March 2026

Good weather at last! We’ve been enjoying some truly lovely days on the lawns, and it’s wonderful to see everyone out making the most of it. Croquet is in full swing, and everything is running very smoothly.

Special thanks: A huge thank you to Jill and Steve for the excellent tournaments they’ve recently run - the Lawn Ranger, the Neshausen Mad March, and Silver Badge Day. All events were a great success and thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. We also appreciate everyone who helped set up, manage, and pack up these events -your efforts make the tournaments run so smoothly and are very much valued.

The Lawn Ranger tournament was won by Dave and Richard and The Neshausen Mad March by Judy Wilson - Well done to you all! It was also a pleasure to welcome Paul Neshausen, who officially opened the tournament and had the honour of rolling the first ball. Paul is a valued supporter of our club and very generously sponsors us with a $1,500 donation.

St Andrews Retirement Village:

Jill and I had a fun game with the CEO of St Andrews and they too have agreed to sponsor us again this year, a huge thank you St Andrews.

I am meeting with Summerset in the next week and hopefully they will sponsor us again too. A special shout-out goes to the scorers, kitchen helpers, and those who delivered plates for morning and afternoon tea on Silver Badge Day. This tournament was won by Marion Taylor from Warkworth — congratulations Marion! This tournament was played by 7 players from 7 clubs with a 3–5 handicap, playing 6 games. What amazing croquet to watch! Dave Butler represented St Heliers. 

We were fortunate to host Qantas following Round the Bays. They enjoyed their function so much that they’ve already rebooked for next year. Many thanks to Richard and Victor for their help in making the event such a success. Fundraising ideas wanted! If any members have good fundraising ideas, we’d love to hear from you - please share them with the committee. Thank you to our supporters: A special thank you to our life members who have kindly donated to our Lawn Mower fundraising, along with two other members’ personal donations. Others have donated a playing fee for the day, for which we are very grateful. Keep an eye on the thermometer gauge by the clubhouse telephone for our fundraising tally

Dates for your diary

● Club Championships Final – 18 April

● Old Girls’ Tournament (80+) – 1 May

● President v Captain Tournament - 8 May

● Old Boys’ Tournament (70+) – 15 May

● AGM and Prizegiving – Saturday, 23 May (All positions will be advertised on the table in April)

● Twilight Ends - 31 March but we may continue starting earlier depending on the weather - check the website for updates

The draw for these tournaments will follow the same format as all tournaments we run. Names are numbered and drawn from a hat under the supervision of two members of the Match Committee — an extremely scientific process!

Please note:

The waterfront will be closed for events at various times on 12 and 25 April, and 9 and 24 May. 

Cheryl

February 2026

February is finally bringing some good weather and some of the best playing conditions of the season. The lawns are looking superb, the hoops are running true (mostly!), and there’s a great spirit around the clubhouse as members settle back into the rhythm of the season and good-natured rivalry.

Whether you’ve been playing steadily through January or are just returning after a break, it’s fantastic to see such strong numbers out on the lawns.

�� Club Update

Special Thanks: A big thank you to Jill, who is doing a wonderful job creating new discs for everyone. She is currently waiting on additional discs before the project can be fully completed — watch this space! Your efforts are very much appreciated. Behind-the-scenes contributions like these make a real difference to the smooth running of ourclub and it’s always heartening to see members stepping in to help.

�� UpcomingTournaments

Neuhausen’s Mad March – 13 March

A fun day on the lawns and a great opportunity for competitive play. Don’t forget to mark the date! There will be a raffle so don’t forget your $5.

Club Championships

Our Club Champs are fast approaching — and a chance to test your skills and support fellowmembers.

�� Full details for both events are on the table in the clubhouse.Other Clubs’ TournamentsIf you wish to play in tournaments at other clubs, there is a folder in the clubhouse with allrelevant details. A great way to gain experience and represent St Heliers elsewher.

�� Fundraising Events & Reminders

Round the Bays – Sunday 8 March

A reminder that Round the Bays is happening on Sunday 8 MarchQantas will be hiring our venue for the whole day following the race.

This is part of our fundraising efforts towards purchasing a new lawn mower. Thank you to everyone supporting this initiative!

Working Bee – 10 April 10.00am to 12.00.We will be holding a Working Bee and are looking for members to assist.

● There will be a list of jobs on the desk with the number of helpers needed for each

● Food to feed the helpers welcome. Many hands make light work, and even an hour or two makes a real difference. Thank you inadvance for your support!

�� Members’ Notice

Kay is wanting to buy a couple of croquet balls as she now has a hoop on her lawn. If anyone can help, please contact her at the club.

Cheryl

January 2026

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and wishing you all a very Happy New Year. The Helier sponsored a fantastic Christmas lunch in December which received a big thumbs-up from everyone — thank you to all involved in making it such a success.

