ANYONE FOR (GOLF) CROQUET

ANYONE FOR (GOLF) CROQUET?

HARTLEY SLATER

A general sign of grace and standing, among the rising middle classes towards the end of the 19th century, was a piano in the house. The more patrician few, with larger estates in the country, would maybe aspire, as well, to the possession of a croquet lawn. Croquet has an aristocratic history stretching back to the French game of Pall Mall - hence some of the terminology, 'croquet', 'roquet', 'bisque' etc. - but it emerged in its present form in the later 19th century and shortly afterwards became a public sport not only for the higher, but also the lower bourgeoisie.

Right now, changing attitudes to sport and its funding are moving the game away from this older form, which required patience, brains, and training, towards shorter, more active, and less intricate forms, like Golf Croquet, which have a wider appeal, and which hence hold out the chance of attracting more money. Development of the skills to enjoy a characteristically three-hour-long game of traditional Croquet takes at least a year, and often much longer, whereas the essentials of Golf Croquet can be picked up almost instantly, and a game involves little concentration, much more social interaction, and far less time - say even just half an hour.

This paper traces the development of Croquet within Western Australia through these changes, starting in the early 1900s when many municipal clubs were formed, and going into the recent pressures that are bringing Golf Croquet (as well as other reduced forms of Croquet) more to the fore. It outlines, in particular, the founding, growth and activities of the West Australian Croquet Association (W.A.C.A.), which is responsible, amongst other things, for organising the state games schedule, and selecting the W.A. team to play in the interstate competition - the Eire Cup. There have also been a remarkable number of international croquet players from W.A., who have represented Australia in the Trans-Tasman Tests, and for the MacRobertson Shield, which is a world competition originally just between Australia and Great Britain, but now against New Zealand, and the United States, as well.

The author has played croquet in W.A. since 1978, being State Champion for a while in the 1980s, and State Coach in the 1990s. Since retiring from teaching at U.W.A., and becoming a research fellow there in 2000, he has been on the W.A.C.A. Management Committee, and is currently its historian.

(Picture of Croquet at Government House in 1860)

Croquet is played on a large lawn of 35 yards by 28 yards. It is played with four balls, either by four people on two sides, or by two people each taking two of the balls. Play involves hitting one's ball(s) twice through a series of 6 hoops in a certain order, and then hitting a peg in the middle of the court, making 13 'points' in all for each ball. A side has won, therefore, when it has made 26 points. Croquet's distinctive shot, which gives it its name, consists in placing two balls in touch with one another, and then, by hitting just one with a mallet, sending both balls to desired places on the green. Great skill, requiring considerable training, is involved in this shot, akin to that involved in billiards and snooker. But also a lot of brainwork can come in, in sorting out where best to place the two balls. 'Croquet' (meaning 'crooked stick') is not the only French word used in the game. There is another basic shot, called a 'roquet', which simply consists in hitting one ball so that it, in turn, hits another. Good players can do this with extraordinary accuracy, even firing diagonally across the whole court to 'make a roquet'. The other French word used in the game is 'bisque', which refers to an extra turn allowed to players with large handicaps, in certain games.

Croquet came from France, as these terms indicate, but the idea for the game comes from elsewhere. In fact Croquet has a common ancestor with Golf, in the Roman game of Paganica. A player of this game walked across fields and hit a small leather ball with a curved stick, aiming to strike certain trees. The sport developed in two ways. In country areas the target became a hole, and the game of golf evolved. In towns the game of Pall Mall (originally the French 'Paille Maille', i.e. 'Ball-Mallet') became popular. In this game the ball was played down an alley, passing through a number of small arches on the way. This was the forerunner of croquet, and was particularly popular in France. Pall Mall was introduced into Great Britain from France in the 17th century. There it gave its name to the London streets of Pall Mall, and The Mall.

