York Croquet Club supports Croquet England's initiative to introduce children to croquet via the Next Generation project.

We are delighted to work with local schools, hosting classes of primary aged children and providing mallet sport activities as an introduction to our sport and as an enhancement to the curriculum.

We run Croquet 4 Kids on Thursdays in August, drop-in fun sessions on a pay-and-play model, £5 per accompanied child.

No need to book, just turn up at the Club for a 2pm start (finish time 4pm).

In 2025 we are offering Junior Mallets, a 4 week introductory course for primary age children aimed at developing mallet skills through competitive group games. The sessions will be led by U18 licensed coaches, Croquet England qualified and enhanced DBS checked.

All age appropriate equipment provided.

Sessions last an hour from 3.30 - 4.30pm on Mondays 16th, 23rd, 30th June, and 7th July.

Cost: £10 for 4 weeks

Places limited to 8 children, with parents.

To enrol please contact the Club Secretary.

York Croquet Club can also provide bespoke children's croquet parties.

Please enquire by contacting the Club Secretary.

York Croquet Club lawns are on Scarcroft Green, Scarcroft Road, York, facing Scarcroft Hill, on land managed by the Scarcroft Green Association. We have sole use of three full-size croquet lawns, two small practice lawns and a Clubhouse. The Club is accessed via the gate in the railings on Scarcroft Road. For satnav, use postcode YO24 1DD. See map below.

On foot: The Club entrance on Scarcroft Road is about 200 yards east from the junction with The Mount and 500 yards west from Bishopthorpe Road.

By car: Please note that there is a very limited amount of parking near the Club. There is a small area of unrestricted parking outside the ground on Scarcroft Road, and another small area also on Scarcroft Road parallel to the Wheatlands Lodge Hotel. The rest of Scarcroft Road offers parking of two hours or less. At weekends there is unrestricted parking on Scarcroft Hill (YO24 1DE) opposite the grounds, and on Wentworth Road – off Scarcroft Hill (YO24 1DG). Albemarle Road (YO23 1EN) offers some unrestricted parking about five minutes’ walk from the ground. There are car parks on Nunnery Lane (YO23 1AA) and at weekends, less expensively at All Saints School (YO23 1AD): look for the gap in the brick wall. Scarcroft Lane provides a direct walking route to the Club grounds from both the Nunnery Lane and the All Saints car parks.

Park and Ride: York’s Park and Ride services stop five minutes’ walk from the ground. From the south, west and north, use Askham Bar (A64)  Park and Ride, and alight at the Blossom Street stop. Cross the road at the Everyman Odeon Cinema and turn right to walk out of town, past the KFC restaurant. Go straight over the junction with Holgate Road/East Mount Road. At the next set of lights, turn left down Scarcroft Road. Internet search “York park and ride” for timetable and maps.

By train: the Club is a ten minute walk from the station which has excellent rail links across the country. Turn right out of the main entrance, and, keeping the city walls on your left, walk to the traffic lights. Turn right down Blossom Street. Continue past the cinema and over the junction with Holgate Road/East Mount Road. At the next set of lights, turn left down Scarcroft Road. The Club is on the left after the six semi-detached houses.

By bus: there are some two dozen local and regional bus links within five minutes’ walk of York Croquet Club. Alight/board at The Mount bus stop for services 4, 12, 13, 13A, 24, 37, and Yorkshire Coastliner 840, 843, 844 and 845. Alight/board at the Blossom Street bus stop for services 1, 3, 10, 10A, 14, 16, 40, 44, 142, 143, 412, 413, 743, X40 and X45. Alight/board on Scarcroft Road for service 11 and on Bishopthorpe Road for services 11A, 21 and 26.
See https://www.itravelyork.info/

York Croquet Club's youngest player considers the next shot with a seasoned Scotland international player at the Yorkshire Tournament

We enter teams in the Yorkshire Federation leagues for both short lawn and full lawn Association Croquet. This pits York Croquet Club against teams from across Yorkshire, including Beverley & East Riding, Sheffield, Huddersfield. We also play in the East Pennine League and Croquet North, against Middlesborough and Tyneside.

Here is the schedule of league fixtures for 2025 - League_matches_2025.pdf

In recent years we have represented Yorkshire in the National Inter-Club Short Croquet Competition. From 2024 we will be entering the Longman Cup, a national AC tournament.

We are always keen to do justice to ourselves in regional games. Fortunately, the handicapping system means that members of different levels of ability, from members in their first year to seasoned players can and do represent York with an equal chance of success.

We host two regional and three national tournaments. At a Regional Level: the Yorkshire Federation Short Croquet Tournament held in spring; and the Yorkshire Federation Full Lawn tournament held over the first weekend in September. On the national stage, the Heart of Yorkshire Tournament held in June; the Yorkshire White Rose Advanced Tournament held in August; and the Viking Challenge held towards the end of the season. Those not competing are welcome to come and watch some exciting play. All five events are certainly competitive, but still relaxed and enjoyable occasions.

We run eleven York Croquet Club tournaments and competitions. Five of them are Short Croquet; five are full lawn croquet; and for one, anything goes! Short Croquet games don’t take long, typically about an hour. They are played on a lawn a little larger than a doubles tennis court with just six hoops and a peg to score. Full lawn is played on a lawn twice the size of a Short Croquet lawn, with more hoops to run. Expect a game to last for a couple of hours or so. We play in four north of England Leagues.

Here is the schedule of league fixtures for 2024 - League_matches_2024.pdf

Short Croquet: All played to 70% bisque allowance
High Bisquers Mallet - A special league for new players to develop their confidence and experience.
Julian Tonks Trophy - 14-point league aimed at players with higher handicaps.
Crayke Cup - 14-point knockout competition without time limit.
Club Doubles - A light-hearted one-day tournament with teams being chosen at random on the day
Harris Handicap - A one day Tournament with the emphasis on enjoyment and sociability, all standards welcome.

If the cap fits... white is the preferred attire for the most important games.Full lawn:
Cromiard Plate - 18-point league aimed at players keen to try full lawn croquet.
Scarcroft Shield - 18-point league for more experienced players - two hours maximum.
Fraser Ross Trophy - Handicapped competition with games lasting three hours.
Advanced Doubles - Advanced Rules, Level Play, and an opportunity to learn from a partner
Level Play Trophy - The Club Championship, played to AC advanced Rules - for experienced players.

Anything goes:
Twenty20 Challenge - Play friendly games against twenty or more different opponents during the season – full lawn or short lawn, win or lose, they all count.

Whether it’s a relaxed game with a Croquet buddy, a turn up and play at a club session or the finals of a tournament, we play Croquet for the joy of it. Our focus is always on enjoying the game.