Contributed by David Kerr
STAY Active, Stay Social, Stay Sharp! These wise words from Croquet England are for this week’s thinking reader to consider.
And you can take it from local players that croquet is a proven way to Stay Active and get gentle exercise while walking the lawn and swinging a mallet. Our club’s friendly community and shared traditions tick the “Stay Social” box. And if you want to “Stay Sharp” it’s a game of tactical thinking and mental focus!
Down at the Showgrounds on Sunday the weather was almost as perfect as Goldilocks’ porridge (not too hot, not too cold) and players relished the conditions and universally played well. Lynette and David just pipped Helen and Nick – but it was so enjoyable the scores didn’t really matter.
And in between play the topic of porridge bubbled to the surface as “The Golden Spurtle” film was discussed. Not everyone knows that the “spurtle” is a slender, tapered wooden rod with a flat bottom that has been a kitchen tool since the 15 Century.
However, the film enlightened audiences at the well-attended Saturday sessions in the MCC – thanks to that local, long-lived and well-loved institution, the Maleny Film Society.
It may come as a surprise that a spurtle and a croquet mallet have a degree of similarity.
Both are both traditionally crafted from turned hardwood with an elongated handle, sharing a simple, solid wooden construction and designed for a manual task.
On the other hand, there are differences beyond size (a typical spurtle is 30 cm and 50 grams, while the croquet mallet is a whacking 1.3kg and 95cm long.)
A spurtle is used to stir porridge and mix ingredients without clumping, while a croquet mallet is a heavy sports implement featuring a large head at the base of the handle, designed to strike a 450-gram ball across a lawn. Should anyone like to have an introduction to this well-stirred and sustaining sport, then give our club a call on 0417640704.