Croquet challenges mind and body


 WHITAKERS, N.C.- Michael O'Brien said anyone looking
 to compete in a sport that will push their mind and body to the
 limits, croquet may be just the game they are looking for.
 Croquet?
 "Croquet is a challenging game both mentally and physical-
 ly," said O'Brien. "You have to possess a reasonable
 amount of athletic skills and intellect.
 "It's like chess on grass."
 However, O'Brien's wife, Daphne, said the
 game of croquet is definitely not for the timid. "The pr(
 "It's an intense game," she said. "You have
 to be mean enough to play the game competi- that finding
 tively." player is lii
 Croquet is a recreational game, and also, a
 competitive sport that involves hitting wooden needle in a
 or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops said O'Brif
 embedded into the grass playing arena, called a every 1,0
 lawn.
 The form of the game played by O'Brien, exposed to
 Association Croquet, has a complex and exten- one will
 sive set of rules that are agreed upon interna-
 tionally and is played in numerous touina- jUSt hap[
 ments in countries throughout the world. that |
 Croquet was invented in Ireland during the
 1830s and taken to England, quickly becoming
 a favorite pastime of the aristocracy in the 1850s. It eventually
 made its way to the United States, Canada, Australia, and
 France and although never becoming hugely popular, it has con-
 tinued to maintain a substantial following throughout the years.
 Croquet was an event at the. 1900 Summer Olympics and
 Roque, believed to be 'a variation of the game, was an event at
 the 1904 Summer Olympics.
 More unusual and easier xariatirns of the game-that have
 been invented include Golf Croquet, eXtreme Cloquet and Bi-
 cycle Croquet.
 However, O'Brien said that Association Croquet should not
 be confused with these versions or the back-yard game many
 .people associate with the game.
 "It's a lot different than playing with a set you can buy at Wal-
 Mart," said O'Brien. "That's more like checkers on grass."
 In Association Croquet players can take multiple shots in one
 turn provided they either hit the ball through the correct hoop
 ("run" a hoop), or hit another ball. Upon hitting another ball, the
 player must play his next shot with the two balls touching. This
 is called the "Croquet Stroke," from which the game takes its
 name. ,
 The winner is the player who, with each of his balls, runs each
 hoop twice in order and strikes the.center peg.
 "When I try to explain the rules to people, I usually see a look
 of confusion of their faces," said O'Brien. "I don't blame them
 though, it took me two years to learn to play."
 O'Brien first developed an interest in the sport after he and
 Daphne moved to Edgecombe County, North Carolina in 1986.
 A native of Wilmington, O'Brien was a professional freelance
 photographer in Raleigh, working frequently with The News
 and Observer and The Associated Press.
 Daphne, originally Daphne Hamm of Tarboro, was an English
 professor at North Carolina State Uniiver ''sit'! "'1 ''0."'". ', n,
 Despite their successful careers in Raleigh, the O'Brien's
 wanted to simplify their lives, deciding to move to Michael's
,grandfather's farm outside of Whitakers.
 "This is a eighth-generation owned family farm," said
O'Brien. "I always knew that I wanted to eventually move out
here and live.
 "So \\e went.the route of Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor (of the
popular 1960s television show "Green Acres")."
 ;The O'Briens now own and operate Fishing Creek Flower
Farm, a fresh-cut flower business that services florists as well as
customers, as well as leasing out farm land to area farmers.
 Daphne is also a freelance writer and editor.
 "More editing than writing lately," she said.
 :Shortly after moving into their new home, O'Brien purchased
a croquet set for the yard.




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 "We were bored and looking for some-
 thing different to do outside in the
 evenings," said O'Brien.
 As O'Brien's interest in the game pro-
 gressed, he one day happened to come
 across an article about croquet in the for-
 merly published Southern Magazine.
 O'Brien said the article featured a play-
 Ser and inductee of the
blem is Croquet Hall of Fame
 named Mack Penwell,
 a croquet who just happened to be
 a finding a living in Olander, about
 an hour away from
haystack," O'Brien.
n. "Out of "We decided to drive
0 people to Olander and look him
 people up," said O'Brien.
the game,. O'Brien said he and
Ike it. "I Penwell soon became
 friends, and Penwell of-,
en to be fered to instruct O'Brien
)ne." in the finer points, of the
 game.
 "He said that he was
 looking for a place to play in the area,"
 said O'Brien. "He told me if I would
 build a croquet lawn, he would come and
 show me how to play.
 "That's how it all started.'"


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non Keith Shannon Keith/he Daily Southerner, Tarboro, N.C


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Michael O'Brien shows hisson Anderson, 9, how it's done on the lawn at .the 0, 'riens' Fishing Creek Farm outside of hitakers.
 Shannon Keith/ The Daily Southerner
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 O'Brien, in true "Field of Dreams" fashion, constructed his
 own regulation size (84 feet wide and 105 feet long) croquet
 lawn at his Whitakers home, dragging and leveling the lawn
 himself and purchasing his own greens mower from a PGA golf
 course in Florida.
 The result was one of the few croquet lawns in North Caroli-
 na, and probably the only one found in the eastern region of the
 state.
 "I know at' one time this was the only croquet lawn from east
 of Chapel Hill to Wilmington," said O'Brien. "It may still be the
 only one."
 For the next two years, O'Brien and Penwell spent almost
 every weekend playing croquet. O'Brien's skill in the game be-
 gan to grow. O'Brien eventually began to compete in tourna-
 ments throughout the state.
 "I got my handicap down to about one and a half," said
 O'Brien "That probably put me in about the top fifty croquet
 players."
 O'Brien said he played his best croquet between the years of
 1992 to 1996,; playing in numerous state and regional tourna-
 ments and racking up an impressive number of top five finish-
, e s "' :;' '' ,
 "I only won one tournament," said O'Brien, "but I have an
 impressive collection of second-place trophies."
 O'Brien also started the Fishing Creek Croquet Club, whose
 membership included Kitty
 U Bridgers of Tarboro.
 EK gIp d "Kitty didn't get into croquet'


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until she was in her 70s," said O'Brien.
 "That's ilie ml eat thing about croquet, you can play it compet-
itively well past the age that you can play tennis and other phys-
ical sports."
 Daphne said that many people who show an interest in cro-
quet are attracted to this aspect of the sport.
 "People of all ages can play with the same skill level," she
said. "It is a great equalizer of a sport."
 Unfortunately, O'Brien said he doesn't think he will be able
tb pass along his knowledge to his son Anderson, 9.
 "Anderson is into golf," saidO'Brien.
 However, O'Brien said this does not stop his son from find-
inga goo.d use. Ci-i thle lai\ n.,,
 H. "H' ni.ad a hole at one end of the la\in to practice chipping
and putting," id OC'Bien. "This was runbeknoti t nst to me of
course." '
 O'Brien said that maintaining the family's business keeps
from playing much these days; however, the lawn still gets put
to good use from time to time..
 "Some dinner clubs come out and have parties here and play,"
said O'Brien, "and I have given some lessons here as well."
 'However, O'Brien said lie may start to play competitively
again in the future or will revive the Fishing Creek Croquet
Club if he can find people interested in learning how to play the
game.
" The problem is that finding a croquet player is like finding a
needle in a haystack," said O'Brien. "Out of every 1,000 people
exposed to the game, one will like it.
 "I just happen to be that one."
 Shannon Keith writes for The Daily Southerner'in Tarboro,
N.C.


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