It's called the thought sport.
And that's particularly important for us older people.
I am actually 82, loving it, that's a major part of my life at the moment.
I am playing croquet probably five times a week.
This is Nowra Croquet Club; I've been a member here for about five years.
It's not just hitting a ball through a hoop.
It's a very strategic game and there is a lot of thought in it.
You are looking to outsmart your opponent.
There are, of course, a lot of rules that one has to follow.
You're looking for the position of their balls, versus the position of your own balls, and
you have to assess what strokes you are going to make for the benefit of scoring that hoop.
The art is moving the opponents' balls as far away as possible.
- Now Brian has a shot at the hoop - - -Nice shot -
- Brilliant!
90-year-old's are playing this game, even on walkers.
You need four balls in each game.
You, of course, need a mallet and there are some very excellent mallets available.
If you get the mallet, it certainly improves your game a lot.
You've got to think and you re exercising all the time.
That's the important thing - you're keeping moving.
- Well done!
This club particularly started as a ladies' croquet club and it was introduced into the
area in about 1920 and emerged as a club by 1922, so 100 years this year of a club of
croquet but not a ladies' club anymore.
It's a ladies and gentlemen, mind you our male, as is shown in the book did not become
a member until 1982.
So, a long time for it being ladies only and of course they played in long skirts.
So, they played to the side with their mallet because it was unseemly for a woman to push
a mallet between her legs.
It might not be physically stressing, but it certainly is on the move and of course
it goes for all ages, but it also keeps the mind active because we have strategies involved.
We need to knock away the opponent and claim the hoop as our own.
Which is not as easy as it seems.
We've made some very good friends in the 15 years we've been involved in the game.
Particularly my wife has done very well.
She's just been the club's singles champion in a contest that we had this year.
- That's it.
So black scored the hoop by jumping red.
We don't practice at home.
Some people do, but we don't.
Weather doesn't stop us; the game must go on.