Park Croquet Club Hawera

It was literally Opening Day at Park Croquet Club today, with it being 21 weeks of rest and recovery for the lawns since the last game of croquet was played on them in early April! The membership was looking forward to hitting some balls again, along with a number of prospective new members keen to try out a new sport in Golf Croquet. South Taranaki District Council Mayor, Phil Nixon, was also in attendance for the occasion, with everyone enjoying the variety of soups and buns for lunch before the important job of ‘running the first hoop’ of the season.

PCC President, Ricky Clement, was a late call up to represent Whanganui for Badminton today, so it was left to PCC Secretary and loving wife, Nik Budd-Clement, to deliver his welcome address. The previous committee was thanked for their time, efforts and commitment to the club, and our new committee members were thanked for stepping up and volunteering their time to help guide the club through the coming season. Those who helped out at the recent working bee were also acknowledged for their time in helping ensure our club is looking its best, with a special mention to Lawn Convenor, Grant Gilberd, for the countless hours he has put in throughout the Autumn and Winter months. Ricky wished everyone enjoyable games, good competition, and plenty of success both on and off the courts, but most importantly, hoped we continue to enjoy the friendship and camaraderie which makes our club a great place to be 👏

Mayor Phil Nixon echoed similar words, and how impressed he was with the standard of the lawns and facilities and how great it was to have a sport like croquet which can bring the generations together! It has been four seasons since Phil had the opportunity to step up with a mallet to ‘run the first hoop’ and the video footage speaks for itself, with the ball not even touching the uprights, and running by a good three metres too!

With the formalities out of the way, it was time for a couple of games in the afternoon sun, with a passing shower as the southerly breeze arrived to keep everyone on their toes, and remind us El Nino is on its way. James Campbell Memorial Park, is in for plenty of action over the next eight months with a croquet calendar full of club competitions, Croquet Taranaki (South) Interclub, and exchanges with New Plymouth CC, Rose Gardens CC, and Waverley CC to look forward to - “That’s How We Roll“ 🔵🔴⚫️🟡

Today also marked another important milestone in PCC’s history, this being our 105th year, and as another croquet season begins, it is fitting to also acknowledge the passing, on the same day in late April nonetheless, of two former and valued members of PCC in Maxine Haybittle and Keith Pigott. Like all of us, they enjoyed their croquet, with many memories of mallet in hand, as well as their camaraderie, both on and off the lawn 💙❤️🖤💛💚🩷🤎🤍

If you think you might like to have a go at croquet, members are always happy to introduce new players to croquet at Club Days on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 12.30pm. There is also Twilight Play from 6pm on Wednesdays after Daylight Saving begins on Sunday 27 September.

You can "Have A Go" five times for free, and if you're keen on becoming a member of PCC, our “New to Croquet” Subscription is only $125, and Youth Subscriptions $40!

Whether you are an individual, business or social group looking for a team building activity, we welcome your enquiries 😀

An invitation is extended to all members (past, present and prospective), club supporters/sponsors and invited guests to join us at Park Croquet Club on Saturday 5 September 2026, for our official Season Opening Day for 2026-2027.

12:00pm = Soup and Buns
All we ask is, if you are going to join us for a light lunch before heading out on the courts, you RSVP no later than 5pm, Thursday 3 September.

1:00pm = Running of the first hoop of the season by the Mayor.

1:15pm = Club Day Play - all welcome to join in.

But wait, there's more ... for a limited time, we are also offering a special Whanau/Family Subscription:
– If any two individuals, one over 18 and one still at school, with a whanau connection, who have never been affiliated members of any croquet club, choose to sign up to Park Croquet Club before 31st October 2026, you can access our Whanau/Family Subscription deal which entitles you to a 20% discount on a single adult and single youth subscription.

Park Croquet Club members, Te Kiri King, Nik Budd-Clement and Ricardo Pintor made a preseason trip to the Waikato last weekend to participate in Hamilton East CC’s Level Singles and Level Doubles Tournament, sponsored by Easy Stake and Hamilton Hearing.

This was the first time the trio had had a mallet in the hand in almost five months, with the lawns at PCC being closed for maintenance over the Winter, and a few eager Hamilton East CC members were keen to get some tips and tricks upon their arrival at the club on the Friday afternoon. With most having picked up Golf Croquet in just the last year, the coaching session focused on the fundamental 3 S’s – Stalking, Stance and Swing, as techniques and approaches when playing their ball. It was pleasing to have some of those who were playing over the weekend come up and say how much the session helped them approach their games, and for some to walk away with some prize money in their respective Divisions in both the Singles and Doubles :)

The Singles would take place on Saturday, with Te Kiri, Nik and Ricardo amongst 12 players on GC Handicaps from Minus 4 to 2, from Feilding CC, Hamilton East CC, Heretaunga CC, Katikati CC, Morrinsville CC and Point Chevalier CC. They were seeded across two Blocks, and played a round robin of five games to determine who would be in the various cross over semi-final playoffs for those finishing in the Top, Middle and Bottom two of each Block.

