National Croquet Week celebrates Croquet with 23 Inter-County Teams
[Sussex County Croquet Club – 25 May 2025]
The yearly Association Croquet Inter-County Championship is played over the May bank holiday every year, in a four-day festival of Croquet. Over 160 players from 23 different teams will play the best of three doubles matches in a fight for the title.
From last year
Last year Middlesex County won the championship convincingly, having won all their matches apart from one, where Hertfordshire managed to claim the single match victory.
This year Middlesex will once again field one of the strongest teams yet, picked by devoted team Captain Nick Parish from Surbiton Croquet Club.
We caught up with Nick Parish ahead of the tournament: “Middlesex are excited to be back on the south coast, attempting to retain our trophy. Last year was our first fully successful campaign in over 40 years, and we’re aiming to do the same again this year. We love the Inter-County Championships for its sociability, as much as the competition. We enjoy the taking part, but it’s the winning that matters!”
Team Promotions
Suffolk County Team will join Division 1 having been promoted from Division 2 last year. The team won seven out of their 8 matches to top the tables in 2023.
Croquet is a sport which is played by people from different backgrounds, varied ages and with a whole range of skill levels. The sport benefits it’s players not only with the physical activity, but with the social interaction players experience and the important mental activity engaged to improve tactics.
The beginning of this event coincides with the final two days of National Croquet Week. Croquet England has teamed up with Dementia Carers Count, supporting the charity by raising awareness of the valuable work they do within families and communities throughout the UK.
Team details:
Division 1
Berkshire
Joe King (C), Peter Allan, Robin Brown, Richard Huxley, Andy Myers, Mark Ormerod, Joel Taylor
Essex
Rich Waterman (C), Tim Brewer, Andrew Dutton, Robert Fulford, Susan Fulford, Jonathan Hills, Debbie Lines, Nick Steiner, Aston Wade
Gloucestershire
Dave Kibble (C), Dominic Aarvold, Sara Anderson, Louise Bradforth, Roger Mills, Martin Murray
Hertfordshire
Simon Hathrell (C), Daniel Gott, Duncan Hector, David Marsh, Alison Maugham, David Maugham, Richard M Smith
Middlesex
Nick Parish (C), Gavin Carter, Eugene Chang, Tom Coles, Gabrielle Higgins, Ian Lines, Nigel Polhill, Jose Riva
Nottinghamshire
Richard White (C), Keith Aiton, Euan Burridge, James Death, Omied Hallam, Sanaa Hallam, James Hopgood, Patrick Hort
Oxfordshire
Dayal Gunasekera (C), Raouf Allim, Jenny Clarke, Martin Lester, Sophie McGlen, Chris Roberts, Jordan Waters, Stephen Wright
Somerset
David Goacher (C), Kristian Chambers, Ed Duckworth, Marcus Evans, Jim Field, Tim Jolliff, Roger Tribe, Jonathan Wolfe
Suffolk
Philip Eardley (C), Mark Avery, Paul Hetherington, Martin Leach, Anthony Miller, Lewis Palmer, Albie Willett
Surrey
Samir Patel (C), Jamie Burch, Andy Dibben, Guy Hewitt, Barry Holland, Stephen Mulliner, George Noble, Tim Russell, Tim Wilkins
Yorkshire
John Davis (C), Rod Ashwell, Robert Essler, Callum Johnson, Mike Town, David Warhurst, Robert Wilkinson
Division 2
Buckinghamshire (Plus)
David Marcus (C), David H Boyd, Nick Furse, Cliff Jones, Hugh Manson, Richard Peperell, Liz Farrow*, Jonathan Isaacs*
Cheshire
Simon Jenkins (C), Charles Harding, Nick Harvey, Nigel Matthews, Alex McIntyre, Brian Medley, David Mooney
Dorset
Jonathan Powe (C), Jeff Dawson, Anthony Dix, David Fuller, Chris Weedon, David Williams, Teddy Wilmot-Sitwell
Glamorgan
Chris Williams (C), John Bowcott, Dave Evans, Kevin Ham, Tudor Jenkins, Sarah Melvin, Chris Tuthill, Angharrad Walters
Kent
Robert Alexander (C), Pierre Beaudry, Jolyon Creasey, John Daniels, Jon Diamond, Brian Havill, Philip Mann, Charlie Martin, Chris Martin
Lancashire
Paul Rigge (C), Neil Adams, Lorna Dewar, Rick Harding, James Hawkins, Ailsa Lines, Annabel McDiarmid
Norfolk/Lincolnshire (Plus)
Jonathan Toye (C), Adrian Kirby, Charles Ostler, John Reddish, Paul Duckworth*, Chris Rolph*
Shropshire
Brian Christmas (C), Jeff Billing, Robert Dodds, James Handley, Ian Lambert, Robin Trew, Richard Williamson
Sussex
Roger Wood (C), Paul Castell, Alan Cottle, Tom Cullis, Liz Farrow, Clive Hayton, Dominic Nunns, Craig Oakley, Ian Vincent
Warwickshire
Ken Jones (C), Cliff Daniel, Andrew Gregory, Geoff Gunton, Peter Payne, Ian Slater, Hilary Smith, Roger Tedstone
Wiltshire
Andrew Willis (C), Richard Dickson, Roger Hayes, Jonathan Lacey, Beatrice McGlen, Andy Smith, Harvey Smith
Photo: Nick Parish accepting the Inter-County Championship Trophy for Middlesex
Photo credit: Samir Patel