In time, many versions of the game were invented, and the version most akin to today's croquet, with four balls in four separate colours, was introduced to England from Ireland in 1852, and quickly became popular. In 1868 Walter Whitmore set out to organise the game properly, and he convened a meeting that resulted in the All England Croquet Club, with its headquarters at Wimbledon. The invention of, and subsequent enthusiasm for lawn tennis led to an extension of the title to the one better known today: 'The All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club'. But a revival of interest in Croquet in 1897 led to the setting up of the English Croquet Association, and three years later it moved its headquarters from Wimbledon to Hurlingham.

It was shortly after this that Croquet made its public appearance in Western Australia, with the founding of various clubs. Many of these were centred on private courts in the grounds of houses, so it can be presumed that Croquet had been played for some time before, well back into the late 19th century. Indeed, a photograph in the Battye Library shows croquet being played in the grounds of Government House in 1860. The first club to be established in W.A. was at Fremantle (1900), although there are records suggesting there was already plenty of play at Kalgoorlie, also, in that year. Fremantle was followed by Subiaco, Busselton, and Bunbury Moorabinda (1904), East Fremantle (1906), North Perth, Leederville and Geraldton (1908), and York (1909). The origins of other clubs may also date from this period, but records are not always available. In the records that remain, mention is made of 57 clubs, or playing greens, that were in existence at one time or another. Currently there are 21 clubs active around the state, some of which, like Augusta, Dunsborough, Halls Head, Mandurah and Sorrento were founded only within the last 25 years. The total list is as follows (those starred are currently functioning):

Metropolitan:

*Bassendean, *Bayswater, *Como, Cottesloe, *East Fremantle, Fremantle, Floreat City Beach (now *Cambridge), *Gosnells, Guildford, Hollywood, Kings Park, Kitchener Park, Leederville (now *Cambridge), Maylands, Midland Junction, Mount Lawley, *Nedlands, North Perth (now *Forrest Park), Perth, Royal Park, *Sorento, Subiaco, Swan, *Victoria Park.

Country:

Albany Lower King (now *Gomm Park), Albany St John's, *Augusta, Balingup, Beverley, Bridgetown, *Bunbury Central, *Bunbury Moorabinda, *Busselton, Collie, Coolgardie, Denmark, *Dunsborough, Esperance, *Geraldton, Gnowangerup, Gwalia, *Halls Head, Harvey, Kalgoorlie, Katanning, *Mandurah, Merredin, *Narrogin, Northam, Pingelly, Popanyinning, Tambellup, Wagin, Yallingup, Yarloop, Yealering, *York.

Moorabinda (which has an aboriginal name meaning 'foot of the hill', and which is currently located in Hay Park) first had courts in the grounds of Mary Ann Spencer's home on Bury Hill overlooking Bunbury. St John of God's hospital now occupies the site. In Busselton the game was played in the grounds of a hotel owned by Mr and Mrs L. Bignell. East Fremantle played on lawns between Hamilton and Moss Streets, at the private home of Mrs Jones. The practice was still evident later, since in 1924, at Narrogin, several private courts in the town were used, in addition to a sand court at St Peter's Presbyterian Church. Bayswater, founded in 1932, originally used Mrs Skipworth's private courts in Murray Street, close to King William Street, and also Mrs McLeish's courts in Murray Street.

These later establishments, however, took place at a time when municipal support started to become more widely available, in line with general developments in public responsibility. In fact, Leederville was supported by its local council, from the start. But other clubs had to wait. Bunbury Central, for instance, was founded in 1937, and played in the Council Gardens at first; Gosnells (1938) played on the Railway Department's land, courtesy of the local Road Board, and Como (1928), Nedlands (1930), and Bassendean (1934) were also indebted to their Road Boards. Kalgoorlie Council responded to the same purpose in 1935, even though, as was mentioned before, the game had been played there on what seems to have been a large number of private courts from at least the turn of the century. I will trace the history of these times in a couple of selected cases.