Te Kiri was the top seed in Block A, while Nik and Ricardo were in Block B. Both Te Kiri and Nik would end up securing three wins from their five games at the conclusion of the round robin, finishing 2nd in Block A and B respectively. Te Kiri would have to face an undefeated Chris Marr, from Hamilton East CC, while Nik took on Helen Reeves, from Heretaunga CC, in the Top 4 semi-finals, both successfully claiming 7-5 wins to progress to the Final. A PCC win was thus assured. However, a hoop for hoop battle saw the game go right down to the 13th Hoop, which Te Kiri would ultimately run to claim yet another close victory over Nik!

Meanwhile, Ricardo would end the day 6th overall after the Middle 4 Knockout for 5th-8th. After winning his semi-final against Greg Thomas, from Hamilton East CC, Ricardo then had Brian Williams, from Point Chevalier CC, in their final game of the day, who would claim a 7-3 win and reverse the 7-4 win Ricardo had over him in round robin play earlier in the day.

Sunday would see five games of Level Doubles take place, with Te Kiri and Ricardo pairing up and Nik pairing up with Helen Reeves in Division One. Not all eight pairings would play each other during the day, so wins and Net Hoops would determine overall results. Some lengthy games would ensue amongst the pairings, with close wins followed by close losses and a mid afternoon shower thrown in as well, which would help Te Kiri and Ricardo claim victory at the 13th Hoop in a tough tussle against Nik and Helen. This would be Nik and Helen's only loss for the day, with four wins enough for them to receive the 1st Prize envelopes at the end of the day, with 2nd Prize determined on Net Hoops, after three pairings all had three wins, with the Hamilton East CC pairing of Matt Farrell and Lindsay Smith, on +7 over Te Kiri and Ricardo on +4 and Chris Marr and Greg Thomas on -1 Net Hoops.

A very successful weekend and a chance to get back into the “swing” of things as well as the opportunity to play against different players and on different lawns.

The full results from the weekend in Hamilton can be found on the following links:
https://croquetscores.com/2026/gc/hecc-level-singles-1
https://croquetscores.com/2026/gc/hecc-level-doubles-3

The official countdown is on until the start of the new season.

Jobs that can be undertaken include:
- waterblasting exterior of the clubrooms
- scrubbing/washing down seating in shelter sheds
- wiping down the kitchen area, including inside of fridge/pie warmer/bench top oven and shelves/cupboards
- polishing trophies and cups
- cleaning windows
- clearing out gutters over the advertising wall
- clearing away foliage down the driveway
- mopping floors/dusting and vacuuming inside
- any other job you think will help set up the club for the season

Many hands make light work, so hopefully we will see as many of you as possible.

- The Committee

📢📢📢📢📢📢🔵🔴⚫️🟡📢📢📢📢📢📢
With the 2026-2027 NZ Croquet season due to kick off in about a month, it's a good time to announce who the Park CC Committee are for the upcoming season.

Not every role has been defined just yet. However, with the majority of the committee members working during the day, there will be some changes to how things have traditionally been done within the club. As we come to grips with things, we'll aim to get the info out to the membership as we can.

🤩👀So, watch this space!👀🤩

2026 U18 GC Doubles entries are OPEN! Go to https://croquet.org.nz/2026-cnz-u18-golf-croquet-doubles-tournament/ for tournament details and entry forms.

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If you see this, have a great day! 😊

On a beautiful Autumn day Park Croquet wishes to thank the crew who turned up to help spread the dirt over the lawns yesterday and today.
Members: Gerald, Grant, Don, Gordon, Malcolm, Millie and Joan.
Non Member: Peter Kirdy.
A very big thanks to the ladies who provided such a lovely lunch and kept bringing out cold drinks to us during the day. Elsie, Dianne, Linda and Lois.That was much appreciated and enjoyed.

The Croquet Taranaki (South) Prizegiving was held this morning at Hawera CC.

Trophies and shields for both Association Croquet and Golf Croquet Interclub competitions, that were able to take place during the 2025-2026 croquet season, were presented to individual winners and club representatives.

All three clubs from South Taranaki, being Park Croquet Club, Hawera CC and Stratford CC, now have some silverware to keep polished, or find a space on their clubroom wall for the next year 😀

11th April 2026 was Prizegiving and Closing Day at Park Croquet Club.

Presentations were made followed by a pot luck luncheon. After lunch there was a blind draw. A lovely way to end the 2025-2026 croquet season.

Congratulations to all the winners and everyone else who participated in these club competitions.