Park Croquet Club Hāwera celebrates as Nik Budd-Clement claims national title in golf croquet

Park Croquet Club Hāwera player Nik Budd-Clement won the two-day Croquet New Zealand Women’s Golf Croquet Championship in Auckland.

A Park Croquet Club Hāwera player has won a national event, adding more silverware to the club’s collection.

Nik Budd-Clement won the Croquet New Zealand Women’s Golf Croquet Championship. The competition, which took place on October 19 and 20, had 16 players hailing from Northland, Auckland, Counties-Manukau, Bay of Plenty and Waikato-King Country.

Budd-Clement won six of her round-robin games before progressing to the knockout rounds and beating Takapuna player Melba Scott in the final.

She said she felt privileged to have won.

“All of the players were fantastic. I think I got lucky in the final as I had gotten a head start and gone through the first three hoops before Melba had her first. I didn’t relinquish that head start and carried it through to win.”

She said she was nervous competing, but decided to focus on one game at a time.

“I was identified as the top seed, meaning there was an expectation that I would win the competition, so I did have a little bit of pressure. On that first day I was very nervous, but I just focused on what I was doing and it all went from there I suppose.”

Budd-Clement said this wasn’t her first time competing nationally.

“In March I competed in the Women’s Golf Croquet invitational event, placing third, and then last year I attended the Croquet New Zealand second-tier invitational, placing second.”

Clement-Budd, who started playing golf croquet in 2019, said she enjoyed the strategy behind the game.

“I love it. It’s got a lot of strategy and tactics. It’s a highly competitive game, but it’s not as physically taxing as some of the other sports out there. A lot of people think it’s a sport for older people, but a lot of the top players are quite young. It’s a great sport for all ages.”

With the national trophy in the club’s cabinet, Budd-Clement hopes to add another to the collection, with her focus now shifting to the 2024 Croquet New Zealand second-tier invitational taking place in New Plymouth in November.

“It’s going to be a great event.”