Croquet mallets and balls in Worcester
The short answer: Worcester and Worcestershire players can order an Invictus mallet made to their handle length, or Invictus X balls for a club, online with delivery to the door. For lawns the members built themselves, which play soft in a Severn valley spring, we would start with the Invictus Rise.
Croquet in Worcester
Worcester Norton Croquet Club grew from doubles games on members' home lawns in 1974. Around 1980 it hired a disused council bowling green at Perdiswell, with one full lawn and a practice strip, and in 1982 it won the national Longman Cup. That same year members found a sloping site at Norton Sports Club with a telegraph pole in the middle; they removed the pole, levelled and drained the ground and sowed it, and play on the new lawns had begun by 1986. When the South West Croquet Federation formed in 1984, Worcester was its most northerly club. It had 36 members in 2020. Today it plays on two full-size, purpose-built lawns off Brockhill Lane on the city's eastern edge, from April to September, with golf croquet roll-ups on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, internal competitions and a golf croquet team in a South West Federation league.
What Worcester's lawns and weather mean for your mallet
Worcester sits on the Severn, with the Malvern Hills to the south-west, and its weather is mild and moderately wet. April lawns are soft and slow, summer can firm them up nicely, and September brings dew back. A mallet with weight in the head and a forgiving strike zone covers that spread without changing your swing.
Which Invictus mallet suits Worcester players
Invictus Rise, £525. The mallet more players choose from us than any other. Its aluminium head weighs about 3 lb and its sweet spot is slightly enlarged, so it is a little easier to control. We tend to recommend the 11 inch head.
RF Pro, £975. Our flagship, with World Champion Robert Fletcher involved in its development. A 3D printed aluminium head holds brass weights behind composite faces, and the whole mallet is about 2 lb 12 oz: lighter, very precise.
Made to order means your handle length and your choice of an 11 or a 12 inch head. Graphite Black is standard; Rose Gold, Snow White, NRA Blue or Deep Purple is £89 extra. There is no weight option. See mallet fitting and compare mallets.
Balls for Worcester clubs
Invictus X costs £479 a set; each ball weighs 450 g, is made entirely in Australia and is approved by the World Croquet Federation for championship play. As a guide, a two-lawn club needs two first-colour and two second-colour sets. See choosing balls for a club.
Delivery to Worcester
Every mallet is built after ordering and then sent to the UK; usually 4 to 8 weeks from order to door, an estimate rather than a promise. A ball set's delivered price is agreed with you first.
Questions Worcester players ask
I borrow a club mallet. When should I buy? Once you play regularly; one cut to your own handle length suits your stance.
Can I play roll-ups with it before deciding? Yes, with the optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee (£75).
Will September dew affect the head? No; just dry the faces, as product care explains.
See other English towns on the England page.
Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.