Croquet Balls

CROQUET BALLS

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Croquet balls come in many sizes and colors, each with a specific purpose. When selecting croquet balls, you need to make sure they are matched to the mallets that will be striking them. A mismatched mallet and ball combination can cause premature wear to one or the other. Colors too, are selected on the basis of their use.

Recreational sets are typically 4 or 6 player versions. The first four colors are always blue, red, black and yellow. A 6 player set will also include green and orange. Competitive players will only play with 4 balls in a game. However, two separate games may be played at the same time on one court, requiring 8 different balls. USCA [rules] games usually use a striped version of the first colors while International (CA) rules games can quite often be seen using second colors (green, pink, brown & white) for the additional balls.

Oakley Woods Croquet offers several balls for both recreational and competitive players. Barlow balls are manufactured in South Africa. The GT version is one of two balls we offer that are approved for sanctioned tournament play by most national croquet associations, including the USCA. The newest ball to achieve "approved" status from the British Croquet Association is the Sunshiny CQ-16. To learn what characteristics a ball must meet to be approved, look to the footnote at the bottom of this page.

For players with Forster sets, we have replacement balls. Many of their sets use a ball identical to our 3-5/16" diameter Newport ball. For players that had a 3-5/8" smooth surfaced compressed wood ball in their Forster set, our new Sport balls will provide significantly improved performance and durability.

What ever your croquet ball needs are, chances are we have what you are looking for. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by e-mail or phone. See our contact page for details.

TOURNAMENT BALLS

SUNSHINY CQ-16

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for a full size image

$190 - set of 4 ~ $49 - single (US)

This is the ball everyone is talking about, the latest to be approved by the Croquet Association (CA). Originally designed to meet or exceed the demanding requirements of the CA (see below) and be accepted by the best players in the world, this ball has made a name for itself. The specifications required to this test include 16 oz weight, 3-5/8" diameter and double milled surface. After being granted CA approval, feedback from some top croquet players confirmed - this ball is a winner!

OPTIONS * 1st Color Solid * 1st Color Striped * 2nd Color Solid

SUNSHINY PRO-16 BALLS

$140 - set of 4 ~ $38 - single (US)

Looking for a full size, full weight ball without the "Association Approved" prices? The makers of the popular Sunshiny CQ-16 ball have just released their latest creation. Weight is 16 ounces and sized at 3-5/8", just like the tournament balls. These are sure to be a hit with players and clubs.

OPTIONS * 1st Color Solid * 2nd Color Solid

BARLOW GT BALLS

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for a full size image

$260 - set of 4 ~ $75 - single (US)

The "Grand Tournament" (GT) balls are officially sanctioned by both the American USCA and British CA croquet governing bodies. It has also become the official ball of the USCA for tournament play. Designed and tested for consistent performance under all temperatures and conditions, the GT ball retains its spherical dimensions, resilience, diameter and bias time after time. The white band of the striped balls is guaranteed to keep its color by virtue of the color being cast into the ball.

OPTIONS * 1st Color Solid * 1st Color Striped * 2nd Color Solid

BARLOW CHAMPIONSHIP BALLS

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for a full size image

$170 - set of 4 ~ $45 - single (US)

The ‘C’ ball is where it all began for Barlow Croquet balls. The original solid ball has gained wide use in North America and around the world. It provides entry level play with a full size & weight ball (3-5/8" & 16 ounces). Like all Barlow balls, the stripe is moulded right into the ball for a permanent marking.

OPTIONS * 1st Color Solid * 1st Color Striped * 2nd Color Solid

RECREATIONAL BALLS

SPORT CROQUET BALLS

$59 - set of 6 ~ $42 - set of 4 ~ $11 - each (US)

The Sport ball is the new standard for recreational balls. Measuring 3-5/8", this solid polymer ball is the official full size croquet ball as specified by all national associations. Its double milled surface ensures that it responds perfectly to players input. The 12 ounce weight has been developed specifically for use with mallets weighing between 2 lb and 2 lb. 10 oz, such as our Grange, Sport and Extreme mallets. Available in 6 recreational colors, blue, red, black, yellow, green & orange.

