Croquet mallets and balls in Southend-on-Sea

The short answer: players in Southend-on-Sea, Rayleigh and south-east Essex can order an Invictus mallet or Invictus X balls online and have them delivered locally. With a brand-new croquet section in the city and an established club nearby, the forgiving Invictus Rise is the mallet we would suggest to most players.

Croquet in Southend-on-Sea

Croquet is new to the city itself. In April 2025 the council announced Southend's first croquet club, a new croquet section at Prittlewell Bowls and Croquet Club in Priory Park, a Green Flag park; the Mayor opened the season, and open days and a croquet and bowls taster day followed, with equipment provided. Prittlewell, off Victoria Road, now has two croquet lawns and is the only club in the city offering both bowls and croquet. A few miles north, Southchurch Croquet Club plays at Rayleigh Cricket Club in Rawreth Lane, on three lawns, and competes in the East Anglian Federation.

What Southend's lawns and weather mean for your mallet

South-east Essex is one of the driest parts of the UK, and summer on the Thames Estuary can leave lawns firm and fast. Spring grass, after the wetter months, is softer and slower. A mallet for Southend needs to forgive on a slow April lawn and stay accurate when the grass quickens.

Which Invictus mallet suits Southend players

Most people new to croquet in Priory Park will be best served by the Invictus Rise at £525, the mallet we sell more of than any other. Close to 3 lb of aluminium sits in its head, so a ball still travels on a soft spring lawn, and its slightly larger sweet spot means a mishit strays a little less. Pair it, as we normally do, with an 11 inch head.

Seasoned league players at Rayleigh may prefer the RF Pro at £975, the flagship we worked on with World Champion Robert Fletcher. Its aluminium head is printed in 3D, then given brass weights and composite faces; the result weighs near 2 lb 12 oz and is lighter and very precise.

Whichever you pick, it is built for you after ordering, at your handle length, in an 11 or 12 inch head size. Graphite Black is free; the four alternative finishes, Deep Purple, Rose Gold, NRA Blue and Snow White, are £89. Our fitting notes and side-by-side page help you decide.

Balls for Southend clubs

For a newly equipped section, Invictus X is worth a look: championship approval from the World Croquet Federation, 450 g per ball, made entirely in Australia, £479 for each set. Prittlewell's pair of lawns would need four sets to give every lawn its first and second colours. Our guide to counting ball sets walks through it.

Delivery to Southend-on-Sea

Because each mallet is made only after an order, allow roughly four to eight weeks before it reaches Essex; this is an estimate rather than a date. Ball orders are quoted to your door first, and you approve that price before paying.

Questions Southend players ask

I have just started at Priory Park. Should I buy my own? If you are staying with it, yes. The Rise is the kinder first mallet.

What if it does not feel right? Add our optional satisfaction guarantee, priced at £75, and you get 30 days of real play before you decide.

Golf or Association croquet: does it change the answer? Hardly. Both mallets play both codes; forgiveness points to the Rise, finesse to the RF Pro.

Other English towns are listed on our England page.

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