Westhampton Mallet Club pitches Southampton Town on new croquet lawns
The Southampton Town board is currently weighing whether to allow Westhampton Mallet Club to install three new croquet fields on a town-owned site at the corner of Main Street and Alden Lane in Quiogue. Credit: John Roca
Long before pickleball surged in popularity across Long Island, another less noisy, but niche sport took root in the Hamptons: Croquet.
The Westhampton Mallet Club, one of the oldest croquet clubs in America, helped popularize the sport in the 1960s after its "much-publicized challenge match" against London's Hurlingham Club, according to the United States Croquet Association, the sport’s governing body.
The club recently pitched a plan to install three new croquet lawns on Southampton Town-owned property in Quiogue. Club members said the proposal would promote public access to the sport, and members would offer free lessons to help grow the game.
"We really want others to try it," club member Tom Hadlock told the town board at its Oct. 24 meeting. "There's no other public courts in the area and for some, it's going to make a difference in their life."
But town officials must determine whether the proposal is allowable. The town purchased the land for the proposed site using money from the Community Preservation Fund. The club is seeking to lease the 4.6-acre property on the corner of Alden Lane and Main Street. The area was formerly home to the Quogue Pony Farm. The entire project would cost more than $300,000, club members said at the meeting.
Properties acquired through the fund are typically preserved as open space. The CPF, since its inception in 1999, provides the town revenue through a 2% tax on most real estate transfers to protect open space, farmland and historic landmarks. All five East End towns — Riverhead, East Hampton, Southampton, Southold and Shelter Island — preserve land through the CPF.
Club members argue croquet lawns are an appropriate use since recreation is generally allowed at CPF properties. Their plan, which would be financed entirely by the club, would allow one field to always be available to the public. The other two would primarily be reserved for club members between June 1 and Labor Day.
The exclusivity was a concern "that jumped out at us," assistant town attorney Daniel McCormick said during the meeting.
Jacqueline Fenlon, the town’s CPF director, said the town must ensure that the public has "fair access" to the land. The club, with $800 yearly membership dues, plans to provide equipment at the site for members of the public.
Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni said the board must weigh the precedent that could be set, calling it a "serious consideration ... ”
Damon Hagan, a club member, said the plan is "a chance to renovate and improve a CPF property."
Asked about the proposal, town attorney James Burke said his office sought the opinion of Assemb. Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor), who sponsored the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund legislation in 1999. Asked for comment, Thiele said only, "ultimately that is the town's decision."
Questions about appropriate uses have resonated in other towns. In 2016, the state law expanded to allow up to 20% of CPF revenue to be used for water quality initiatives. And in Riverhead, for example, some preservation purists objected to using CPF money for extending water mains.
In croquet, a game thought to have originated in the mid-19th century, a mallet is used to hit a ball through a wicket. There are elements of strategy similar to chess or backgammon. And it doesn’t require as large of a field as cricket, another sport featuring wickets.
In 1966, the Westhampton Mallet Club took a perfect record into its international debut in London for six games mired in controversy, according to Newsday's archives. Westhampton came in expecting to play three games by American rules and three by the British rules. All the games were under British rules, the paper reported at the time.
The match made the front page of the Times' Aug. 14, 1966 edition. The article described a "dismal defeat" for the "finest croquet players in Westhampton."
Long before pickleball surged in popularity across Long Island, another less noisy, but niche sport took root in the Hamptons: Croquet.
The Westhampton Mallet Club, one of the oldest croquet clubs in America, helped popularize the sport in the 1960s after its "much-publicized challenge match" against London's Hurlingham Club, according to the United States Croquet Association, the sport’s governing body.
The club recently pitched a plan to install three new croquet lawns on Southampton Town-owned property in Quiogue. Club members said the proposal would promote public access to the sport, and members would offer free lessons to help grow the game.
"We really want others to try it," club member Tom Hadlock told the town board at its Oct. 24 meeting. "There's no other public courts in the area and for some, it's going to make a difference in their life."
But town officials must determine whether the proposal is allowable. The town purchased the land for the proposed site using money from the Community Preservation Fund. The club is seeking to lease the 4.6-acre property on the corner of Alden Lane and Main Street. The area was formerly home to the Quogue Pony Farm. The entire project would cost more than $300,000, club members said at the meeting.
Properties acquired through the fund are typically preserved as open space. The CPF, since its inception in 1999, provides the town revenue through a 2% tax on most real estate transfers to protect open space, farmland and historic landmarks. All five East End towns — Riverhead, East Hampton, Southampton, Southold and Shelter Island — preserve land through the CPF.
Club members argue croquet lawns are an appropriate use since recreation is generally allowed at CPF properties. Their plan, which would be financed entirely by the club, would allow one field to always be available to the public. The other two would primarily be reserved for club members between June 1 and Labor Day.
The exclusivity was a concern "that jumped out at us," assistant town attorney Daniel McCormick said during the meeting.
Jacqueline Fenlon, the town’s CPF director, said the town must ensure that the public has "fair access" to the land. The club, with $800 yearly membership dues, plans to provide equipment at the site for members of the public.
Councilman Tommy John Schiavoni said the board must weigh the precedent that could be set, calling it a "serious consideration ... ”
Damon Hagan, a club member, said the plan is "a chance to renovate and improve a CPF property."
Asked about the proposal, town attorney James Burke said his office sought the opinion of Assemb. Fred Thiele (D-Sag Harbor), who sponsored the Peconic Bay Region Community Preservation Fund legislation in 1999. Asked for comment, Thiele said only, "ultimately that is the town's decision."
Questions about appropriate uses have resonated in other towns. In 2016, the state law expanded to allow up to 20% of CPF revenue to be used for water quality initiatives. And in Riverhead, for example, some preservation purists objected to using CPF money for extending water mains.
In croquet, a game thought to have originated in the mid-19th century, a mallet is used to hit a ball through a wicket. There are elements of strategy similar to chess or backgammon. And it doesn’t require as large of a field as cricket, another sport featuring wickets.
In 1966, the Westhampton Mallet Club took a perfect record into its international debut in London for six games mired in controversy, according to Newsday's archives. Westhampton came in expecting to play three games by American rules and three by the British rules. All the games were under British rules, the paper reported at the time.
The match made the front page of the Times' Aug. 14, 1966 edition. The article described a "dismal defeat" for the "finest croquet players in Westhampton."
Pitching croquet
- The Westhampton Mallet Club has asked the Town of Southampton to lease property for croquet lawns.
- One lawn would be for the public to play the sport, while two others would be available primarily for club members.
- Town officials are weighing whether croquet is an allowable use at a property purchased through the Community Preservation Fund.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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