North Shore Croquet Club's history stretches back to the late 1890s when the wives and daughters of the Devonport Men's Bowling Club were allocated a lawn at their club to play croquet on one day a week. Over the ensuing decades growth in the numbers of men bowlers put pressure on the lawn space and over time the women were 'encouraged' to find grounds of their own. In 1931 the women eventually took up 'residence' at our current site and the club has gone from strength to strength over the years since.
The North Shore Croquet Club is a charity (No. CC44919); quoting from the application document submitted to the Charities Commission "…Our charitable contribution to the community is the upkeep of our beautiful grounds, an open invitation to come and learn the game of croquet and help keep body and mind healthy out in the open air."
We are certainly very fortunate to be situated where we are, on council-owned parks reserve land close to the Waitemata Golf Course and set amongst lovingly restored turn-of-the-century wooden villas. We're easy to find; coming into Devonport turn left off Lake Road into Allenby Ave and then turn left into Derby Street, which turns into Wairoa Rd. Or, from Old lake Road, turn right just after the Narrow Neck Cafe into Wairoa Road. We're the little white building right on the bend of the road; we'll have a Welcome sign out for you!
Clubhouse: 1 Wairoa Road, Devonport
Phone: (09) 445 6896
President: Murray Henshall
Past President: Garth Cumberland
Treasurer: Christopher Brotherton-Ratcliffe
Secretary: TBA
Captain and Coach: Rod Templeman
vice Captains: John Robertson, Grant Alexander
Grounds Superintendant: John Sutton
House Management: Ulrike McClachlan
Committee: Mike Lloyd, Charlotte Millar
Web Links:
Auckland Croquet Association - www.aucklandcroquet.org
Croquet New Zealand - www.croquet.org.nz
