All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club are invited to become members. The patron of the club is Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and the President is The Duke of Kent. The Club was founded by six gentlemen at the offices of "The Field" on 23 July 1868 at the height of a croquet craze as the "All England Croquet Club," and held its first croquet competition in 1870. Its original ground was situated off Worple Road, Wimbledon. Croquet was very popular there until the then-infant sport of lawn tennis (a game introduced by Major Walter Clopton Wingfield a year or so prior, and originally called "Sphairistikè") was
Chris Clarke (croquet player) Croquet Federation World Championships: 5-times President's Cup winner. Represented Great Britain in five MacRobertson Shield competitions (captain in 1996), and New Zealand once. Chris has won 10 British Open Doubles titles (9 with Robert Fulford). He has won the British Opens Singles title in 1997, British Men's Championships in 2005, Sonoma-Cutrer World Croquet Championship in 1997. Chris Clarke (croquet player) Chris Clarke (born 1971 in Lancashire) is an English croquet player who has been ranked among the world's top players since the late 1980s. He now represents New Zealand. Chris has won two World Championships in Association Croquet, in 1995