CROQUET NEWS:  Wicket Good Fun

1 January 2008
Waipuilani Park, Kihei, Hawaii, USA
by Ashley Stepanek in Maui No Ka Oi, Wailuku, Hawaii, USA

It’s a ball, it’s a mallet, it’s … crack! … croquet on Maui? That’s right, folks, there’s a club in full swing that plays international-style matches in grassy oceanfront Waipualani Park, just down from Lipoa Street off of South Kihei Road.

Ladies and gents wearing pressed collared whites — sometimes in game-appropriate footwear, more often barefoot (only in Hawai‘i!) — drive colorful balls through thick rectangular metal wickets that allow a margin of error of just 1/16th of an inch. Club members take shots by straddling the ball and swinging the mallet between their legs. (“It’s more accurate, which is why this swing was banned from golf,” says Leo Nikora, Maui Croquet Club’s director and founding member.)

Even though they play amid stunning natural beauty and the members are very welcoming, let’s get one thing straight: this isn’t your mock-competitive, backyard match with balls weighing just ounces and wickets made of flimsy aluminum. These guys swing mallets custom-made in Australia, and can peel your one-pound ball waaaaayyyy past the last palm tree.

Fortunately, Nikora is willing to assign you a hefty handicap and can show you how to get into the game like a pro. The man is ranked 28th nationally, and 241st in the world croquet circuit. He’s a big teddy bear, but he won’t let you win … which only makes him a better teacher in the end.

Learn to play real croquet! Practice games are held Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday afternoons. Visit www.mauicroquetclub.com for details (there’s even some croquet poetry to read on the website).