Over the past year, we’ve also completed a great deal of refurbishment work and installed a new stove, very kindly donated by a club member. A huge thank you from us all for this generous contribution. We really appreciate the continued support throughout the year and look forward to the year ahead.

• Our major fundraising this year will focus on a new lawn mower. The current quote for a replacement is $27,000 so we will need to find ways to raise this money, as you know Richard as usual will be tight with the purse strings so any donations will be gratefully accepted.

Now lets start with an update from the Match Committee

 • Commencing 3 Feb, Tuesday will be an opportunity to play Singles until Interclub starts later in the year. Jill will be seeking help from volunteers to run the board on the day. This will be open to all club members.

• A number of players have started playing at 0900, feel free to join. The bell will be rung just before 10 to start the morning two games.

• The LAWN RANGER Tournament will be held on February 2 at 9am for a 9.30 start.

• This is a fun tournament using Vonnie's rules and will be run by Jo Emerson and the Match Committee. The entry fee will be $25 which will include Chicken rolls for lunch.There will be a list on the table for you to add your names. There will be space for 32 players and is open to all members.- Attractive prizes to be won.

• Our Mad March Tournament will be 13 March (Sponsored be Paul Neshausen from Barfoot and Thompson) $20 entry fee. List will be on the table. This is open to all members and afternoon tea will be provided.

• New name discs are being made and your handicap will be reflected by the colour of the sticker dot on the disc. Samples on the board.

Guidelines for a few club Rules and Game Etiquette 

• Reminder no open toed shoes.

• All pegs to be placed on top of the hoop and collected by the last players on the green.

• No walking or talking when a player is about to take their shot.

• It is NOT a penalty if a mallet hits flared trousers.

• It is called interference if the Ball hits scoring pegs that are put on the ground while a jump shot is played. There is no penalty but the opposition may leave the ball where it is or put it where it is likely to have gone had the pegs not been there.  The next ball in order is then played.

If you leave the scoring pegs on the hoop while you do a jump shot and the ball hits a peg, there is no penalty. 

Fundraising events  

• Link will be using the green at 4.30, 11 Feb. Victor will be looking for helpers.

• QF have hired the club for the whole day on Sun 8 Mar for Round the Bays.

​​​​​​​Cheryl

November 2025

✨ WELCOME

It’s great to see the sun out and everyone enjoying themselves as we head toward Christmas. The club is looking fantastic after all the hard work and upgrades during the year—thank you to everyone who has contributed to keeping St Heliers looking its best.

📣 CLUB UPDATE

Tournament News

The Link Tournament was unfortunately cancelled due to rain and will be rescheduled for February.  Middlemore Hospital also had to cancel due to acute sickness at the hospital and were unable to release their staff , lets hope they will be able to play at a later date. ASB enjoyed a wonderful afternoon for their tournament, with about 40 attending. A big thank you to Steve, Des, Victor, and Deb for helping on the day.

The Summerset Tournament went extremely well. Although there were only 16 entrants this year, this allowed us to use two full lawns. Judy McGaffin and Heather Stewart, from Summerset, rolled a ball each to start the day and returned later to present the prizes. They also handed out additional vouchers to several in the room and asked that anyone can call Heather to make an appointment to go and view their apartments.

Congratulations to Victor and Des, who took first place; Raewyn and Lorraine from Orewa, were second; and Pauline and Susan, third. A perfect day all around. Thank you to Jill, Richard, and Steve for running the tournament.

It's also great to see Team Blue Jill, Richard, Val and Jo who are leading their section in the Interclub Tournament. Keep it up.

Clubroom News

The stove in the kitchen is in need of replacement. To assist with funding this, the Match Committee will run a tournament in February following Vonnie’s rules, you will need to be attired in something you wear in the kitchen, this does not mean something you drink in the Kitchen!!!—more details to come.

A small request from the kitchen: please leave the dishwasher on its 1 hour 20 minute setting, which provides the best wash.

The new grass continues to look good, and under Steve’s careful watch it will be in perfect shape in no time.

Croquet New Zealand is seeking expressions of interest for board positions, and St Heliers has nominated Richard Dimmock. We expect news of the outcome in December.

🤝 CLUB FUNDRAISING EVENTS

Our Christmas season bookings continue to bring valuable support into the club. A big thank you to all who volunteer their time—your help makes a real difference.

Please let Victor know if you are available for any of the upcoming functions.

We are also looking to make up a list of those who would like to volunteer to help at these events - Please make contact with Victor if that is you.

Confirmed Bookings

● Link Realty - early 2026

● The Helier - Fri Nov 28, full day

● Fisher & Paykel - Fri Dec 12,  3pm 

This is our final edition for the year—there will be no December Hoops & Happenings.

Wishing everyone a sunny, relaxed, and joyful lead-up to Christmas.

Let’s hope the fine weather continues, Cheryl