Croquet mallets and balls in Birmingham
The short answer: Birmingham players can order a made-to-measure Invictus mallet or a set of Invictus X balls online, delivered anywhere in the city. On tree-lined, often slow Midlands lawns, our usual first pick is the Invictus Rise.
Croquet in Birmingham
The city's game is centred on Edgbaston. Edgbaston Croquet Club, at 18 Richmond Hill Road, has three full-size lawns and belongs to the West Midlands Federation; it has played on that site for well over sixty years, and members can play on any day of the season. Its calendar carries a B-Level Advanced weekend each June and an Advanced Weekend each August. Also in Edgbaston, the Edgbaston Archery and Lawn Tennis Society beside the Botanical Gardens took up croquet in 1870 and renamed itself to match, long before it became known as the oldest surviving lawn tennis club.
What Birmingham's lawns and weather mean for your mallet
Edgbaston's lawns are framed by mature trees, all covered by preservation orders, and the club has planned crown reduction to let more light onto the grass. Shade keeps a lawn damp and soft well into a spring morning, while one court has battled dry patch in a warm spell. Inland Birmingham swings between heavy April surfaces and firmer August ones; a forgiving mallet with real head weight copes with both.
Which Invictus mallet suits Birmingham players
Invictus Rise, £525. The one more players choose than any other. Its aluminium head weighs about 3 lb and the sweet spot is a fraction larger, which makes it a little easier to control on a shaded, slow court. We generally suggest the 11 inch head.
RF Pro, £975. The top of our range; World Champion Robert Fletcher worked with us on its development. Inside the 3D printed aluminium head sit brass weights, the striking faces are composite, and the result weighs roughly 2 lb 12 oz: lighter, and very precise in advanced-play breaks.
Either model is made for you alone, at your handle length, with a head of 11 inches or 12. Graphite Black is standard; NRA Blue, Deep Purple, Snow White or Rose Gold cost £89 more. See mallet fitting and our side-by-side comparison.
Balls for Birmingham clubs
For £479 a club gets a set of Invictus X: 450 g balls, made entirely in Australia, with World Croquet Federation approval for championship play. Allow, as a guide, two sets for every lawn (first colours and second colours), so six sets for Edgbaston's three lawns. Read what WCF approval means for tournament use.
Delivery to Birmingham
Mallets are built one by one once ordered and then sent to the UK. From order to arrival in Birmingham usually takes 4 to 8 weeks, an estimate and not a guarantee. On ball sets, the price including delivery is agreed before you pay.
Questions Birmingham players ask
I play advanced weekends. Rise or RF Pro? If fine control in a break matters most, the lighter RF Pro is built for it; the Rise is the steadier tool on heavy lawns.
What if it does not suit my swing? Pay £75 for our optional satisfaction guarantee and you get 30 days of real games before deciding.
Will damp, shaded lawns harm the head? No; it is aluminium. Wipe the faces after play, per our care advice.
More from around England on our England hub page.
Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.