On Saturday 20 June Aussie croquet was played with only a small number in attend­ance, however those members who par­ticipated enjoyed the morning. A total of 18 games were played on the day with winners of all three games being Kevin Wenning, Noel Jolliffe, John Browne, Fay Picker and David West. Well done to those players.

On Tuesday 23 June Golf croquet was played with 36 members in attendance. It was a very foggy morning when setting up, however all cleared later and it was indeed quite a lovely morning even though it was cooler.

Winners of all three games on the day were Darryl Burley, Elvy Quirk, Noel Jolliffe and Fay Picker. Congratulations to those players. A total of 26 games were played in total.

Our croquet lawns are looking good at the moment with the cooler weather and the constant falls of rain.

The game of croquet has been played since the 1800 when it was played in An­cient Egypt (played with a stick and a wooden ball) and at that time didn’t have a name. Later played across England and Europe when it was given a name. It is now played all over the world and has become a very popular sport. It is suitable for all age groups. It is a game of skill, hand and eye co-ordination, gentle exercise and a great social activity.

If you are interested in giving croquet a try, everyone of all ages and all abilities is welcome, come and join our group, Forbes Croquet Club members meet every Tues­day and Saturday for a game. Enquiries can be made by calling 0428 540 272.

By Elvy Quirk, President

On Tuesday 12 May Forbes Croquet Club celebrated World Croquet Day. The special celebration cake was cut by valued mem­bers of the club who are all 90 years of age and over – Bill Scott, Robin Pols and Mal Smith. It is wonderful that they are still playing croquet. Best wishes to all three for many more healthy and happy years.

On Saturday 21 March, Aussie Croquet was played with 27 in attendance. We once again welcomed Glenn Toole who is visit­ing his parents in town. It was also indeed great to see Robin Pols back playing with us as Robin hasn’t been around too much in the really hot weather.

On the day all three games were won by Noel Jolliffe, Elvy Quirk, Glenn Toole and David West. Congratulations to those players and especially to our visitor Glenn Toole. Glenn enjoys his game of croquet and always joins us for a game when in town.

On Saturday for Aussie Croquet it is im­perative that players make use of the clips provided to record whether they have been through the hoop. The memories of some are not as good as they used to be and if the clips are used in the right manner it al­lows us to not even need to keep our think­ing caps on.

On Tuesday 24 March, Golf Croquet was played at Halpins Flat with 36 in attend­ance. A cooler start but progressed to a warmer day. In all, 26 games were played on the day.

On Tuesday we once again welcomed Er­ica Campbell, Joy Hocking, Robyn Liebich and Lyn Harmston who commenced play­ing with us on the Open Day on 10 March.

Well done girls.

All three games on the day were won by Frank Donohoe, Mal Smith, Bruce Toole and Erica Campbell. Erica has only been playing for a couple of weeks and is al­ready showing form, whilst Bruce Toole is in the winning circle which does not often happen. Well done to all the winners.

Correct dress for the game is clean and tidy attire, closed-in shoes must be worn, a hat, and it is important that you bring your own bottle of water.

Croquet is played each Tuesday and Saturday and we welcome any new play­ers. All enquiries should be directed to 0428 540 272.

Just a reminder that Croquet will be played on Easter Saturday and a reminder also that as a mark of respect on Saturday 25 April, Anzac Day, Croquet will not be played.

Until next week. Stay safe. Practice those shots.

By Elvy Quirk

Aussie Croquet was played on Saturday 21 February with a smaller attendance, how­ever 21 games were played on the day and were enjoyed by all who attended.

One very close score was recorded when Lyn Simmonds and Bill Scott defeated Neil Riley and Allan Jones 14/13.

Runaway scores were recorded when Enid Baker and Barry White trailed Fay Picker and Noel Jolliffe 14/8, whilst the same score was recorded when Kevin Ru­bie and Fay Picker defeated Irene Riley and Rex Toole.

There were many scores of 14/12, 14/11 and 14/10.

On Tuesday 24 February, Golf Croquet was played with only 25 players. It was lovely to see Irene Ford again enjoying a game. Irene has not been well but is re­gaining her strength so hopefully she will return to play all games in the very near future. Our best wishes go to Irene.

There were many good scores recorded and runaway scores were recorded when Elvy Quirk and Kevin Wenning defeated Rex Toole and Heken Lupis 11/2. A further runaway score of 10/3 was noted when Ly­all Strudwick and Margaret Dent defeated Sally Perry and Irene Ford.

There were quite a number of 9/4,8/5 & 7/6 scores as well.

