Mallet news
Nick Downing
The GCCC (The Greyton Country Croquet Club) has plundered some silverware, following its successful escapades at the Western Cape Croquet Association Championships. Pedro Martin (the team’s new Central Pivot) won the Handicap Singles and together with Penny McRobert, they also scooped up the Handicap Doubles trophy. There is a famous story of Sir Francis Drake, who was playing bowls in Portsmouth when the Spanish Armada was sighted in the British Channel, but it might just as well have been croquet. So focused on the game, he said: “There is plenty of time to win this game and thrash the Spanish too!”. His subsequent victory burnished his reputation as a privateer and plunderer of Spanish treasure. Congratulations to our team for holding up his reputation.
The GCCC’s story formally began in 2012 when the club was constituted with six inaugural members. Croquet used to be played in the late Mike Goulding’s garden and for a while on the Uitkyk school sports fields before the club was invited in 2019 to share the facilities of the Country Village bowling lawn. Looking to the future, we have leased land from the municipality alongside the bowls club, for the purpose of constructing additional lawns. The land is below the flood line and therefore cannot be built on, but it is suitable for croquet lawns. It also has the added advantage of being next to the bowling club with obvious synergy. The club’ vision includes a clear modernising agenda for the sport: Promoting the sport amongst children; An inclusive approach; Supporting the expansion of recreational facilities locally and contributing to the local tourism economy.
In the meantime, the club goes from strength to strength, eager to climb the ranks of the Robinson Cup league, as we do battle with False Bay, Helderberg Village, Rondebosch, Kelvin Grove, and the two Somerset West teams, the Eagles and the Falcons. There is a large contingent which travels every year to compete nationally at the Port Alfred Classic. Our esteemed captain Graham Goosen is quite the champion winning the level singles (2023), the handicap singles and runner up in the Level singles (2024).
But it’s not too serious or overly competitive. There is a keen social element to the club. One can only speculate where the Country Village’s bar sales would be without the keen influence of the GCCC. Indeed, the biggest trophies are reserved for active japery. Croquet is above all a social game, to be enjoyed by families, by men and women and youngsters of all ages. Our club welcomes you.
Viisit us at the lawns at the Greyton Country Village. Website: www.gccc-Greyton.co.za