About 1900, Mrs Kyle (aunt of the Governor of W.A. Sir Wallace Kyle) lived in the 'look-out' house on top of the hill at the eastern end of Addis Street in Kalgoorlie. She invited friends to join her in the game of croquet on her gravel court (probably there was no water for lawns). A year or so later, Mrs Hicks, the founder of the firm of Hicks and Co., had a small green in her backyard. With other friends, including Mrs Kennedy Brougham and Mrs Cowle, they started a club at the corner of Dugan and Maritana Streets, where the original Kalgoorlie School had stood. They disbanded in 1914, when war broke out. In the late 1920's, however, Mr and Mrs Strother, who had been Mayor and Mayoress of Coolgardie, moved to Kalgoorlie. Mr and Mrs Giles also left Coolgardie, and Mrs Giles planted a fair sized lawn in front of her Collins Street House. She had brought all her croquet equipment from Coolgardie. With Mrs Strother and others she started a club. Later Mrs Barker had a small green at her house, almost opposite, at the corner of Keenan Street. In 1929 Mr Giles died, and Mrs Giles and her daughter became occupied with the family business. But in 1930 Mrs Hair planted a small green at her Ward Street home, and Mrs Giles' members transferred there, with Mrs Hair as President, and Mrs Alman as Secretary. Many enjoyable games, it is said, were arranged between Mrs Barker's club and Mrs Hair's. In 1935 Mrs Buzzacott, a member of Mrs Barker's club, suggested that they should ask Kalgoorlie Council for a full sized green. Mrs Alman acted as interim secretary, and a meeting was called and held in the mayoress' (Mrs Moore's) Parlour at the Town Hall. The caretaker could not believe his eyes, we are told, when he saw forty women coming up the stairs! A club was formed, called the 'Greenless Croquet Club', and a delegation was sent to Kalgoorlie Municipal Council. Eventually, a site was decided upon, on the greens previously occupied by the Beaumont Tennis Club, which was moved elsewhere. A further piece of land, on Forrest Street was not being used, and Mrs Hair and Mrs Alman approached the Council again, and arranged for this to be planted, allowing two greens, though not of full width, to be added. The public greens were opened in 1940. After the war the Kalgoorlie Croquet Club paid the Council for their pavilion, refurbishing it extensively; also the Forrest Street greens were eventually extended to full length. There were still croquet greens in Kalgoorlie in the early 1990s, but it is not on public record just when the game finished there.

The Leederville Club had a rather different history. It was formed in 1908 following a meeting of Perth City Councillors and interested citizens. The Council made land available, vested in the adjacent Bowling Club, with the Croquet Club to pay a certain amount for the attention given to their greens. The first clubhouse was a former blacksmith's cottage, next to the then Town Hall, and entered by a laneway from Cambridge Street. No records of the very early years can be traced until 1929, but it is known that the Club closed during the war years, from 1914 until its revival in 1922. Gala days, picnic days with small games competitions, card afternoons, and bring-and-buy days were held regularly, to raise funds. The Council had originally granted an annual subsidy, but it was very much below maintenance costs; however, the club flourished despite two wars and a depression. In 1958 a Golden Jubilee was celebrated with much joy and pride. In 1965 the houses facing Holyrood Street were demolished, allowing a comfortable Clubhouse to be built, which opened in 1968, and the undersized green was then corrected, and another laid down. Until 1976 the Club was responsible for the maintenance and landscaping, but Perth City Council then took over responsibility for the greens, grounds, and the building. Subsequently the subsidy scheme finished, and a rental was paid, until the break-up of the Perth City Council, when Leederville became part of the City of Cambridge. Most recently Cambridge Council have built four new greens near the old Floreat City Beach greens, and moved the two Croquet Clubs together onto the new site.