After discussion with the Forbes Council we have had two disabled car parks allot­ted adjacent to the Croquet Club. These are a welcome sight and hopefully those with disabled stickers will have use of them.

In Forbes, croquet is played every Tues­day and Saturday. Come and join us for a game and enjoy the friendship and fellow­ship of the Club. Please arrive at 8.15am for an 8.30am start. Closed in shoes to be worn, bring your hat, your water bottle and wear some sunscreen. Mallets provided.

Any enquiries call 0428 540 272.

By Elvy Quirk
President, Forbes Croquet Club

On Saturday 14 February we played a On Saturday 14 February we played a game of Aussie Croquet with 30 in attend­ance. It was a cooler morning to start and there were a total of 23 games played on the day.

A runaway score of 14/8 was recorded when Lyn Simmonds and Irene Riley trailed Barry White and Cheryl Toohey, Neville Spry and Noel Jolliffe also trailed David West and Allan Jones.

On 14 February Aussie croquet scores were also 14/10. On the day two games were won by Peter West, Lyn Simmonds, Harley Stewart, Enid Baker, Ray Burridge, Geoff Coles, Allan Jones, John Allegri, Kevin Rubie and David West. Whilst all three games were won by Barry White, John Farah, Fay Picker and May Jones.

Well done to all the players but special congratulations to one of our very mature members Barry White who has been in the winning circles of late.

In Aussie Croquet it is imperative that the clips be used on each hoop as many of us have short memories and if clips are used it gives a true indication as to whether each player has indeed been through that par­ticular hoop.

On Tuesday 17 February Golf Croquet was played with 35 players in attendance.

All three games were won by Bill Scott, Pe­ter West, Rex Toole and Mal Smith. Well done to those players.

A further reminder that Seniors Week is fast approaching and we are holding an Open day on Tuesday 3 March . There will be Golf Croquet played as well as some fun games. A scrumptious morning tea will be provided by Forbes Shire Council. We look forward to seeing you come down for a game and please wear closed in shoes, bring your hat, your bottle of water and wear your sunscreen. All are welcome to attend the Open Day.

By Elvy Quirk

Aussie Croquet was played on 7 February with only a small number in attendance, mainly due to the warmer conditions. However all who played and took part enjoyed the 19 games played.

All three games were won by Rex Toole, Ray Burridge and May Jones. Well done to those players.

A close score of 14/13 games were played by Fay Picker who trailed Colleen Liebich, Young Tony Bernardi (solo) was defeated by Peter West (solo).

On Tuesday 10 February we played Golf Croquet with 33 in attendance and we welcomed Robert Priest who had come down to try a game. Welcome Rob and we hope you come to like the game and will join us on a permanent basis.

There were 26 games played on the day and the winners of all three games were Neville Spry, Mal Smith and John Allegri. Congratulations to those players.

All are welcome to come and try a game of Croquet. Croquet is played on Tuesday and Saturday each week. Arrival 8.15am to get your names into the draw. Closed in shoes are to be worn, bring your hat, your bottle of water and wear your sunscreen. Mallets provided.

As mentioned earlier we will be celebrating Seniors week with an Open Day on Tuesday, 3 March. Any person young or mature are welcome to come and try a game. There will also be some fun games and a scrumptious morning tea provided by Forbes Shire Council. Closed in shoes are to be worn, bring your hat, a bottle of water and wear your sunscreen. Mallets will be provided.

By Elvy Quirk

On Saturday 24 January, Aussie Croquet was played with 25 in attendance. It was a little cooler this morning whilst Croquet was played and the 8.30am start is proving to be rewarding as far as the heat goes.

On the day all three games were won by John Allegri, John Farah, David West, Noel Jolliffe, Neil Riley and Neville Spry. Con­gratulations to all these players.

Some good scores were recorded on the day and runaway scores of 14/9 were as follows: Geoff Coles and Russell Ander­son trailed Cheryl Toohey and Noel Jolliffe, Bruce and Greg Toole were defeated by John Allegri and Neville Spry, John Browne and Rex Toole were also defeated by David and Peter West (father/son combination).A close score of 14/13 saw Cheryl Toohey and Colleen Liebich narrowly beaten by Geoff Coles and John Farah.

Various 14/12 scores were also recorded on the day as follows: Bill Scott and Irene Riley defeated Elvy Quirk and Kevin Wen­ning, John Allegri and Neville Spry de­feated Harley Stewart and Allan Jones, Elvy Quirk and May Jones defeated Col­leen Liebich and Cheryl Toohey, Neil Riley and John Farah defeated Geoff Coles and Kevin Wenning, John Allegri (playing solo) defeated Peter West (also playing solo), David West and Elvy Quirk defeated Rex Toole and May Jones.

