My name is John Hall and I invented Croquennis in 2018.

At the time, I was the Development Officer of Meldreth Croquet Club and responsible for the running events for local University of the Third Age(U3A) groups and providing beginners, and intermediate, coaching. Meldreth Croquet club had a full size lawn which needed care and attention to keep it flat, weed free and well mown. 

It always struck me that croquet is such a fun game that it would be good to be able to play it in a normal size back garden. Normal seems to be getting smaller these days!  Just view a new housing estate!

There was already a game called Garden Croquet. That game needed a reasonably sized lawn and where there was one, it was often played by those enjoying a party and not too interested in the rules. It also encouraged hitting the ball hard which not everyone can do. 

Could something better be done? Something that needed even less space and could be flexed to fit into a housing estate "imperfect" back garden. Something that could be played by anyone of almost any age and did not encourage, or require, hard hitting. Something that was fun and encouraged social interaction. Something that could also be played competitively. Something that was easy to learn.

These requirements led to Croquennis - a mix of croquet and tennis. Many people know the rules of tennis. From knowing Tennis it is an easy step to know how to play Croquennis. 

The game was one of several I came up with at the time. It was played alongside these by the local U3As. When COVID came, I was too busy to promote it, but it could have helped people enjoy the fresh air. So now I have some time, I am giving it some push. It is too good to be left on a shelf!!!

You can contact me at johnhall@enstrata.co.uk