Our August social was a bit different as we tried our hands at croquet under the masterful guidance of the Maldon Croquet Club. It was a new sport to us all and after a few practice tries with the mallets, we were teamed up and hitting balls across the green! Some of us were rather good for first timers!
We learned some basic rules, how to choose the right mallet (they’re actually quite heavy), and the order the balls are played as there is a hierarchy of the colours. Most interestingly, you play in pairs and strategise to help each other hit the ball through the hoop. So for example, if you hit your ball but don’t quite get it where you wanted, your partner can use their ball to nudge you in the right direction, that is if the opposition don’t knock you out the way first! And the first person to get their ball through the hoop wins the point for their team and everyone moves on to the next hoop. The first pair to score 7 hoops wins.
It was a very enjoyable afternoon, with a few whoops of triumph along the way! After the games, we had tea and scones with clotted cream for refreshments which was well earned after such a hot afternoon in the sun!
