Croquet SouthEast GC Level Play League - Sussex County v Reigate Priory 21 August 2025

The contrast between Sussex County with its eleven lawns and a membership of just over two hundred and at Reigate Priory with its one three-quarter sized lawn and a membership of approximately forty, couldn’t be more marked.

Yet, here they were competing against each other at Southwick in the South East Croquet Federation GC Level Play League.

Our team of Brian Aikens, David Dickins, Ben Harwood and Richard Brooks found themselves 3-0 up at the lunch break without dropping a game. However, the afternoon session proved to be far more of an even contest with Reigate Priory taking two of the four Singles matches and coming close to winning a third.

It was Sussex County who ran out 5-2 winners at the end of play, but ‘hats off’ to our opponents who showed that small croquet clubs don’t have to be merely ones where social croquet is played. Competition croquet is alive and well at Reigate Priory.