Have mallet will play

A host of croquet’s finest players have their mallets at the ready to compete in the final games of the National Golf Croquet Tournament which kick off across Auckland this weekend.

Epsom’s Carlton Croquet Club is hosting some of the action which will see croquet players from as far as Ireland and England compete against contenders from across New Zealand.

Australian croquet player Fleuranne Brockway flew from Perth to compete in the tournament and paired up with Tauranga’s John McKenzie for the doubles matches.

Ms Brockway has been playing croquet for seven years.

The 20-year-old says she was surprised to see so many young players competing at the tournament compared with games in Australia.

‘‘It’s good to see more young players in the sport and to have the chance to play against them.’’

The tournament runs until Sunday from 8.30am with games at Epsom/ Remuera and Carlton croquet clubs.

Winning combination, above: Australian croquet player Fleuranne Brockway and Tauranga’s John McKenzie paired up to compete in the doubles tournament at Carlton Croquet Club.

Hammer time: Sean Foster gets into the croquet doubles action on the field.

Brushing up, The rules, right: Golf Croquet is completely different from Association Croquet. It has a simpler set of rules and games are generally more interactive and take less time to complete.

left: Manurewa Croquet Club member Noeline Posselt takes aim.

Croquet contenders: New Zealand croquet youth squad players Sean Foster, left, and Jared Keeman.

On the ball: New Zealand croquet youth squad and Epsom/Remuera Croquet Club player Hamish McIntosh paired up with Irish player Keiran Murphy.