Other substantial changes, besides the turn to, and development of municipal funding, occurred in much the same period. Before WWI there was a good number of men in several of the clubs, for instance, but after the war (which, as above, led to the temporary closure of a number of clubs) women came to completely dominate both in the clubs and in the administration of Croquet in W.A. This was the pattern in Australia generally. Indeed it was 'The Fremantle Ladies Croquet Club' right from 1900. The West Australian Croquet Association was founded shortly after, in 1905, and there are some telling pronouns in the Rules and Regulations for Pennant Matches and Tournament Fixtures, published by the all female executive of 1953. For instance there is (p19):

The responsibility of playing on her correct handicap entirely rests with the competitor herself. If she plays on a higher handicap than that to which she is entitled she shall be disqualified from the competition in which she is or has been playing, and the last competitor whom she has defeated shall be declared the winner.

It is to be noted that the Laws of Association Croquet, and the Constitution of the West Australian Croquet Association, published by the same body in the same year, used the pronoun 'he' throughout. No doubt this was due to the affiliation with the English Croquet Association, and the Australian Croquet Council.

The earliest record of minutes of the West Australian Croquet Association is from October 1932, following the 28th AGM in the September of that year. Books prior to this time were destroyed, the story goes, by an irate husband, whose wife was the Association's Secretary at some time - no reason being given for the irritation! By that date no country club would seem to have joined the Association, since only metropolitan clubs are listed in the minutes. It was shortly after that year, however, in 1934, that Geraldton wrote asking for a Country Week Carnival, and that, we can suppose, led to the country clubs gradually being affiliated. Incorporation of the Association took place in 1937-38. Management of the Association up to 1940 seems to have been done at the Council Meetings, where delegates, two each from the various affiliated clubs, assembled. But a management committee of 5 ladies was formed in 1940, and this, together with the officers of the Association (President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, and Treasurer), eventually became the executive. There was, however, a Handicapping Committee as far back as 1933: they had a special day once a year when all handicaps of club members, and their merits, were discussed, and adjustments made. Later, in 1945, came the formation of the Referees (Umpires) Committee, after which an Umpires School was held in Subiaco, and 8 official umpires appointed.

In the early years, Council meetings mainly consisted in the arrangements for Pennant Matches in the metropolitan area, and for the State Championship Singles and Doubles in the Annual Tournament. Pennants were inter-club team events, while the Annual Tournament was for individuals, or couples. Occasionally handicap games were also included. In those days, as well, it was the practise for the lawns used in the Annual Tournament to be offered for play by various clubs, so that, if an event lasted over a week, it could possibly be played at a number of venues. This is far less common nowadays, partly because it required a lot of travelling by the competitors, but also because clubs, these days, seem to be far more possessive of their playing days.

It was pointed out above that there was a considerable sex imbalance amongst Croquet players up to, and after WWII. This continues, but it is nowhere near so extreme, or insisted upon so vehemently, as it once was. 'Allow the men in and you'll kill Croquet' was one recorded sentiment, in the early days! Nevertheless men did come back into Croquet in greater numbers in the 1970s, even if it took a formal resolution at Como, in 1969, for instance, to let them back in. Sex differences are evident in several other areas, as well. Thus the main events in the annual games schedule, in the present W.A. Croquet calendar, were set in place in the years spanning WWII, and the legacy of this period is therefore found in the Ida Thorpe Trophy, the Marjorie Parry Gold Star, and other events named after Mesdames McBride, Maskew, and Thorogood. Only later were males to give their names to cups and other awards. It is remarkable also that, while in England there has been no tradition of formal croquet attire, in Australia, until only very recently, a very strict 'whites only' rule was applied not only in state tournaments but also even in club play - the one exception being the club colours permitted in the hat band. This is also, no doubt, due to the influence of a mostly female membership at the time. There is also a style of play associated with the period previous to, and immediately after WWII: a cautious, tight play, where the objective seemed to be not to make a hoop until there was absolutely no chance of missing (sticking against a hoop upright, for instance, can lead to all sorts of trouble), and in the meantime to dispose each of the opponent balls to places well away from every other ball, so that the opponent(s) could not easily make a roquet to get into the game. Above all, the primary objective was to make very sure that, whatever happened, one did not do anything for which one could in the least be blamed, to assist the opponent get any 'points', i.e. advance through any hoops. The mythical figure 'Aunt Emma' is sometimes referred to as a proponent of this hyper-prudent style, which meant games could be mostly a test of stamina and patience, lasting even for eight or nine hours. Maybe it is also on account of this that the game acquired a reputation for mean-spiritedness.

