Visitors, please browse through our web site and get acquainted with our club and what it offers.
Strathfield Croquet Club Inc.
Strathfield Croquet Club acknowledges the Wangal people, traditional owners of the lands on which we meet and enjoy croquet.
Croquet - an enjoyable, affordable, lifetime sport for all ages.
Contact our club via email: strathfieldcroquet@gmail.com
Club History - An overview
Croquet had undoubtedly been played on the private lawns of a number of homes in the relatively affluent 19th century suburb of Strathfield. Along with tennis, bowls and billiards, croquet was one of the sports played at the Union Recreation Club (now the Strathfield Sports Club).
The Union Recreation Club opened in 1882. Strathfield Croquet Club became a separate entity in 1904. On 29 May 1947, Strathfield Council (owners of our current site at 50 Redmyre Road) officially handed over the croquet lawns for use by the Croquet Club. The Council continues to maintain the lawns on our behalf and has generously assisted with maintenance and renewal of our club house and facilities.
Our club has also maintained involvement with many other local community organisations, by providing ready access to our croquet facilities/activities. Such involvement has underpinned our success in obtaining grants. With these grants, we were able to make improvements, not only to the lawns and clubhouse, but we were also able to install modern weather shelters, an automatic watering system and, more recently (2018) a new clubhouse kitchen. Then in 2019, wall to wall admin/equipment cupboards were installed, providing needed storage also, for our new Gateball equipment.
The Ruth Firth Clubhouse
(Clara) Ruth Firth was an active club member. She was club champion, club president and club secretary in several years as well as the New South Wales Champion of Champions in 1937 When in 1947 the club moved to its current Redmyre Rd premises. The Ruth Firth Clubhouse was donated by the Firth Family in their mother’s honour.
The Ena Mary Gilchrist Referee Shelter
Edna had been a long time member of the club.
On 5th Feb. 2016, the club was privileged to host an unveiling and dedication ceremony for the Ena Mary Gilchrist Referee Shelter.
Lesley and .Malcolm Bobrige came down from Kurrajong for the dedication ceremony. Lesley is Ena's daughter.
Antique Jaques of London Croquet Set (Alfreda Henry)
In April 2016, Alfreda Henry generously donated an antique croquet set from Jaques of London. The club was a very excited to receive this gift, not only because of its inherent interest as an antique but also because of its link with the Jaques company.
Ruth Bridger and Alfreda Henry
The Jaques family business was started sometime in the late seventeen hundreds. Over time it developed into a games and sporting goods manufacturer and is still operating today.
John Jacques II who was a keen player of the "new" game of croquet wrote and published one of the first booklets of rules and introduced the “new” game at The Great Exhibition of London in 1851.
