Croquet in college evokes images of sun-drenched days, Pimms, and people amiably standing around New Square doing very little but having a good time regardless.
Though most of these things are at least partially true, croquet is a sport with huge amounts of skill and nuance involved. It is often compared to snooker on a large scale and justly so as it requires many of the attributes commonly associated with the game–patience, control, tactical nouse, accuracy and precision.
The sport has also garnered a reputation as a game for old people, which isn’t really the case–top international croquet players tend to be around the same age as top cross-country skiers due to the similar physiological conditioning needed.
DU Croquet Club was founded in 1981, at a time when Irish croquet was undergoing a period of revitalization. The annual Pimms Open played in college (I kid you not) was once one of the highlights of the croquet calendar.
It has since suffered somewhat of a slump, but with the arrival of fresh blood, the club is set to regain its position as one of the country’s best and contest the Intervarsity titles in Oxford (UCDD don’t have a club for DUCC to play…). In the past, the club has produced Irish Champions and Test match players, even as recently as last year, and it will continue to do so.
For those of you who would be interested in a social game of croquet or the opportunity to pit yourself against the club’s best, call down to New Square on a Wednesday or Friday afternoon or contact [email protected] for details.
