Croquet mallets and balls in Cardiff and South Wales
The short answer: players in Cardiff, Bridgend and Swansea can order an Invictus mallet or Invictus X balls online and have them delivered anywhere in South Wales. For mild, rain-softened lawns, the Invictus Rise is the mallet we would put forward first.
Croquet in Cardiff and South Wales
Organised croquet in this corner of Wales is old: Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, keeps a 1910 fixture card from the South Wales Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club in its collection. Today Cardiff Croquet Club plays on one lawn at the Old Bowling Green, off Poplar Road in Fairwater, has run beginners' fun days and evening croquet, and members book the lawn online. West along the M4, Glamorgan Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club has two lawns on Merthyr Mawr Road in Bridgend, and Mumbles Croquet Club plays on one lawn at the Mumbles Bowls Green on the edge of Swansea Bay. Croquet England's directory places Cardiff and Glamorgan in its South West Federation. Further afield are clubs at Aberystwyth, Llandovery, Llanidloes and Llanfairfechan.
What South Wales lawns and weather mean for your mallet
South Wales sits in the path of Atlantic weather, so the climate is mild and frequently wet. Lawns stay green and soft for most of the season, frost is short-lived near the coast, and a dry, fast surface is the exception rather than the rule. A mallet heavy enough to carry the ball through moist turf, with a face that tolerates a slightly mishit stroke, fits these conditions well.
Which Invictus mallet suits South Wales players
Invictus Rise, £525. Our most popular. The aluminium head weighs approximately 3 lb, and the sweet spot is a little more generous, which makes the Rise slightly easier to control. Order it with an 11 inch head, as we generally advise.
RF Pro, £975. The flagship we developed together with World Champion Robert Fletcher. It pairs a 3D printed aluminium head with brass weights and composite faces, and weighs close to 2 lb 12 oz, making it lighter and very precise.
Each mallet is built only once ordered, sized to your handle length, with an 11 inch or 12 inch head to choose from. Graphite Black is standard; Rose Gold, Deep Purple, NRA Blue and Snow White carry an £89 surcharge. Weights are not adjustable. Begin with mallet fitting and compare mallets.
Balls for South Wales clubs
Invictus X: approved for championship play by the World Croquet Federation, 450 g, made entirely in Australia, £479 for a set. One-lawn clubs need, as a guide, a set of first colours and a set of second colours. Our page on choosing balls for a club goes further.
Delivery to Cardiff and South Wales
We make your mallet after you order and send it to the UK; delivery is usually 4 to 8 weeks after ordering, and that is an estimate. Ball set prices are confirmed delivered, before payment.
Questions South Wales players ask
Our club has a single lawn. How many ball sets? As a guide, two: one in first colours, one in second.
Can I be sure before I keep the mallet? Yes, with the optional £75 satisfaction guarantee, which runs for 30 days.
Does Welsh rain bother the head? No. Aluminium copes with wet; wipe the faces dry and read product care.
More Welsh pages: croquet in Wales.
Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.