A number of players went down 14/11; Greg and Bruce Toole were defeated by Rex Toole and John Farah, Bill Scott and Peter West were also defeated by John Browne and Irene Riley, Bruce and Greg Toole were defeated by Neil Riley and Noel Jolliffe, John Browne and Tony Bernardi were defeated by Bill Scott and Russell Ander.

Many scores of 14/10 were also record­ed on the day as follows: Allan Jones (solo) was defeated by Colleen Liebich (solo), Frank Donohoe and Harley Stewart were also defeated by Kevin Rubie and John Farah, May Jones and Tony Bernardi were defeated by Neil Riley (playing solo), Tony Bernardi (solo) defeated by Noel Jolliffe (solo), Kevin Rubie (solo) was defeated by Russell Anderson and David West, Kevin Wenning and Allan Jones were defeated by Harley Stewart and Neville Spry.

The 8.30am start is proving popular with many of our players, as its an opportunity to try and beat the hotter part of the day.

As mentioned previously, Seniors week is again being celebrated with an Open Day at Croquet on 3 March, arrive by 8.15am to get your names in the draw.

Stay Cool, Stay Safe.

By Elvy Quirk

Croquet has become the highlight of the week for participants from Currajong Disability Services (CDS) thanks to a new inclusive coaching program deliv­ered by the Parkes Croquet Club.

Around 30 participants and staff at­tended eight coaching sessions from May this year, quickly embracing the sport and asking for more once the pro­gram concluded.

“It has been a great success, and our participants absolutely loved it,” said Douglas Pout, Day Services Coordina­tor at Currajong Disability Services.

The initiative began after Parkes Croquet Club member Graeme Hunter attended a grant-writing workshop at Parkes Shire Council. The idea came to life when the club secured a Parkes Shire Sports Grant to deliver the coach­ing sessions and provide morning tea for Currajong participants.

“It was a privilege for our club mem­bers to run this program,” said Graeme.

“It was wonderful to see some partici­pants showing exceptional talent and being able to play a proper game at the end of the program.”

He also praised the participants for their strong team spirit and willingness to help pack up after every session.

Currajong plans to return to the cro­quet courts in March next year. “Our lads and ladies are missing it already,” Doug­las said.

“Participants stepped into something new with confidence and quickly con­nected with the members of the Parkes Croquet Club. The partnership has been positive for everyone involved, and by the end some of our crew were matching it with the more experienced players.

This has opened the door and given our participants another space where they feel welcomed and included.

“CDS is not defined by limitation. We are a group of people with different strengths, and when opportunities like this come along, our participants show exactly what they can do.”

Forbes Croquet Club celebrated Bill Scott who will turn 90 years of age on Saturday 29 November. Best wishes were extended to Bill and a lovely cake was shared. Bill has been a member of the Forbes Croquet Club since February 2014 and has always enjoyed the game of croquet as well as the fellowship and friendship there. Con­gratulations Bill hope you have many more years of good health and happiness.

Our Christmas and holiday arrangements are posted on the board at the Club so please make sure you check these dates.

The sheets for the luncheon on 16 Decem­ber have already been rolled out for you to put your names down if you are attending.

The luncheon will be held at the Forbes Inn, members are free but non members welcome at their own cost.

Also please note Forbes Croquet Club will go into recess over the Christmas peri­od, the last day of play being 13 December and play will resume on Tuesday 13 Janu­ary 2026.

A special thank you again to our mem­bers who continually arrive an hour early each morning of play to help set up.

By Elvy Quirk

On Saturday 8 November Aussie Croquet was played with 29 in attendance. It was quite a warm morning however all who played enjoyed the game.

There were some long, hard-fought games. Two games on the day were won by Geoff Coles, Rex Toole, Neville Spry, David West, Fay Picker, Peter West, Har­ley Stewart, Elvy Quirk and Kevin Rubie.

Golf Croquet was played on Tuesday 11 November with 38 members in attendance.

As it was Remembrance Day all members showed respect by observing a minute’s silence.

There were many close scores of 7/6 on the day, Congratulations to all the winners on the day.

We have a few on the not doing so well list and best wishes are extended to them and as well to President Elvy who had un­dergone surgery in Sydney and is back home again.

The summer season has commenced with a new start time of 9am with players arriving at 8.45am to get their names in the draw. Notices in relation to holidays and Christmas arrangements are on the board at the Club.

Stay Safe. Stay well.

By Elvy Quirk