CROQUET

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Stanley
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CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

CROQUET

My subject this week might be seen to be far removed from Barlick but in the inter war years the houses of the wealthy manufacturers sported tennis courts and croquet lawns. In case you have never played, croquet involves striking wooden balls with large mallets and the object of the game is to progress through a series of hoops or 'wickets' until your ball strikes a peg in the middle of the lawn, it was sometimes referred to as 'lawn billiards'. So far so good but as in so many games there are refinements like being allowed to hit your opponents ball with yours and drive them off course, in extreme circumstances, completely off the lawn. It is closely related to hockey and games on this basis have been played since the Middle Ages gradually developing over time until by the early 19th century something very closely resembling the modern game was becoming very popular.
In November 1856 the first set of rules was registered with the Stationers' Company in London by a gentleman called Isaac Spratt. This became the basis for the modern game and of course, as is the nature of such things, they became more refined and complicated as the years went by. In 1868, the first croquet all-comers meet was held at Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire and in the same year the All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon in London where it still survives but the venue is better known now for tennis. I was first introduced to the game by an ex-Paratroop Regiment Brigadier and his wife in Norfolk and had a rude awakening!
I had always imagined that croquet was a gentle summer pastime enjoyed by people with an afternoon to spend at leisure. This might be true in some circles but in the one I found myself plunged into it was fiendishly competitive, devious and passionate. The object was to crush the opposition by any means, including the most blatant cheating. There was constant bickering about the rules of the game and it got to the stage where man and wife were confronting each other with raised mallets and I was expecting damage to be done! I came to the conclusion that this was a sign of a household at war with itself and I just happened to be there on a bad day.
I discovered later that this was not the case. They were a completely compatible and loving couple, it was simply that their behaviour on the lawn was part of the sport for them and that this attitude was quite common amongst those who played the game seriously. So my verdict is that the game should only be played by consenting adults over 40, never in the presence of children and that anyone like me invited to join in should be warned beforehand!
I can still hear the lady of the house informing me in a refined bellow that "Your balls are in the ha ha Stanley!" And then we had a perfectly civilised cream tea.....

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The Brigadier and his wife with raised mallets!
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Re: CROQUET

Post by PanBiker »

Croquet is alive and well around the area. My mate Roger plays in the league, serious stuff. :smile:
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Re: CROQUET

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Stanley wrote: 26 Mar 2018, 06:12 There was constant bickering about the rules of the game and it got to the stage where man and wife were confronting each other with raised mallets and I was expecting damage to be done! I came to the conclusion that this was a sign of a household at war with itself and I just happened to be there on a bad day.
I discovered later that this was not the case. They were a completely compatible and loving couple, it was simply that their behaviour on the lawn was part of the sport for them and that this attitude was quite common amongst those who played the game seriously.
If you think that's tough you should try playing Monopoly against Mrs Tiz! :extrawink:
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Re: CROQUET

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No thanks!
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

You were right Ian! There was a letter in the BET this week pointing out that there is a croquet club in Earby which I knew nothing about. I have of course sent an apology and promised not to make the same mistake again!
First justified complaint ever...... Not a bad record.....
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Re: CROQUET

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Many years later my friend Daniel taught my daughters to play croquet at his family home where it was taken very seriously. So seriously that once when Daniel went home for a visit he noted to his surprise that the hoops were not out on the lawn. When he asked his mother why she said that one of his sister's husbands had accused his father of cheating so he took all the gear away and locked it in the shed. Daniel said that the joke was that they all knew his father cheated but kept quiet about it!
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Wendyf »

My lovely neighbour in Scotland who we stayed with last weekend always had a croquet set out on the lawn and ready to play through the summer. She has recently turned her lawn into a wildflower area after asking herself what a lawn was for "if you didn't play croquet or tennis on it". Different social class altogether!! :laugh5:
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Re: CROQUET

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In the days when David Moore was principal at Nelson and Colne College the front lawn was laid out for croquet every summer.....
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Re: CROQUET

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Re: CROQUET

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The croquet lawn at Nelson and Colne College in 1982.
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Re: CROQUET

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My mate Roger used to play there until they did away with it. Now down at Earby.
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Tripps »

Croquet for me brings to mind Lord Patrick Campbell's short story about a pretentious diplomat, where he uses the phrase "a goss on the potted meat"

I saw his Lordship, while we were both having a fitting for a bespoke suit in Abe Sacks' shop in Spring Gardens Manchester. He used to go there when he was filming "Call my Bluff" nearby. Said the quality was as good as London and a lot cheaper. :smile:

I found a reference to the phrase from 2005, thanks to the miracle of google

"I remember the humorist Patrick Campbell explaining a family phrase a goss on the potted meat as being a glancing blow to the pink ball in a game of croquet. "Goss" was for "gossamer", and because much of the pink colour had come off the ball to reveal the darker base colour, the family fancied it resembled potted meat. Hence a goss on the potted meat - a phrase incomprehensible to the outside world until parsed."


I think It's time to borrow Cathy's tag again -
What a strange world is in my head. . . . :laugh5:
Last edited by Tripps on 14 Jan 2024, 12:04, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

I think that definitely qualifies as a Little Known Fact! I also like the chance meeting in the tailor's shop..... as Wendy said "Different social class altogether!!" :biggrin2:
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

Bumped again, if only for its entertainment value!
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Tripps »

Thanks for that- good memories of the era.

I don't still have the suit, and it wouldn't fit me anymore, but it was easy to find the coat hanger. and I've corrected Abe's surname. I went to the Spring Garden branch and was served by his son. The Savile Row of Manchester.

PS I just did a google search and found this - I too previously had a 'Dormeuil Tonik Mohair' but had forgotten the name. He was right about the cost. :smile:


I remember in the late 60's I paid a fortune for a hand made Bespoke " 3 Ply Dormeuil Tonik Mohair Suit" by "ABE SACKS" a well known Tailor in Salford, which was the most expensive suit that I ever had,



Abe Sacks.JPG
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

In Stockport the go-to bespoke tailor was Philip Burman in Underbank. My dad went there for his suits during the war......
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Re: CROQUET

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Stanley wrote: 15 Jan 2024, 03:21 Philip Burman in Underbank
I came across the name 'Underbank ' last night. Underbank shops doorways in the Manchester History Facebook site which I joined a while ago.
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Re: CROQUET

Post by Stanley »

David, it's very disturbing for a Stopfordian to see that his town's history comes under Manchester these days.....
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