Croquet mallets and balls in Lincoln
The short answer: players in Lincoln, North Hykeham, Branston and the villages around the city can order an Invictus mallet or Invictus X balls online with delivery to the door. With four clubs close by, we would put the Invictus Rise forward first.
Croquet in Lincoln
Lincoln has no club of its own name, but several close by. Branston Croquet Club, four miles south-east of the city on the recreation ground in Moor Lane, has three lawns, each five-sevenths of full size, and plays every day from April to October except Mondays, when a u3a group uses the lawns. It fields three teams in the regional golf croquet league and two in the Lincolnshire league, runs internal and open tournaments, and offers beginners' tuition, with families and younger players especially welcome. North Hykeham Croquet Club, formed in 1998, had two homes in North Hykeham before moving to the outfield of Hartsholme Cricket Club on Ashby Avenue; it has three lawns there and plays mostly golf croquet in the East Midlands Federation's leagues. Dunston Croquet Club has three lawns at the Nocton cricket ground, and Torksey and District plays on the village green at Torksey, north-west of the city.
What Lincoln's lawns and weather mean for your mallet
Lincolnshire is flat and comparatively dry, yet cricket outfields and recreation grounds stay soft in April and again in October, and easterly winds off the North Sea make spring sessions cold. A forgiving mallet with enough mass to move the ball through damp grass covers both.
Which Invictus mallet suits Lincoln players
Invictus Rise, £525. If one Invictus is the people's choice, it is this. A head of aluminium at roughly 3 lb, with a sweet spot drawn a fraction wider, makes the Rise a little easier to control. The 11 inch head is our default.
RF Pro, £975. The flagship. World Champion Robert Fletcher worked on it with us, and the result is a lighter, very precise mallet of about 2 lb 12 oz, built from a 3D printed aluminium head, brass weights and composite faces.
We build after you order. Your handle length sets the shaft; you choose 11 or 12 inches for the head; Graphite Black is the standard finish, and Snow White, Deep Purple, NRA Blue or Rose Gold costs £89 more. Weight is not on the menu. Our fitting guide and comparison page help.
Balls for Lincoln clubs
Invictus X, approved by the World Croquet Federation for championship play, is a 450 g ball made entirely in Australia, sold at £479 a set. Our guide is a first-colour set and a second-colour set for each lawn, so three of each for a three-lawn club. See how many ball sets a club needs.
Delivery to Lincoln
Your mallet is made once ordered and sent to the UK, and usually reaches Lincoln 4 to 8 weeks from the order; treat that as an estimate. The delivered price of any ball set is agreed with you before payment.
Questions Lincoln players ask
Our lawns are five-sevenths size. Does that change the mallet? No; our advice is the same, a Rise with the 11 inch head.
Can I play a league fixture with it before deciding? Yes. The 30-day satisfaction guarantee is an optional £75.
Will cold, damp spring sessions hurt the head? No. Dry the faces afterwards; see product care.
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Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.