Lawns Update

Is it really only a few months since we were worrying about our water-logged lawns and wondering when we’d be able to start dealing with the moss and preparing the lawns for the new Croquet Season? Then suddenly, out of the blue, we had to apply the brakes, lock up the pavilion, close the lawns and ride out the ensuing storm.

Could we find a way to keep our furloughed lawns in reasonable shape whilst making sure we took a safety-first approach to lockdown? With invaluable financial support from two generous local Parish Councils, we were able to identify and fund a specialist gardening contractor, Martin Warefield of Lower Broadheath who agreed to cut our lawns and the outfield under the watchful eye of our lawns guru, John Steel.

This has paid huge dividends in that we’ve wasted no time over the past few weeks in preparing our lawns for play as soon as the Ministry for Sport and our own Governing Body, the Croquet Association deemed it safe to do so.

Members are now entitled to play both singles and doubles, but with strict rules in place including proper distancing and copious hand-sanitizing points located around the ground. We’re beginning to feel the Club coming alive again though league games and internal competitions remain on hold for the time being.

So, if you were thinking of coming up to the ground, don’t worry. It won’t be long before we’ve knocked the lawns into shape, particularly with a bit more rain, so we can smooth out any winter lumps and bumps. Then we can get back to winning tournaments and extending a warm welcome to prospective new members to join us in playing what is, arguably, the happiest, healthiest and certainly one of the most enjoyable sports in the country.

We’ll bring you news of when we can invite new members to join the Club just as soon as possible as well as the reduced cost of subscriptions for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, thanks again to the two local Parish Councils for their timely and generous contributions: we couldn’t have done it without you.

If you’d like some preliminary information, please contact our Club Secretary, John Guy on 01905 748192 and he’ll be happy to explain where we stand currently on membership and playing facilities.