Not every player, of course, played to this plan, even if it was very hard to beat, and maybe even to this day could still give advanced players a good challenge. Commonly Aunt Emma is now dealt with off the field, by those who like to play differently, simply by brow beating, and frowns about 'not playing the right way'. But that can be taken as itself an admission that there would be no clear way to defeat her, should she take to the field. What developed in opposition to this style, and had been common in advanced play since even the later 19th century, was something not at all mean-spirited: what is called 'Forward Play' where the emphasis is on making breaks, i.e. successions of hoops. It was the men, in general, who preferred this style. But one of the most notable W.A. players in the early post WWII generation, who played in this open way, both at the state level and interstate, was nevertheless a woman: Sheila MacDonald, from Beverley. I will give some details of Mrs Macdonald's croquet career later. Before that we may take a look more generally at the state competitions in this period.

Country Week, when all the members of affiliated country clubs had an opportunity of playing together came into being in 1934, following the letter from Geraldton mentioned before. There was quite a full programme of activities recorded in that year, beginning with an official opening at Kitchener Park, on the Saturday before the Monday start of play, also exhibitions of play by the leading state champions, and a social evening at Mount Lawley Club. Despite this, the 1934 event was not deemed to have been a success, and it took another letter from Geraldton to re-ignite the Carnival, in 1937, and this time it was said to have been very successful. Certainly the event continued, and developed from there, with inter-club games, a number of graded singles events, and also special doubles events where a country player was paired with a metropolitan one. Notable players, in addition to Sheila MacDonald, whose names appear in the winners' lists for Country Week include Olga Lindon, Martin Clarke, Bill Barnes, and Diana McCready from Geraldton, Ray and Alma Western, Rohan Carter, Pat Hunt and Ray Reuter from Albany St Johns, and Albany Lower King, and Kit Webber, and Lance and Vi Kershaw from Bunbury Central. Country Week started to be less popular in the 1990's, and was first turned into a Country Weekend, in 1998. That continued in the metropolitan area until 2006, when the full Country Week restarted at Bunbury Moorabinda - a club which, in the same year, was also the venue for another three Association events. In all there are now 16 Association events played at Country Clubs, with 4 at Halls Head, 2 at Gomm Park, and 1 each at York, Narrogin, Geraldton, Bunbury Central, Busselton, and Augusta. Country players also compete, in Perth, for the Thorogood Trophy, at the end of the season, at the same time as the metropolitan players are playing for the McBride Cup; the winners of the two events then compete to be 'Champion of Champions'. In all there are something like 52 Association tournaments of various kinds, in various places around the state, at various times during the Croquet year. In the metropolitan area, in addition to the events at the Association's headquarters at Forrest Park, other tournaments are run at Cambridge, Como, Nedlands, Victoria Park, Gosnells, East Fremantle, Bassendean, and Bayswater. It is quite a busy life!

Now we must look at some of the outstanding individual players, and officials. Sheila MacDonald, as was mentioned before, had a remarkable croquet career, including taking Beverley to the top eight times, between 1962 and 1978, in Country Week. But she was particularly exceptional interstate. She won the English Silver medal in 1968, the Australia-wide open singles tournament in 1969, and the English Bronze Medal in 1970. But she then won the women's singles event three times subsequently (1970, 1972, and 1983), as well as being outstanding as a doubles player, and later a coach. Mrs Macdonald's doubles partners in her interstate wins were Mrs Muir from Northam, in 1967, and George Maslen from Nedlands, in 1969. Mr Maslen, who had a very flamboyant style, unlike Sheila's calm and sedate one, won the interstate men's singles title in both 1971 and 1972. Mrs Macdonald's constant doubles partner in later years, however, was Verna Clarke from Victoria Park, who was President of the West Australian Croquet Association several times, and also, for three years, in 1981-83, President of the Australian Croquet Council (as it was then still called). It was during her tenure of the national office that Mrs Clarke took an Australian team to play in the United States. This was the first time this had happened, and was around the time when the United States was starting to take part in the world of Association Croquet. So it was a very significant venture. A member of that touring team was another notable West Australian player, Bob Harewood, from Bayswater, who won the English Silver Medal in 1983; also there was David Weaver, a state team member, and protÈgÈ of Mrs Macdonald's, from Beverley.

