Croquet

We stayed in the city this weekend, and on Saturday went for a walk in Central Park.

As we turned a corner a field full people all dressed in white, came into view. “Oooh! Look they’re playing cricket.  How civilized!” said Isaac. “Funny, whenever I’ve seen cricket matches in the Park they’ve been further south,” I replied.  And just as I had gotten that out, Isaac chuckled and said, “No, not cricket … croquet!”

And he was right.  There, on a perfectly manicured emerald square were a dozen men and women wearing white from the tops of their hats to the soles of their shoes, sipping coffee and warming up for a croquet tournament.  Stumbling upon the match from Alice in Wonderland would have been only slightly more surreal than our real world discovery.

But don’t go running off to the park with your whites and mallet.  As with most highly civilized pursuits there’s a high degree of bureaucracy involved; all players are required to carry a permit.

P.S. Here’s a couple great articles about the croquet, and some information on how to join in.

From the New York Times: Killer Croquet Games in Central Park and Crisp Whites, and the Crack of the Mallet.

And How to Get Involved from the New York Croquet Club.

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