It was a perfect day for croquet. A brilliant sun rose unobstructed and, with a cool wind, assured that the lush turf would be dry and playable. Hosts of flowering perennials nodded politely from their court-side view. Dogs and horses ambled contentedly nearby and the Pig`s Nose Scotch was close at hand. Blessed with such idyllic days and cheered by post game ”teas,” a group of Wayne gentlemen are carrying on a tradition of Sunday croquet that began before World War II and continues to this day.
It is fitting that the sport has enjoyed such longevity in Wayne, the village of country estates and equestrian pursuits. Until recently, the swish of the mallet was heard almost exclusively on private lawns and within the clubs of the rich and famous.
Imported from England, U.S. croquet found an early following among social register types in Palm Beach, New York City and Newport, R.I. Early players found that the sport offered a minimum of physical exertion with a maximum of strategy, cocktails could be enjoyed before, during and after the game and all without the embarrassing perspiration, face-distorting grimace and sore muscles associated with the more vigorous sports.
In the last few years, however, the polite, proper game of the rich has been seized with a frenzy by a growing number of the less financially endowed. And while croquet shows no signs of replacing football or baseball as national recreations, its growth is generating a surge in equipment sales, club start- ups and new courts.
According to information released by the U.S. Croquet Association headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-where else?- the number of registered clubs has grown from five in 1977 to more than 300 today. In 1989 alone, 67 new croquet clubs became members of the association, and the number of such clubs continues to average approximately 1 1/2 per week.
One of those new clubs is the Pig`s Nose Croquet Club of Wayne. Bearing the name of the golden liquor that has graced a great number of ”teas,” the Pig`s Nose group believes in sound (expensive) equipment, lax dress codes, courtesy toward opponents and a muted competitiveness, which evaporates once tea is served.
For four years, Dick Lightfine, who also serves as the mayor of Wayne, has hosted the weekly games. Regulars include Richard Wenzel, John Jenkins, Arnold Bisbee and Jim Migely. But the history of the group goes back much further to the early 1940s when the original players-John Dole, Charles Lindsay, Jay McWilliams Stone and Robert Migely-played at Stone`s home, Stonewood, in Wayne.
Following Stone`s death, Lightfine said, a court was laid out at the Migely home, and play continued there for the next 25 years, adding new players only when death defeated the originals. Migely`s son, Jim, continued to carry the family`s mallet and is considered a fine croquet player; he has one of Wayne`s three private courts at his home.
Bisbee is the group`s oldest direct descendant of the early group. He said he began as a substitute for members who were out of town or sick and became a regular some time later, a position he has held for 30 years.
Unlike most sports, age is hardly a hindrance in croquet and, in Bisbee`s case, perhaps an advantage because of his years of experience. He says the most enjoyable part of the game is winning and he proceeds to do just that by expertly guiding his ball through the wickets. ”At my great age,” Bisbee says, ”there are not many games I can still play.”
As play proceeds for the next hour and a half, Lightfine and Bisbee huddle to discuss strategy and Lightfine provides commentary in a hushed voice similar to a golf announcer before a crucial stroke.
Such deference not only to your partner but also to the opposition is but one example of an unwritten code of courtesy that underpins the sport of croquet. Taboos include temper tantrums, and any player so unrestrained as to have one simply would not be invited back for play.
Courtesy seems to come easily to Lightfine, whose accent betrays his Eastern U.S. roots, but his manner is that of a Southern gentleman. Responses such as ”Yes, please” and ”So sorry” are routine among the players, and it would come as no surprise if one complimented a play with, ”Jolly well, old chap.”
Play sometimes is interrupted by an earnest discussion of a possible rules violation or a misunderstanding. Such minor variances are resolved easily after one player graciously accedes to another`s persuasion or recap. At one point, Jenkins asks ”Is that legal?” referring to his line of play. Lightfine waves him on, saying, ”We`ll look it up in the rule book later.”
While courtesy obviously is a staple of the croquet court, the Pig`s Nose bunch apparently feels that dress whites are not. The all-white attire that is required in national croquet tournaments is nowhere to be seen at the Wayne compound. Hats ranged from Jenkin`s safari-style topper to Bisbee`s straw and Wenzel`s navy fishing hat. Dress ranged from khaki to checks.
