Croquet: British reject finds niche

Jenny Clarke and Greg Bryan during their doubles play yesterday against Australia. Photo/Paul Taylor

Turning one's back on a country, team or coach is tantamount to breaking one of the 10 biblical commandments in sporting parlance in any code.

Nevertheless, there are extenuating circumstances that can make you go "mmm".

New Zealand croquet international Chris Clarke, who is playing in the four-nation MacRobertson Shield is a case in point.

The 42-year-old, who made his debut for England as a 25-year-old, turned his back on his country of birth several years ago because the selectors made their intentions clear.

"It was a very difficult decision. [It] was not taken easily or lightly," said Clarke, explaining the English selectors had picked a World No50 player ahead of his No2 global ranking in 2012.

"Clearly I was not just the better player but I was better than the rest of the team."

Damningly England performed "very poorly" that year at the World Golf Croquet Championship in Johannesburg, South Africa.

For Clarke, who married New Zealand international Jenny Clark and moved to Christchurch in 2005, the ultimate insult was the lack of etiquette on the selectors' part in "making a balls-up" and not acknowledging it in the face of shambolic results.

"So moving my allegiance to New Zealand wasn't easy when you're born in a country who you have played for more than 20 years, having won five world team titles and two individual ones," said Clarke who started playing croquet as a 13-year-old pupil at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn, under the coaching of French teacher Andrew Bennet.

Clarke and wife Jenny were part of the Kiwi team yesterday competing against Australia in the second leg of the shield series at Marewa Croquet Club after they thrashed the United States 14-1 in the first test in Christchurch. At Te Mata Croquet Club the Americans are playing shieldholders England, who crushed their rivals 14-4 in the first test in the best of 21 matches.

However, Chris Clarke said it wasn't that easy down south where conditions suited England.

To accentuate the difference in conditions, players here start at 9am and finish close to 9.30pm whereas in England everything is over by 5pm on lush greens. The heat will take its toll in a marathon 15 days of play.

Yesterday Chris and Paddy Chapman beat Malcolm Fletcher and Ken Bald 26-0, 26-13 to draw first blood.

Women's world No1 Jenny Clarke and Greg Bryant beat Ian Dumergue and Tim O'Leary 26-13, 26-19. It took them six hours to complete the first game and the second went to 9pm.

Kiwi skipper Aaron Westerby and Toby Garrison were doing it tough against singles world champion Robert Fletcher and Stephen Forster, losing 26-10 before winning the second 26-20. Their third match was suspended.