Mary Missed the Competition. Croquet Brought It Back.

A former squash star missed the thrill of competition after retiring. She found it with croquet. Discover how croquet can reignite your sporting passion

Croquet Queensland Media

Jul 22, 2025

Mary McMahon - Record 5 times Qld Ladies GC Champion.

Mary McMahon played squash at the highest level for decades.

When she stopped, something was missing.

She found it on a croquet lawn.

After retiring, Mary needed something to fill the days. A friend made a suggestion.

"A friend said to me, 'Look, come down to the local courts. There's this new game'," Mary recalls.

"I hesitated, but I went. From day one, I was hooked."

What she found was a fast, tactical game. The competitive buzz was real.

"Being a sporting person all my life, competition has been a part of my life," she explains. "And I just feel so fortunate that now I can continue to have that same thrill, the adrenaline of competition."

The physical demands are lighter than squash. The mental demands aren't.

"When I was younger, I played squash to a high level," Mary says. "Squash was very physical, where aerobic fitness was extremely important. In croquet, it's a different sort of fitness. It's a mental fitness."

Croquet has a competitive pathway that goes all the way up. Mary's taken it. She's represented her state and her country.

"I'm Mary McMahon, and I've had the opportunity to play croquet all around Australia. I have played at state level, I've played at national level, and I also had the privilege of representing Australia at the over 50s Worlds."

Getting there took work. The same kind of work any serious sport demands.

"You might see some of the good players out there playing and think that it all just comes naturally. It doesn't," she says. "I put in a lot of time. I practice shots. I need to know when I'm in a competition, I've practiced that. I can do that and I will do that."

If you miss competing, croquet can scratch that itch.

If you know what it means to train and compete, croquet can give you that again.