That may change, however, if the group`s talk of traveling to Bourbonnais, Ill., comes to pass. There at the Bon Vivant Country Club is one of the Midwest`s best croquet complexes with manicured courts as playable as a golf green. ”We`re trying to drum up interest in the regional qualifying tournament there,” Lightfine said. ”We want to find out how good we are or how bad we are.”
The Pig`s Nose group`s desire to pit their skills against worthy adversaries is but a reflection of a national trend that is moving croquet from the back yard to the more formal games in country clubs, park districts and private clubs. And equipment variety is expanding to keep pace. While major discount chains continue to carry sets containing coat-hanger type wickets, a growing number of stores now carry the more expensive and durable items. Prices for a set of mallets and balls can range from $2,000 to $3,000 with mallets made to order in different weights and grips.
In official play, the hoops are narrower and the balls larger than in a back yard toy croquet set. In top play, clearances are only an eighth of an inch. To add legitimacy to the sport, there is also a 151-page rule book that details everything from out-of-bounds to the six grips (American, British, Irish, Solomon, South African and golf). In addition, tournament play involves only six wickets and one center stake, compared the nine wickets and two stakes of the back yard version.
Anne Frost, administrative director of the USCA, said croquet does have a very upscale reputation, but it is no different from that enjoyed by tennis or golf upon its entry into the U.S. ”Thirty years ago, tennis was the same way,” she noted, adding that ”it was played by people who could afford to have their own courts in their back yards.”
But that may be changing due to the recent surge of croquet`s popularity. Frost said there now are public courts in New York City, San Francisco, Tulsa and Rockford. There is another public court planned at the Tamarack Golf Club in Naperville, and there are private courts in Bourbonnais and Chicago. Frost said cities and municipal parks throughout the country are adding or considering adding croquet courts to their recreation offerings.
”Twenty years ago you couldn`t find a croquet court here,” Frost said.
”Now they`re in most areas of the U.S., in hotels, resorts and country clubs.”
Not only is the number of courts increasing but the number of registered players is on the upswing as well. Frost said the association was formed in 1977 by 50 members in five clubs who wanted to standardize rules and heighten competition. Now the association boasts 5,000 members and the median age of players is 43.
Poised to take advantage of the growth in croquet are a number of manufacturers who produce everything from standard dress whites required for tournament play to the proper equipment. One such firm is Rossco, a wooden toy manufacturer whose president is Robart Ross of Geneva. Ross said his company has just completed developing a new line of croquet equipment that will provide quality at a price between the back yard and the top of the line.
”Croquet has long been a favorite of families,” Ross said, ”but it is experiencing a very strong return at this time.” He predicted that there will be 500 or more clubs registered at the end of another year. To meet the needs of what Ross sees as increasing numbers of serious and tournament players, his company has committed to a long-term croquet set production with what he hopes will be from 75,000-100,000 sets a year.
Indeed, Ross` predictions and advance planning are in line with market trends already observed by Frost. She said croquet equipment sales are up 35 percent, according to Croquet International, a consortium that represents a variety of manufacturers.
Much of the increase in equipment sales can be attributed to an increase in the number of clubs and the number of tournaments held. After the Midwest Championship in this month at Bourbonnais, 80 competitors will vie in September for the national championship at Newport.
If all goes as planned, additional tournaments will be held at croquet courts at the Tamarack Golf Club, a semi-private club in Naperville. Doug Krause, general manager, said zoning approval for the courts has just been obtained and he hopes they will be playable within the next year.
Krause said the courts are an effort to be part of what he describes as ”a trend in the `90s toward family entertainment.” The court, which Krause said will be similar to that at Bourbonnais, will be styled to complement the club`s Southern plantation style and will be only steps away from the veranda where family and friends can watch the play. The courts will be open to the public.
Why is croquet experience such growth and interest?
Lightfine says it`s compelling. Others say it`s the need for family entertainment. Anne Frost says it`s a ”fascinating sport combining the mental challenge of chess with the finesse of billiards. Also, it`s an esthetically lovely game to play and it`s very sociable.”
The Pig`s Nose Croquet Club will toast to that.
