Rich River Croquet Club supports players of all ages to be active and spend time outdoors. Photo: File
Echuca-Moama is a thriving community that is only growing. One of the many reasons people love the region is the multitude of groups they can be a part of.
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To help you find the right group, check out our ‘Why not join...’ series each week, where we focus on a community group.
In today’s edition, Lua Ikenasio and Emily Donohoe speak to Rich River Croquet Club.
Spanning a more-than 40-year history, Rich River Croquet Club provides people of all ages an opportunity to get exercise year-round.
Croquet’s presence in Echuca dates back to 1875, with the Rich River Croquet Club starting up a century later in 1983.
Secretary Margaret Kennedy has not looked back since joining the group in 2015 when she first picked up a mallet.
“Our Probus club had a come-and-try (day)... and I just got into it,” she said.
“It’s a really diverse group of people. We’ve got a doctor, we’ve got teachers, we’ve got ex-nurses.
“It seems to get them hooked once they start.”
Croquet is accessible for a range of ages and skill levels, not taking as big a toll on the body as many other sports.
“We’ve got a 92-year-old player, and then we have the Year 10s from Moama Grammar playing,” Mrs Kennedy said.
“It’s a low-impact sport... because you’re swinging on a pendulum.
“I’m really more of a social player, but we do have some very competitive people out there.
“One of our players, Kenn Boal, he’s an ex-Victorian champion, ex-Australasian champion.”
Club president Leon Koch (second from left) with the Rich River Emus squad in October 2024; Kevin Harrison, Pat Rice, Ian Grant and Sid Gomes-Vieira. Photo: Supplied.
The club plays golf croquet on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while association croquet is on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Each day begins at 9am, and is played at Rich River Golf Club’s courts, located behind the bowling club adjacent to the driving range.
Association croquet is played individually, with each player on the court until they make a mistake, when another player will take their place.
Golf croquet is played in singles or doubles, taking turns with the ball until it’s made its way through every hoop.
“A lot of (players) find the challenge of golf croquet perhaps not enough if they’re very competitive, and they’ll move into association,” Mrs Kennedy said.
“When I started, we had probably 10 or 12 association players and a lot of them, by natural attrition as they’ve got older, they’ve gone.
“But we’re back to 12 again, which is really good for the club.”
Mrs Kennedy highlighted the opportunity croquet provided for all to build on their technique and self-belief.
“Don’t have any preconceived ideas about it,’ she said.
“It suits everybody. We’ve had some ladies who started off, and they’ve been so insecure about it, but as they develop their skills, their confidence gets better.
“Everybody achieves.”
She also believes that the sport being outside and year-round motivates club members to come along throughout the week.
“You have the sun, you’re out in the fresh air,” Mrs Kennedy said.
“That’s what keeps people coming back.”
Prospective players can reach out to Mrs Kennedy, who can connect them with free coaching and equipment.
They can contact her on 0491 063 644, and she can refer them to one of the club’s coaches.
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