Croquet mallets and balls in Porirua

The short answer: Porirua and Plimmerton players can order an Invictus mallet shaped to their own handle length, and the club can order Invictus X championship balls, online with courier delivery from Australia. For a club that plays three codes all year, the Invictus Rise is the sensible all-rounder.

Croquet in Porirua

Plimmerton Croquet Club turns 100 this year. It was founded in 1926 as part of a three-sport complex, with tennis courts, a bowling green and a croquet lawn. Wartime nearly finished it: by 1939 membership had fallen to four. In 1954 members bought a clubhouse from the Raumati South Bowling Club and re-erected it beside their lawn themselves.

Its present home dates from 1992, when the club accepted Porirua City Council's offer of a four-lawn complex. Play began on the new lawns on 11 January 1994, and the clubhouse opened that September. The club now has more than 70 members, plays golf croquet, association and ricochet, and opens its lawns all year, with the main season from September to May. It sits on Plimmerton Drive, a short walk from the village, the beach and the station. Visitors are welcome for a small fee, club mallets can be borrowed, and Have a Go days run each year.

What Porirua's lawns and weather mean for your mallet

The coast north of Wellington is mild but exposed, with wind a regular companion. On a breezy summer day a gust can push a slow ball off line, so a clean strike matters. Through winter, when the club keeps playing, damp lawns slow everything and a weightier head earns its place.

Which Invictus mallet suits Porirua players

Invictus Rise. Of our two mallets, this is the one bought most often. A three-pound-or-so aluminium head copes with soft winter lawns, while its marginally larger sweet spot makes it a little easier to control for golf, association and ricochet alike. An 11 inch head is our default.

RF Pro. The flagship we designed with help from World Champion Robert Fletcher. It pairs a 3D printed aluminium head with internal brass weights and composite striking faces, and tips the scales near 2 lb 12 oz: lighter, and very precise.

We work from the handle length you send and the head you prefer, 11 or 12 inch. Graphite Black is included; Snow White, NRA Blue, Rose Gold and Deep Purple are paid extras. The weight comes fixed with each model. See our fitting guide before you measure.

Balls for Porirua

An Invictus X ball weighs 450 g, is manufactured wholly in Australia, and has the World Croquet Federation's championship approval. With four lawns, Plimmerton would usually hold four first-colour and four second-colour sets; our club ball guide shows the reasoning.

Delivery to Porirua

Production starts when you order, and a mallet tends to reach Porirua 4 to 8 weeks after that. It is an estimate we cannot guarantee. Ball sets go by courier, quoted to the door before payment.

Questions Porirua players ask

Can I use it in club play first? Yes: choose the optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee and take it to Plimmerton Drive for a month of games.

Does year-round play in wet weather hurt it? No. Aluminium does not swell or rot; dry it after a damp session, per product care.

How do the two models differ, and what do they cost? Compare mallets sets out the differences, and prices are on the product pages.

All our New Zealand places: New Zealand croquet page.

Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.