The Waimaire Croquet Club has one of the region?s largest memberships
While some local clubs are planning open days to promote the virtues of croquet?s ?mental gamesmanship? others are wondering where their future?s lie. The Waimaire Croquet Club has one of the region?s largest memberships and is being forced to shift their premises to make way for the Hutt River. The club was originally beside the Hutt Library until the Hutt City Council?shifted it to the Melling site on the river?s flood plain. ??Now that the stop bank is being fixed, the croquet club?has to go,? says Lower Hutt Regional Councillor Sandra Greig. The Council has offered the club a couple of sites in Taita but the club would find the fit difficult as both sites are small, and don?t have adequate parking for National events. The club has been investigating sites throughout the region and hold the Walter Nash Stadium or a site in Naenae as their favoured options. Petone Croquet Club president Julie Murphy says they might see membership increase if the distance to travel to the new location means some of Waimaire?s 90 members could be better off joining Petone. ?It depends on where they relocate and if they can get six lawns to fit in. ?It could well be that people from the Waimaire club come here, Petone has the room to take on new members. ?We would welcome them warmly,? says Mrs Murphy. The Petone club on Williams street is located between a stream and a road, and cannot be extended to amalgamate with the Waimaire Club. The Wellington Croquet Association is preparing to hold a recruitment drive next month and the Petone club is planning to extol the virtues of the game. ?It?s a game full of fantastic strategies you can use. ?There is mental gamesmanship and it?s not a vicious game,? she says. The Petone Croquet Club open day is on September 27.
