We played at Wimbledon!

On 21 August, a group of players from HWCC were the recipients of a kind invitation from the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet club at Wimbledon to come and play a friendly golf croquet match.  

The day was a complete delight from start to finish. The AELTC team were warm and welcoming hosts, pleased to be able to share their world-class venue with visitors but without any hint of superiority.  Wimbledon is something of a double-edged sword: the obvious need to clear the decks for The Championships in July means that the excellent croquet lawns are out of action for a large part of the middle of the summer.  As a result, the Croquet players effectively have to manage with two short half seasons on either side of the main tennis event. But manage they do, and we all had some enjoyable and competitive play in the morning and the afternoon. Whether the superb lunch that we enjoyed on the Members' Balcony affected anyone's play is anyone's guess!

At the end of the day, we were treated to a stimulating and informative tour led by one of the Wimbledon players with a particular interest in history and tradition. But it is not all history.  AELTC are in the middle of a proposal to convert the golf course which they own into a major tennis centre and public park with enhanced facilities. We wish them well with this, to go with our thanks for providing us with such a memorable day.

Looking ahead, Wimbledon were very pleased to receive an invitation to come and play at high Wycombe in the early part of the summer 2025.   Now, where's that Cordon Bleu cookbook...?! 

Chris Webbley