In its 105 years in operation, Dubbo Croquet Club must have had thousands of individual members.

North Stake’s calculations are based on membership registers over the past decade and extrapolations from older historical reporting. With this in mind, a total of 10,000 players over the years does not appear to be an over-estimation.

Currently, the club has 63 active players and a total of nearly 100 across all categories of membership. In the last few months, eight new players have joined.

Following Dubbo Regional Council’s latest new residents evening, three people also popped in to the club last Friday for a come-and-try training session which was conducted by the club captain, Charles Campbell.

At the same time, president Graham Bender – one of our team of accredited coaches – conducted a coaching session for a new player who, after three training sessions, took to the court on the immediately preceding Thursday morning for her first game of club play.

Meanwhile, on court one, current members were practicing particular skills under their own steam. That spread of training, coaching, and practicing is a typical Friday morning.

So, what is involved in getting into croquet in Dubbo?

Anyone who is interested in taking up the game is welcome to attend a Friday training at no cost or obligation and for as many sessions as they wish.

Prospective members are welcome to come to the club and join in a regular play day (Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday) in addition to training sessions.

We encourage people to participate in three play days without cost or expectation, before deciding whether to commit to membership or not.

Mallets owned by the club are available for prospective and new members to borrow, without cost. The club has an enviable stock of mallets representing a range of dimensions.

Coaches can assist with matching a player to the most suitable mallet’s dimensions.

The club’s executive has always appreciated that prospective members need time and experience in order to make a decision about purchasing a suitable mallet.

A modest annual membership fee covers club membership, state and federal affiliation, and insurance and administrative costs. An affordable playing fee is levied for each playing session (but not the Friday sessions, as described above).

Croquet: not exactly mainstream, but quickly accessible, intriguing and challenging, suitable for all.