The early history of the Fremantle croquet club is a little murky still.
The first mention of a club in Fremantle is in 1900 as the Victoria club presumably named after the Victoria Hall in Victoria Street.
Other attempts to start a club appear to have taken place at the Oval in 1903, North Fremantle in 1905 and as Nithsdale in the Queens Square in 1902.
Most likely the Victoria club was the precursor to Fremantle and probably began officially at the bowling club in 1904.
The club appears in the metro pennant competition until 1913 as Victoria, winning the A grade in 1911 and 1913.
The club colours were listed as Rose and White.
In 1913 the first mention of a name change to Fremantle comes into the picture with a corresponding change of club colours to Pale Blue and White
Fremantle won the A pennants in 1917, 1919 and 1920 ( winning B in the same year ), the 1920 win is the last time Fremantle won the A grade.
Further pennant wins were in the minor grades;
B 1923, 1955, 1956
A2, 1945
B2 1950
C 1955, 1956, 1957
Division 3 1988
Division 4 1989, 1990
The club changed its colours to the Royal Stuart Tartan in 1949
The venue was used for practice by visiting dignitaries and international players travelling via ship into and out of the country for major events.
Notably the 1937 Australian MacRobertson Shield team and a 1934 match between the visiting English players and WA.
The WA team was Mesdames Baldwinson, Brown, Sayers, Gallagher with Farmillo as reserve.
Fremantle disbanded in 1997 and the space was used as a car park for the bowling club and festivals in the nearby park.
The photo is the old courts site, now a car park for the bowls and festivals in the nearby park ! Sigh
