What's on?

July

August

  • 1: Broadwas Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2: Broadwas Golf Croquet D-Level (10+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2: Guildford Golf Croquet B-Level (4+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2-3: Budleigh Golf Croquet Open Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2-3: Chester Golf Croquet A-Level (0+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2-3: Colchester Golf Croquet A-Level (0+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 3: Guildford Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament View details (GC)
  • 2: Blewbury August One-Day Short Croquet Tournament View details (AC)
  • 2-3: Tyneside Advanced Weekend (AC) Tournament View details (AC)
  • 2-3: Norwich The Chalkhill Mallet Handicap (AC) View details (AC)
  • 2-7: Hurlingham Annual Tournament (AC) View details (AC)

July

  • 24: Online Board of Trustees Meeting View details
  • 31: Online Executive Meeting View details