Connecticut eXtreme Croquet Society Magazine Articles

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The Hartford Courant - 1/19/2002

OUR TOWNS

'Anyone can hit a ball straight on a flat course. But try hitting a ball up a 30-foot rocky hill.'


		Far from the well-trimmed grasses and flat lawns on which traditional croquet is played, a group of Connecticut croquet devotees test the sport on unconventional terrain, often whacking the ball out of bushes and gullies. "Any one can hit a ball straight on a flat course," said Bob Warseck, one of the founding fathers of the Connecticut eXtreme Croquet Society. "But try hitting a ball up a 30-foot rocky hill." The Society has gathered almost every weekend for the last 17 years to play in drainage basins and wooded areas littered with leaves, sticks and rocks. The equipment is more durable - wickets are made of steel pipe, and croquet mallets are fashioned from a composite material with a wedge that makes it eassier to lift the ball into the air.
PHOTOS & STORY BY TOM BROWN THE HARTFORD COURANT		The members also shun the tranquility of the traditional game, exchanging jibes with each other over strategy and technique. Players are often heard yelling "Roll baby, roll" when a competitor's ball keeps rolling down a steep slope away from the wicket. "It's highly competitive, but the sole purpose is to have fun," Warseck said. For more information, go to: www.extremecroquet.org. Top: Bob Warseck makes a cue shot with end of mallet. Left: Bruce Fitzgerald reacting to an astray bad shot. Below: John Warseck argues ruling with Tom Jones (right).