This year, 23 local sporting legends are being inducted to the honour roll and junior honour roll categories in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
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The News is featuring stories on each of the inductees in the lead-up to the induction ceremony on August 16.
Today News journalist Liam Nash speaks to croquet star Joyce Russell, who is being inducted to the honour roll.
Joyce Russell has won just about everything under the sun in terms of croquet in the region, but she’d never tell you.
However, ask anyone from Mooroopna Croquet Club and they will tell you a few stories about one of the Goulburn Valley’s greatest in the sport.
As humble as they come, Russell recalls the moment croquet caught her eye after passing by a game on the street and remembers taking a particular interest in the sport.
“I was walking along with a child in a pusher and was watching a game and thought that it looked quite interesting,” she said.
“Ian (Russell’s husband who was inducted into the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame in 2017) was madly into bowls, so I felt that I should get some exercise of my own.
“Once I had a go I really enjoyed it.”
From that moment on Russell was enchanted, embarking on a croquet career that has cemented her as one of the crucial cogs in Mooroopna Croquet Club's existence.
She dominated the local scene for a number of years with mallet in hand, winning an astonishing 16 club championships, paired with four Goulburn Valley championships.
“I did fairly well at the club and there were a lovely lot of people,” she said.
“Looking back, I suppose I have got my name on the club trophies a bit.”
However, her affiliation with the sport didn’t stop at playing, taking her knowledge of the game to the next level by becoming a Victorian referee.
“I sat exams to become a referee, as well as becoming a coach, because back in those days, even a pennant game needed a referee,” she said.
“I suppose I did it because I was needed.”
Up until last year Russell was listed as an emergency player for the Mooroopna Croquet Club at the tender age of 88, with the nature of the game being the key component in what kept her interested after all those years.
“I suppose it was the challenge - there are not many sports where you can go out on the green for hours at a time and still be challenged,” she said.
“It is also what keeps you fit, Ken Moore (former Mooroopna Croquet Club president) started playing when he was 84.
“There are not many games where you can start at that age.”
Her efforts as a patron and player were recognised fully when she was awarded life membership of Mooroopna Croquet Club in 2004 and there is no doubt Russell will go down in the history books as one of the region’s most graceful participants within the croquet community.
And she remains a fierce competitor on the playing court, with Moore saying she still plays a ''mean game of association croquet''.
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