McIlwraith Croquet Club

🦅 A bird’s-eye view of McIlwraith today! 🦅

We had a very special visitor today — a Globemaster doing a dress rehearsal for Riverfire and enjoying a bird’s-eye view of the action on our lawns! 👀🏏

A great day of games as we get ourselves ready for the finals of our President’s Cup competition on Saturday. 💪☀️

Not sure who had the better view… but we definitely had the better lawns! 😉🌿

🌟 CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NEWEST LIFE MEMBER – PETER NICHOLSON 🌟

It was a very special moment at our AGM on Saturday when Peter Nicholson was awarded Life Membership of McIlwraith Croquet Club — one of the highest honours our Club can bestow. 💙💛

Peter’s contribution to McIlwraith and to croquet has been outstanding. From first discovering the game through a Learning for Leisure, he went on to represent Queensland in singles and doubles, compete in the Queensland Open Singles, and play at State, National and World Championship level, including World Championships in New Zealand and Melbourne. 🌏🏆

But Peter’s contribution extends far beyond his own playing achievements. As a coach, mentor, volunteer and enthusiastic supporter of our fundraising functions, he has generously shared his knowledge, time and love of the game with others.

His famous encouragement — “Go the hoop!” — says much about Peter: bold, positive and always encouraging others to have a go. 🎯 The Peter Nicholson Bucket, for players with handicaps of 9 and above, fittingly bears his name and reflects his commitment to encouraging developing players.

Peter now joins fellow Life Members and past presidentsSandy Ridgway, Penny Jackson and Major Jill Whitehouse in receiving this very special honour.

💐 Congratulations, Peter, and thank you for everything you have given to McIlwraith. We are enormously proud to have you as a Life Member. 💙💛👏

It was a beautiful morning for Div 3 Pennants at McIlwraith yesterday! 💙🍃

While it wasn’t our Blue team’s day, with McIlwraith going down to Merthyr … 6 games to 4, and 52 hoops to 46… it was a great contest! 👏👏

Well done, everyone — and as we say, every day is a great day for croquet! ☀️💙🤩

🎪🌞Brisbane North Region Friendship Day… an Ekka Day winner!🌞🎪

What a fantastic way to spend the Ekka public holiday! 🎉 Months of planning came to fruition as 30 croquet enthusiasts from BNR clubs came together to celebrate everything that makes our sport so special – fun, connection and friendship.

Embracing the Ekka spirit, six colourful teams battled it out with plenty of laughs, friendly rivalry and great sportsmanship:
🧡 Orange Squeeze
🩷 Royal Pinks
💛 Yellow Chickens
💚 Green Ekka Ninjas
💙 Blueberries
❤️ Red Rockets

🏆Congratulations to our overall champions – the Orange Squeeze team of Jenny Ross-Maloney (Windsor Croquet Club), Glenn Gardner, Ian Leivesley, Neen Nason and Annette Horne (McIlwraith). Several team members generously stepped in as reserves after illness prevented others from attending. A wonderful example of the friendship and camaraderie that defines our croquet community. 👏

🌟 Top Individual Performers
🥇 Donna Boaler – Royal Pinks (Toombul Croquet Club)
🥈 Annette Horne – Orange Squeeze (McIlwraith)
🥉 Penny Button – Royal Pinks (McIlwraith)

Of course, no Ekka celebration would be complete without a few treats! Our High Tea Pavilion was a sweet and savoury haven, and everyone enjoyed ice-cream cones topped with strawberry lollies. 🍦🍓

Thank you to everyone who gave up their public holiday to be part of the day. Your enthusiasm, encouragement and laughter made it a celebration to remember. ❤️

Finally, a massive shout-out to our hardworking McIlwraith Croquet Club Management Committee and the many volunteers who helped bring the day together. Events like this simply wouldn't happen without your dedication. 🙏

Here's to strengthening friendships across our clubs and proving once again that One Sport • Four Codes • Seven Clubs • One Great Day!** 🎪🏑💚

Toombul Croquet Club Eildon Croquet Club Windsor Croquet ClubPine Rivers Croquet Club Merthyr Croquet Club Croquet Queensland

🎉 Brisbane North Region Clubs – Don’t Miss Out! 🎉

There’s still time to register for our BNR Friendship Day Croquet Carnival on Wed, 12 Aug (Ekka Holiday)! 🏏💚

Come along for a relaxed day of croquet, laughter and friendship as players from all seven Brisbane North Region clubs get together for a day that’s all about playing, connecting and having fun. 🤝😊

✨ Fun games
☕ Morning & afternoon tea provided
🥪 BYO lunch
💲 Just $10 per person

⏰ Registrations close this Wed, 5 Aug, so be sure to secure your place before it’s too late!