For owners of Forster croquet sets that use 3-5/8" balls, this is a perfect replacement ball.

OPTIONS * 4 Colors * 6 Colors (see color selections)

NEWPORT BALL

$30 set of 6 ~ $21 - set of 4 ~ $5.50 - each (US)

Due to popular demand, we are now able to offer the solid polymer balls that are provided in the Newport set (below) These are molded solid plastic with grooves running in one direction. Available in each of the 6 colors for backyard play (blue, red, black, yellow, orange and green). At 3-5/16", they are slightly smaller than the Grange ball and weigh about 10 ounces.

OPTIONS * 4 Colors * 6 Colors (see color selections)

BALL CARRIER

~ IMPROVED ~
Ends are now
50% stronger !

$39 (US)

IMPROVED FOR 2004 !

Carry 2 sets of balls to the court with ease in this all-weather ball carrier. Improved in 2004 with end panels that are 50% thicker & stronger. Made from the same water and UV resistant polymer that our popular deadness boards are made from, you never need to worry about leaving it outside. The moulded body carries two complete sets of balls. The wood dowel handle is sized to carry clips as well.

This carrier was the result of suggestions by several players looking for a convenient carrier for their croquet balls. The newly improved shape also allows them to be shipped in nested pairs. This means lower shipping costs.

MAKING THE GRADE
AS AN "APPROVED" CROQUET BALL

Croquet balls must be approved by the equipment testing committee of the Croquet Association (CA), based in England, to be used in sanctioned tournaments. Every national croquet association has deferred to the results of the CA's testing. The approval must be renewed every three years. The testing covers 4 characteristics, critical to consistent play. These are outlined below.

(a) Diameter

The maximum diameter of a ball must not exceed 3 ²¹/₃₂ inches (92.9 mm) and the minimum diameter must not be less than 3 ¹⁹/₃₂ inches (91.3 mm).
The maximum and minimum diameters of a ball must not differ by more than ¹/₃₂ inch (0.8 mm).
The maximum and minimum diameters of balls in a set must not differ by more than ³/₆₄ inch (1.2 mm).

(b) Resilience

When dropped from a height of 60 inches (1524 mm) from the bottom of the ball onto a steel plate 1 inch (25.4 mm) thick and set rigidly in concrete, a ball must rebound to a height from the bottom of the ball of not less than 37 inches (940 mm).
The rebound height is the average of eighteen measurements: each ball is dropped three times onto each of the two poles and four nodes in the milling pattern.
The rebound heights of a set of balls to be used together must not differ by more than 2 inches (50.8 mm).

(c) Milling

All balls must be milled with an identical pattern.
The pattern must consist of two orthogonal sets of grooves and the width of the grooves must be less than the width of the upstands left after grooving.

(d) Weight

The weight of balls must be within the range 15 ³/₄ ounces (446.5 g) to 16 ¹/₄ ounces (460.7 g).

3 Ageing of Balls

The Equipment Committee is not aware of any definitive assessment of the effects of ageing and use on the rebound characteristics of Championship Approved balls. Ideally, sets of balls should be tested when new and at annual intervals thereafter, but in clubs with several similar sets of balls it is likely to be difficult to keep track of a particular set. To facilitate such performance monitoring, Equipment Committee would welcome the assistance of one-court clubs which are intending to purchase one or two (e.g. 1^st and 2^nd colours) sets of Championship Approved balls. Finance would be made available to cover costs and to provide some recognition for the effort involved.

With the kind co-operation of John Beech, several sets of four year old Barlow GT balls from the Pendle club have been rebound tested. Most of the balls bounced higher than in the Championship Approval tests and several bounced higher than the upper limit for Approval. A few balls bounced below the Championship range. Since the bounce tests had not been performed on the balls when new, there can be no certainty that the bounce had changed through age or use. However, after rejecting the soft balls, sets of good quality (though not of Championship standard) could easily be constructed by selecting matching balls from the remainder. All the balls had retained satisfactory appearance, but occasional off-vertical bounces were noted which could be traced to relatively minor blemishes on the ball surface.