INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE NEW MEMBERS 2004

Thank you for your interest in the club.

The Hayes Bromley and Keston Croquet Club has a membership currently limited to 35. We rent a small ground at the Old Dunstonian sports club in Beckenham. The ground is fully fenced and we have our own loggia where equipment is stored. We are also able to use the facilities of the clubhouse, with its toilets and bar.

We invite prospective members to come along to a club session to see if they like the sport and the club, and to meet other members before joining. Session times are given below – just turn up, or for more information contact our Chairman, Eric Dennison, on 01689 855999.

The current annual membership fee is £80. We also ask for a one-off joining fee of £5 and a £5 refundable deposit for keys.

We organise internal club competitions and also arrange friendly and league matches with other clubs. For home matches we provide a tea for the visiting team; everyone supplies something and is expected to help with the washing up etc. For away matches each player pays £3 to the other club to cover their costs.

The club owns all necessary equipment, including mallets, and this is kept in the loggia for members’ use. If you become keen you will probably want to purchase your own mallet.

The club’s AGM is usually held in October and we hold an annual dinner in early December at a local hostelry.

If you decide to join the club you will receive:

· Free coaching and free entry to internal competitions

· Keys to the grounds and the loggia (a key to the clubhouse is kept in the loggia)

· A badge to sew onto your hat or sweater

· A list of members and their telephone numbers

We play both traditional Association Croquet – a game of strategy that could be called snooker in the fresh air – and the recently popular Golf Croquet, which has simpler rules but still rewards skilful play. Both games use the same equipment and lawn layout.

Our ground at Old Dunstonians can be laid out as three half lawns or one full lawn and one half lawn. We play on half lawns much of the time but members are free to choose, subject to availability. In theory up to 24 players can play simultaneously, although that gets rather crowded!

Club members are encouraged to make use of the Old Dunstonian clubhouse. The bar is open at weekends in the cricket season at lunchtime and evenings (May until September), and on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. It is hoped you will patronise the bar as this is one of the main sources of income for the Old Dunstonian club.

Our season starts in April and we continue playing until the end of October.

Our normal weekly programme is as follows:

Mondays	6.30 to 8.30	Club session
Tuesdays	2.30 to 4.00	Coaching for more advanced players by Geoff Coker
Wednesdays	2.00 to 5.00	Club session
Thursdays	2.00 to 5.00	Club session
Saturdays	10.00 to 12.00	Club session. Drink in the clubhouse bar afterwards.

Members may also use the lawns for practice or games at all other times, except when the groundsman is working on them or, of course, when we are playing inter-club matches.

Coaching for beginners and improvers is normally arranged for May and June – contact us for details. Coaching is free to members, and £3 per session for non-members. Any fees paid are deductible from membership subscription.

It is traditional to wear whites for inter-club matches. For club sessions and internal competitions any casual clothing is appropriate. The only firm rule is that flat shoes must be worn at all times to protect the lawns.

Croquet has been an equal opportunity game, played on equal terms by both sexes, since it became popular in the mid 19^th century. That is certainly the case in this club, both in competitions and in the sharing of chores.

Croquet clubs vary. This is a small friendly club that believes playing and enjoying it is more important than winning. The standard of play at this club is lower than at many other clubs. We welcome beginners, and players of any standard should be able to find suitable opponents.

We are committed to making the club a fair and friendly place. With this in mind, the club committee reserves the right to refuse membership and may also ask a member to leave the club at any time without explanation. In this unlikely event any fees paid would, of course, be returned.

The location of our ground is shown by the arrow on the map below.

We look forward to welcoming you to our club.