The Interstate competitions started in 1950. In those days the winner of the main state singles competition got a Gold Medal provided by the state in question, and at the interstate games vied, with the other state medal winners, for the Silver and Bronze Medals, which were donated by the English Association. More recently, the English Association has discontinued this 'colonial' practice (which had also, at one time, included donation of medals to individual states), and since 2000 the state winner has received a Bronze Medal, with the awards at the interstate level being Gold and Silver Medals, all being provided by the Australian Croquet Association (as it became, in 1987). Of course, the main event in any interstate sporting tournament is the team event, which in Croquet is for the Eire Cup. For many years mixed teams of four took part from each state, but more recently two single-sex teams of four are entered from each state, with women playing women, and men playing men, the aggregate of points from all games counting as the total. The change came with the entry into the game of more men, who generally have a more commanding, and, as before, 'forward' manner of play. Young men, in particular, seem to have the right hand-eye co-ordination needed to master the game, and leading players in the world are mostly in this age bracket. W.A. has had its share of these in recent years, with Ashley Faulkener, and Rohan Carter, from Albany Lower King, both being outstanding players, and Daniel Anderson from Como even winning the interstate Mens Singles title in 2000 and 2002.

One woman in W.A., however, in these more recent years, has continuously broken with this pattern: Helene Thurston, from Como. In a long career since winning the A.B.Morrison Trophy for promising newcomers in 1990, she has been at the top of W.A. croquet, and has beaten the men solidly on many occasions, and not only within the state: she was the interstate open singles champion in 2001. She also won the interstate women's singles event in 1996, 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Mrs Thurston has also been President of the West Australian Croquet Association a number of times, and has an international standing as a player, having been a regular in the Trans-Tasman event in particular. This Australia-New Zealand match is one of the main international events in which Australia takes part. Other events at this level are the World Croquet Federation's Singles Championship, and the MacRobertson Shield. The former was held in W.A. one year - in 1997 - utilising the largest number of greens found together in the southern hemisphere, at Bunbury Moorabinda and Bunbury Central. W.A.'s connection with the four-yearly MacRobertson Shield goes back to its start, when Mr J.C. Windsor, who lived in York prior to WWI, played in international games from 1925 until 1937. Indeed he was even Captain of Australia at the beginning, when just England was the opponent. In 1969 Sheila Macdonald was a member of the Australian team, and, more recently, in addition to Helene Thurston, Jeff Newcombe from Victoria Park (English Silver Medal 1996), Martin Clarke, now at Mandurah (Australian Gold Medal 2001, Open Singles 2003), and Ian Dumergue from Como (Australian Gold Medal 2002, 2004), have figured on the Australian side. In 2006 Martin Clarke was Captain of the Australian side.

