Cairnlea will host an Australian sporting first next month when the Golf Croquet World Championships roll into town on February 25.
It will be the first time the championships have been held in Australia, with the 12th iteration of the tournament largely taking place at Cairnlea’s Victorian Croquet Centre, as well as other venues across the state.
The competition is held every two years in a different country, and attracts about 80 of the best international players from 14 countries.
Croquet Victoria president Jim Clement said it will be an exciting opportunity for this niche sport to show off the best of Australia’s best.
“These championships will be an exciting opportunity to see the game played at its best by both Australian and international players,” Mr Clement said. “Croquet is growing in popularity, with 89 clubs and more than 2800 members in Victoria alone – and 265 clubs and 9000-plus players nationally.
“Some of the most successful players at the moment are only young, like our very own Jack Williams from Traralgon, who at 19 years won both the Australian under 21 Golf Croquet singles title and the Victorian Open Golf Croquet singles in 2016.”
Golf Croquet is a quicker version of croquet, taking about 50 minutes per game compared to one to three hours for Association Croquet.
Prior to the Golf Croquet world championship, the World Croquet Federation under 21 Golf Croquet world championship takes place, from February 18-23, at Cairnlea, with 28 players from Australia, Egypt, New Zealand and USA competing for entry into the main event the following week.
Spectators are welcome and admission is free by registering at croquetvic.asn.au.
