Croquet Clubs in Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Croquet Club plays at Lauriston Castle on Mondays from 10.30am and on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 2pm, from mid-April to early October.  There are also some evening sessions.  The Saturday afternoon sessions tend to be the best-attended.  Prospective new members are welcome.  The annual membership fee is £50 (with reductions for students, joint members in a single household and those living more than 10 miles from Lauriston).  The only equipment you need to supply for yourself is a pair of flat-soled shoes. If you are interested in joining the club or finding out more, email me or come to any of the club sessions.

Some long-awaited upgrading work began on the lawns in February 2004.  This resulted in two level full-size croquet lawns (the third one remaining slightly narrow and sloping).  The relaid lawns were playable, though rather slow and bumpy, during 2006, and were showing gradual improvement in 2007.  Drainage work on the middle lawn in 2008 has contributed to further improvement.

croquet at Lauriston Castle, April 2003

Also in Edinburgh is the Meadows Croquet Club, which started at Bush, to the south of Edinburgh on the way to Penicuik, but moved during 2000 to the former bowling greens at the west end of the Meadows in the city centre.  This is more expensive to belong to (currently £137 per year) but has flatter lawns - more conducive to serious croquet - and a well-equipped pavilion.  For further details see the MCC website, or phone 0845 250 4394, or turn up on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening at 6pm or on a Sunday afternoon at 2pm, May to September.

There are several clubs, mostly smaller, in other parts of Scotland, and the Scottish Croquet Association runs national competitions and generally coordinates croquet activities across the country.

The Edinburgh Tournament takes place annually in August (to coincide with the Edinburgh International Festival) in the grounds of Fettes College.  This is open to visiting players as well as Edinburgh Club members, and usually attracts a number of entrants from England and sometimes a few from more distant places.  (To enter for it, or for more details, email me.)  The 2011 tournament took place on 15-20 August; dates for the next one are 13-18 August 2012.  Spectators are always welcome.  For more information see the Edinburgh Tournament page on the club's website.

I organise occasional croquet sessions at Lauriston Castle or at the Meadows for anyone who'd like to have a go at the game - let me know if you're interested.  The Edinburgh Club runs an "Introduction to Croquet" course at Lauriston on Saturday mornings in May and June each year.  The charge for the course is only £20, and this is offset against your membership fees if you go on to join the club in the same year.  The Meadows Club runs a similar course (on Monday afternoons or evenings) at £30.

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Fergus McInnes
(Fergus.McInnes@ed.ac.uk)