All roads will be leading to the Numurkah Croquet Club on March 23, with the annual Golf Croquet Open Singles Tournament being held across two days.
The tournament, run by the Goulburn Valley Croquet Association, will welcome competitors from across the state and the nation, with tournament co-ordinator John Young saying some players were coming from as far as Canberra.
“In total there are 48 players contesting across three different divisions,” Young said.
“Division one is our strongest division and that includes state and state squad players and an Australian doubles champion.
“When they compete, they do it not only for the prize, but to improve their Australian, Victorian and world rankings, so you’re getting the best of the best.”
Young, a member of the Shepparton Croquet Club, said there was a strong number of entries from Shepparton.
“This is the first major tournament coming out of COVID — there have been a few social ones,” he said.
“I think most people would say they’ve felt a little bit penned in by COVID and it (the social tournaments) sort of allowed them to have a bit of a feel of what it’s like getting up and about again, but this one, I think we timed it pretty well and it’s reflected in the early entries.”
Young said despite COVID-19 restricting travel for the event, all of the divisions filled within three weeks, which was almost unheard of.
“The Goulburn Valley region is regarded as one of the strongest regions, not only in Victoria but also Australia, so it (the title) is a nice notch to put in the mallet if you play well,” he said.
“Everybody’s welcome to come, there is no charge to come and we welcome everybody to come and have a look at the game.”
Trish Pedrotti, also of the Shepparton Croquet Club, is helping to organise the tournament and said the social aspect of croquet was something particularly missed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s also been fabulous to come and socially play, apart from tournaments, it’s just great to come down and catch up again,” Pedrotti said.
The GVCA’s annual Golf Croquet Open Singles Tournament will be held on Wednesday, March 23, and Thursday, March 24. Spectators are welcome and must be double vaccinated.