Wynnum Croquet Club

The CAQ Open Singles at Caloundra Croquet Club brought together some of Queensland’s top Golf Croquet players for a weekend of intense competition.
Representing Wynnum Croquet Club, Gordon and Cameron took on a strong field and competed with determination throughout the tournament.
Cameron faced a particularly tough Championship draw but showed plenty of fighting spirit and gained valuable experience against some of the state's leading players.
While the silverware may have gone elsewhere this time, both players represented the club with skill, sportsmanship and persistence. Well done to both players.

Good luck to Cameron and Gordon as they represent our club this weekend in the CAQ Open Singles Championship.

We hope you both play your best croquet, enjoy the competition and make plenty of hoops. Win or somewhere in between, the club is behind you all the way.

May the balls run true, the jump shots behave themselves and the weather gods stay kind.

Thursday has delivered another “no play” day at the club, with the courts far too wet for croquet but the lawns are far from empty.
No mallets, no players, no click of croquet balls today… just the quiet bustle of the club’s feathered regulars making the most of the rain.

The noisy miner, true to form, was hanging around, and down in nearby Wynnum Creek a graceful white heron stalked patiently through the shallows in search of lunch.

Mr & Mrs Plover seemed quite delighted by the light drizzle, taking the opportunity for an extended grooming session on Lawn One. Nearby, the resident magpies marched about with serious purpose, probing the soaked compost heap for a snack or two.

The inaugural 1925 black and white photograph, affectionately known as the “Glum Ladies” photo, captured a small group of women dressed elegantly in long white dresses and an assortment of hats that would not have looked out of place at a garden party. Their serious expressions reflected the style of photography of the day, where smiling for the camera was a rare event and holding still was practically an Olympic sport. In those early years croquet was very much a ladies’ pastime, played with grace and etiquette.

Twenty one years later, the anniversary photograph showed a growing and thriving club, still proudly maintaining many of those traditions while becoming firmly established in the local community.

The 2025 centenary photo and the contrast could not be greater. More than 60 members gathered for the occasion, with men and women standing side by side in a celebration of the club’s modern era. The stiff poses of 1925 have been replaced with relaxed smiles, laughter and a sense of connection that reflects how the club has evolved over 100 years.
The three photographs together form more than a collection of images. They are a time capsule showing how the club, and the game itself, has changed from an all ladies sport into a welcoming community enjoyed by people of all ages and backgrounds.

Last year’s centenary photo captured more than just smiling faces on the lawns of the historic Wynnum Croquet Club. It became a snapshot of 100 years of friendship, competition, community spirit and countless games played beneath the bayside skies. The photo stands as a reminder that while fashions and faces may change, the heart of the club remains wonderfully constant.

The CAQ Mens Open Golf Croquet Singles was conducted at Windsor CC over the three days 22/23/24th May last weekend.
A maximum field of 16 players representing 9 clubs ( 1 NZ Registered Player)took to the lawns. Wynnum CC were represented by Cameron Hipwell and Geoff Hull.
The field was graded into 2 blocks of 8 players. The top 4 players were to go through to the knock out quarter finals at the end of play
Day 1. In block “B” 5 players including Cameron played some excellent croquet to be tied on 2nd, 3rd,4th,5th,and 6th on games won and lost. Cameron missed out on the 4th spot on hoop advantage and moved on to the Plate event, indicating how important it is to not only win your games but to win by the biggest margin possible.
Day 2. After a hard fought Plate event quarter Final Camerons next challenge was, Day 3. ———The “Z “ Plate best of three where he took out the match 2 nil for a commendable 3rd place overall.
An excellent result from Cameron who no doubt has some big wins ahead of him gauging from the tenacity shown in this event. Congratulations Cameron.

In block “A” Geoff came in top of his block with 6 wins 1 loss at the end of play day 1.

Day 2. Geoff went on to win a marathon Quarter Final “Best of 3”. With an allocated 4 hours of play,but just over 4 hrs 30 minutes involvement due to double banked stoppages, as well as 2 x 5 minute breaks between games, the allocated 4 hours playing time was up with Geoff declared the match winner 5/7, 7/5, 6/2 in the third game when time was called.

No rest for the wicked so the saying goes. After a 20 minute break Geoff was back on the court for the semi final, another 4 hours allocated timed game. In under 3 hours Geoff was defeated 2 games to nil by the eventual winner hailing from Eildon CC.
Day 3. Geoff contested the”Z” championship and. After a positive start went down 2 matches to 1 with the final scores 7/6, 4/7, 4/7. This gave Geoff the official 4 th place in the event.

In summary Wynnum CC fielded 2 players in the field of 16 with both players finishing in the top 4.

Cameron goes into battle next weekend along with Gordon this time to contest the CAQ Open Golf Croquet Singles to be held at Caloundra CC. over the coming Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Ball by ball coverage can be accessed on “ Croquet Scores” tune in and give them both mental support.