Croquet mallets and balls in Deal and Walmer
The short answer: croquet players in Deal and Walmer can order an Invictus mallet built to their own handle length and posted to the Kent coast, and the club can add a set of championship-approved balls. Prices below are in pounds sterling, and the Invictus Rise is where most people should begin.
Croquet in Deal and Walmer
Croquet here means Walmer Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Archery Square, Walmer. Royal Marine officers from the nearby barracks founded it in 1883, and the club describes itself as the fourth oldest in the world where grass-court tennis and croquet are both still played on the original site. The square's name hints that the ground was once used for archery.
The croquet section runs separately from the tennis side but shares the grounds: six grass tennis courts, two hard courts and two croquet lawns. Members can use mallets and balls kept in the clubhouse. The club currently reports a waiting list for croquet membership, so get your name down early.
What Deal's lawns and weather mean for your mallet
Two lawns carry a lot of play. The autumn renovation has been done in two phases so that games can continue for as long as possible, with members even playing on spare tennis courts meanwhile, and lately they have kept playing through winter whenever the lawns are not too wet. Expect firm, breezy summer grass and slower, damper going from late autumn.
Which Invictus mallet suits Deal players
Invictus Rise, £525. Our most popular mallet. The aluminium head is about 3 lb, and its sweet spot is a touch larger, so it is a little easier to control on a soft winter lawn. We usually suggest the 11 inch head.
RF Pro, £975. Our flagship, developed with World Champion Robert Fletcher. Brass weights and composite faces sit in a 3D printed aluminium head, roughly 2 lb 12 oz in total: lighter, and very precise on fast summer grass.
Neither comes off a shelf. Each is made at the handle length you send, with an 11 or 12 inch head. Graphite Black is standard; Snow White, NRA Blue, Rose Gold and Deep Purple are £89 more. The weight is set by the design. Our comparison sets the two out in detail.
Balls for Deal clubs
Invictus X balls are £479 a set. They have World Croquet Federation championship approval, weigh 450 g each and are made entirely in Australia. As a guide, a two-lawn club wants one first-colour and one second-colour set per lawn; croquet ball colours explained shows what each set is for.
Delivery to Deal
We only start building once the order arrives, so delivery to Deal is usually 4 to 8 weeks from order, as an estimate.
Questions Deal players ask
Do I need my own mallet to join? No. Use the clubhouse mallets first and buy once you know how you like to swing.
Will sea air harm an aluminium head? Not if you wipe it down after play and store it dry, as our care guide explains.
What if the mallet does not feel right? Add our optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee for £75 when you order.
Nearby: Canterbury and Ramsgate. All English towns: croquet mallets and balls in England.
Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.