In recent years, however, there has been a marked decline in municipal support for W.A. Croquet. That has led to clubs having to do more to be self-sufficient, and it has meant there have been one or two closures. But, as was mentioned before, several new clubs have been set up in this time, particularly in the country. There has also been some growth in the variety of games which are played, especially two reduced forms of Association Croquet, namely Golf Croquet, and 14-Point Croquet, the former now having an equal place on many club playing days, and the pair also some presence in state, interstate, and even international competitions. Thus there is now one 14-Point match, and a number of Golf Croquet tournaments in the state programme. Part of the reason for widening the range of games played has been the financial need to attract more players, to help pay the bills; but also Golf Croquet has been a world sport for many years - the Egyptians are the masters of it - and 14-Point Croquet was developed to provide a shorter game suitable for showing on T.V. A further initiative in 2000 was the establishment of a Headquarters for W.A. Croquet. This has provided a home for the administration of the West Australian Croquet Association, as well as playing lawns where the state coaching sessions can be held. The ambition to have a headquarters goes back to the late 1930s when negotiations were started with Subiaco Council to acquire lawns in Kitchener Park for this purpose. But financial difficulties with the proposed levy on members of the Association led to the abandonment of the plan at that time. Later planning, in the 1960s, centred on constructing greens in Langley Park, or at Smith's Lake off Charles Street in North Perth, and more recently focussed on the possibility of a restructure of the clubhouse at Nedlands. But eventually, in a move to support North Perth Club amongst other things, it was decided to take over part of the lease on their new premises at Forrest Park.

There have been some other notable individuals in Croquet in W.A., not all of whom can possibly be discussed. There are profiles of some of these, namely Edith Crosby, Dora White, Elsie Solly, and Geoff Bloomfield, in the Battye Library, but mention must also be made of others from the post WWII period: Jean Grove, who was Secretary of the Association for a number of years, and President for a short while; Audrey Burrows, who was President, and also a State Team member; and, above all, Muriel Parker, who was not only Secretary of the Association, but also the Secretary, and a very active member, of most of the Association's sub-committees for a great length of time. Very important, too, was an early coach, Dick Devenish, who was largely instrumental in setting up the state coaching sessions mentioned just above. Coaching, both for beginners around the state, in various clubs, and for selected advanced players, with the prospect of improving their game up to interstate level, or actually preparing them to play for the state, is now a very well organised part of the Association's business. So I shall end this far too brief history of Croquet in W.A. with a little about this side of the sport. In the early days of the development of state coaching a small band of expert players, including Sheila MacDonald, Bob Harewood, and Dick Devenish, gathered together to support anyone with keenness and promise. Dick (or 'Walter Ernest' as he was properly called) came into Croquet only in his 70th year, in 1964, after a lifetime of other sporting and athletic pursuits. In a very short time, however, he advanced to the top division, and was selected as a state player. He was a precise and stylish stroke maker, and his 'all round' breaks were a delight to watch. Quite early in his Croquet career he became interested in coaching, and with the help of his wife, Freda, he laid the foundations for the present coaching system in W.A. In the 1970's Dick and Freda ('Elfreda' fully, there is a plantation named after her near the Mundaring Weir Hotel, since her father, Fred Jacobi, was publican there in the early 1900's) made many trips to the various country clubs and conducted coaching sessions. This was an immensely valuable service to Croquet, since in those days country players had fewer opportunities to make visits to Perth for tuition. At his club in Nedlands he was always willing to coach anyone who wished to improve their skill. In fact it was quite common for players from other clubs to come to Nedlands for his advice and help. As befitted a good coach, his standards were high, but he had a gift for imparting knowledge, as well as considerable patience. He reluctantly laid aside his mallet in his 91st year, in 1985, when 'his legs gave out', but he still retained his interest in croquet and was a frequent visitor to Nedlands Club, just across the road from his house. Sadly he died in January 1990, in his 96th year. But he had had a good game, for sure, in all senses of the word.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The material for this essay was drawn from the author's personal recollections, and also the archives of the West Australian Croquet Association, held at Forrest Park. There are also 53 items on the subject of Western Australian Croquet in the Battye Library, including not only the personal profiles mentioned above, but also histories of the following clubs: Bayswater, Floreat City Beach, East Fremantle, Como, Subiaco, Gosnells, North Perth, Mandurah, Nedlands, Kalgoorlie, Narrogin, Northam, Fremantle, and Victoria Park.

(5601 words)