The Petone Central Croquet Club is one of Petone’s oldest clubs and this year it celebrates its Centennial. The land the club house, and playing field, sit on is also of historic significance. It is the site where  Europeans first settled in the Wellington region in 1840.

Above: Petone Central Croquet Players in 1927

The Petone Central Croquet Club origins is as part of a sports hub in Udy Street which included the Petone Tennis Club and the Petone Bowling Club. The location is near where the Petone Workingmen’s Club is today. The Petone Central Croquet Club became its own club in 1921. According to the club’s minutes, the relationship between the then bowling and croquet clubs was often tense, but the croquet ladies continued to make afternoon teas for the gentlemen bowlers!

The club was more of a social club in its early days. They also spent time raising funds for orphans of naval men, relief for the Napier Earthquake Relief and producing clothes for the Otaki Children’s Health Camp. It was only until the 1930’s that Petone Central got into competitive croquet when the club trialled inter-club games. With the shift of the Petone Working Men’s Club to the Udy St site in 1982, the Council tried to find a new site for the Croquet Club. The club was sited in its current location on Tennyson St, which used to be the site of the defunct Ngaroma Croquet Club.

After 60 years men were allowed to join the all-women Petone Central Croquet Club. Among the long serving members were Merle Harding who was a playing member of the Club for over 50 years. She was the wife of Wellington Evening Post reporter Alf Harding, founder of the Empire Table Tennis Club. On 17 and 18 April this year we will celebrate the Petone Central Croquet Club Centennial at the Club House. I am proud to organise it to celebrate the occasion with current, past members and dignitaries.