England took an 11-7 win over New Zealand on Sunday to go 3-0 in the 2026 MacRobertson Shield to repeat as champions. The MacRob win is their 16th in a competition that dates back 101 years to 1925.
Read MoreThe final two teams have named their squads for the 2026 MacRobertson Shield, with both Australia and New Zealand confirming the six-player teams that will compete this summer in England in one of the sport’s most prestigious international events.
Read MoreCroquet New Zealand and the Association Croquet Selection Committee have officially announced the preliminary squad for the 2026 MacRobertson Shield — the most prestigious international team competition in Association Croquet. The 2026 event will mark the centenary edition of the championship, which will take place in England from July 24 to August 9, 2026.
Read MoreThe 2024 WCF Golf Croquet World Championship Round of 32 and 16 is one of the most entertaining days in croquet and yes, I will say it — all of sport. Eighty players battle for five days in block play to whittle down to 32. That first playoff day is a whirlwind of action as the day brings unpredictable best of three action and generally ends with only eight players left standing. It’s a nail-biter for top seeds and anyone following the event.
Read MoreThe knockout started with 10 matches at Kelburn and six at Wellington. Regrettably, only three of the five lawns at Kelburn had new hoop holes and this made the matches played vary considerably. On the two lawns with old hoop holes, there were several one-sided games and six triples. On the three lawns with new hoop holes, there were several close games, no triples and some long matches. It is a shame that such failures occur in World Championships.
Read MoreWaikanae is an especially attractive venue on the Kapiti Coast, about an hour NNE of Wellington. There are five lawns, one of which is newer and faster than the rest, and about which Simon Hockey was in raptures after a fifth-turn (I think) +26tp he played there. Hockey (AUS), the top seed in block G and therefore the #7 seed in the event (pre-tournament world ranking #15), finished with 7/9 for a share of first place in the block. He lost to Aiken Hakes (NZ) after a Hakes TPO and a two-ball finish. Earlier in the game Hakes had broken down at 1b, and on the peeling turn he also peeled partner to 2b, and then pegged off both rovers. In the two-ball ending, each player scored five hoops.
Read MoreI spent today at Paraparumu – a 4 lawn club with the top two lawns running around 10 seconds and the bottom two around 11 seconds. Regrettably, players partners and other spectators were banned from using the clubhouse. This is not the sort of hospitality that Croquet New Zealand expects from host clubs.
Read MoreThe tournament opened with fine weather: mostly sunny and moderately breezy all day. With ground still damp from the recent rain, the notorious Atkins hoops are quite easy to run, up to a moderate angle. Conditions are most challenging at Plimmerton, with extreme variation in pace and significant slopes. Unsurprisingly, this is where games have been longest, and three games are pegged down.
Read MoreIt was a spectacular day of croquet at the highest level with two fiercely competitive semifinals. In the first match, Felix Webby, the 17-year old phenom from New Zealand took Egypt's Ahmed Nasr to the limit in a thrilling five-game match with both player's superb shot-making on display. Nasr was able to hold on and propel himself into tomorrow's showdown with 5-7, 7-2, 7-4, 6-7, 7-4 win where he will face South Africa's Reg Bamford for the third time in a World Championship final.
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