The History of Croquet
Once an Elite Sport But Now Played Worldwide
Not to be confused with croquette (a small fried roll filled with potatoes and meat), croquet is a sport which took England by storm in the 1860s. It may have originated in France and been introduced to Britain as far back as the reign of Charles II, when it was called Pall Mall (Latin for ball and mallet.) Or, it may have come from Ireland in the 1850s. But wherever it did originate, croquet became a very popular social pastime in England and spread quickly to other countries including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States. For more of the history of the sport, see “The History of Croquet” on the website of the Houston Croquet Association.
How Croquet Evolved from Social Past Time to International Sport
Croquet Set
One of the game of croquet’s main attractions was that both ladies and gentlemen could play, together or separately. It was neither too strenuous for women nor too difficult for children, an activity for the whole family. But flirtations, fights with mallets swinging and the risqué showing of women’s ankles resulted in croquet at one time being denounced from the church pulpit, its pleasures banned as immoral.
A man by the name of John Jacques is credited with popularizing the sport, printing editions of his Laws and Regulations in 1857, 1860, and 1864. As rules were established and national competitions organized, croquet grew to become a major sport of the times . The Wimbledon All England Croquet Club became the sport’s first national headquarters. And the company begun by John Jacques, Jacques of London, is still one of the largest manufacturers of croquet equipment in the world.
By the 1870s, a sport called tennis began to overshadow croquet,. But the ball and mallet game was still popular enough to be included as an event at the 1900 summer Olympics, and a variation of croquet, called roque, was featured at the 1904 Olympics. As the game of tennis continued to eclipse croquet in popularity, most croquet fields were converted to tennis courts.
Internationally, croquet or versions similar are played in Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and the United Kingdom as well as in Japan, Egypt, Russia and China. This year’s World Croquet Championship was held in Palm Beach, Florida.
In addition to Croquet sets check out my web site for other outdoor games:
http://www.cysbackyardsports.com