We can’t wait to welcome you to McIlwraith for a fantastic day on and off the lawns. See you there! 💚🏏
Windsor Croquet Club Toombul Croquet Club Eildon Croquet Club Pine Rivers Croquet Club Merthyr Croquet Club Croquet Queensland

🏆🎉 A Championship Steeped in History 🎉🏆

What a privilege it was for McIlwraith Croquet Club to host the 2026 Gibson Memorial Medal Championship over the weekend of 1–2 August.

Now in its 63rd playing, the Gibson Medal is one of Queensland’s most prestigious Association Croquet championships, honouring the remarkable legacy of Mrs J. Gibson. A devoted member of Windsor Croquet Club, Mrs Gibson served as President of Windsor Croquet Club, the Queensland Croquet Association and the Australian Croquet Council. She was also widely admired for her outstanding community service, particularly her fundraising work for the Red Cross during World War II. ❤️

Established in her memory following a generous donation from her husband in 1958, the championship continues to recognise the values she embodied—leadership, sportsmanship and dedication to the game. 🌿🏅

This year’s event brought together talented players from across Queensland and was contested in the true spirit of croquet, with outstanding play, wonderful sportsmanship and the warm camaraderie that makes our sport so special. 🤝💚

A sincere thank you to the tournament organisers, referees, competitors, spectators, lawn maintenance team and club members whose hard work and commitment ensured success in preserving the proud tradition of this iconic event. From preparing the courts to providing catering and supporting the smooth running of the tournament, every contribution was greatly appreciated. 👏🎊

Referee: Greg Kerswell
Umpire: Helen David
Referee in Training: Brian Rubock
Umpire: Wallace Roy
Tournament Referee: W***y Silk
Referee on Appeal: Greg Whymark
Events Coordinator: Geraldine Trivett
Tournament Manager: Andrew Cole
Trophies presented by Croquet Queensland President: John van Barneveld

🎉 It was all happening today at Windsor Croquet Club with parties, Pennants and mah-jongg filling the club with plenty of activity! 😊

We wrapped up the afternoon with our Division 3 Pennant competition, and what a finish it was! The contest was neck and neck right down to the final hoops. As the light began to fade and the conditions got cooler, McIlwraith held on for a thrilling victory, with the result decided by just 8 hoops. 👏🏆

A big thank you to everyone at Windsor for a wonderful afternoon of competitive croquet and great sportsmanship. 💚💙

🏆🎉 Congratulations to Andrew Cole and Graham Young on taking out our Open Doubles Competition yesterday!

Andrew and Graham claimed the title after a terrific final against Lesley Stabler and Charles Mitchell, with both teams producing some excellent croquet and plenty of exciting moments along the way. 👏👏

A big thank you to Penny Jackson for refereeing and helping the final run so smoothly. 🌟

One of the best parts of this year’s competition was seeing so many of our newer players throw their mallets into the ring. They performed brilliantly and gave some of our more experienced players a real nudge — a great sign of the growing depth of talent in our Club. 💪😊💙

👉Bob Signalled the Way to Better Croquet! 👈

Last week we were delighted to welcome one of Queensland’s top croquet players, Bob Martin, from Eildon Croquet Club to McIlwraith for a Player Development Clinic.

Bob shared valuable insights into two game-changing areas:

🎯 Tactical decision-making – learning how to outsmart your opponent and make the right choices under pressure.

📏 Tactical distance – mastering the spatial strategies that can elevate players from intermediate to expert level.

As the photos show, Bob certainly wasn’t short on gestures as he brought his lessons to life – and our members loved every minute! 😄🙌

How fortunate we are to have leading players like Bob who so generously give their time and expertise to help develop our sport and its players.

A huge thank you, Bob, for a fantastic clinic. We all left with plenty to think about and practise! 👏💚

🩷💙Another colourful day at McIlwraith! 💛💚

Our members certainly love a good team challenge, and Saturday’s Teams Day was no exception. With Pink, Blue, Green and Yellow all vying for the coveted McIlwraith Parrot 🦜, the competition was on from the very first ball!

There was plenty of friendly rivalry, great teamwork and, as always, wonderful fair play both on and off the courts. It’s days like these that remind us what makes our club so special – friendship, fun and a shared love of croquet. 💚🏑

🎉Congratulations to the Pink Team🌸🩷 who proudly claimed the McIlwraith Parrot this time round!

A special thank you to Gill Anderson and Jenny O’Reilly for all the planning and organisation that went into making the day such a success. We really appreciate everything you do. 🌟👏

📸 Don’t forget to check out the photos! They capture the smiles, the action, the colour and the wonderful spirit of the day. You might even spot yourself… or see the moment the Pink Team realised victory was theirs! 😉🦜