Hoop city: Kyabram Croquet Club’s world-ranked star Claire Bassett explains the new hoops to state Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh.
With just two courts and a small but enthusiastic band of loyal members, it punches well above its weight – and has been for the past 101 years.
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And right now one of those members – Claire Bassett – is also the number four ranked player in the world.
Who, in January, was on her way to glory in the world championships in Christchurch, reaching the quarter-finals before her fourth dose of COVID-19 cut her down.
“It was a real disappointment, I had been playing so well, I could really feel it, that I might go all the way,” Bassett said.
“And to get COVID again was just so unexpected and obviously unwanted, it just really got to me.’’
Bassett joined the rest of her clubmates on Friday morning to celebrate the arrival and installation of the new hoops which have put their headquarters back on the competition circuit on a par with the rest of the region, the state and the world.
She told guests at the function, only clubs with Quadways hoops could be used for any level of competition outside intraclub, so it was essential Kyabram get them.
“To have not had them would have put our players at a disadvantage,” Bassett said.
“They have changed the game and also made it more consistent at the same time because everyone is playing on equipment performing to the same exacting standards.
“It is raising the standard of play, it means we can host regional, state and even international events – even the local schoolchildren who come here and have a go will play a better game and if any of them go on to play in competition they will know what to expect.”
Club president Valerie Mulholland said without the support of the Kyabram Club and Campaspe Shire, they would have taken a long time to find the $3600 needed for the two sets of Quadways, which already proved effective at a club level.
Mulholland said the Kyabram Club had been a lifesaving sponsor and supporter of croquet in the town and the money it has contributed towards the Quadways, in conjunction with council, was often the difference between success and failure.
“It’s a long way from the days when the game was first played with hoops of willow rods and mallets made from broomsticks – today, players still use hand-me-down mallets, some make their own but others, such as Claire, have carbon fibre mallets, which can cost a lot of money,” Mulholland said.
“But from a local perspective, Kyabram Croquet Club is now the equal of all the other grassroots clubs and for our members and our wider community, that’s great news.”
State Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh also spoke at the presentation, congratulating the club on its progressive history – not just with its cutting-edge equipment, but also its “can-do attitude”.
Walsh said while the club had never had a huge membership, it had achieved some “pretty big things” in its proud 101-year history.
“This is a proud club, with a proud history, and it is more than just a community asset, it’s a little bit of a hidden gem because it’s not just home for its members, it is there for schools,’’ he said.
“It battles hard to maintain its future and it is a fabulous place for new people to town to meet others in a friendly and inviting atmosphere.
“And as part of the whole Kyabram community, its relationship with other local assets, such as the Ky Club, see Kyabram money reinvested into Kyabram – and everyone benefits from that.”
Sponsor’s day: Kyabram Croquet Club staged a game demonstration and morning tea to thank the Kyabram Club and Campaspe Shire for helping fund its new competition hoops.
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