What Reg Bamford’s 16 Perfect Peg Shots Can Teach You About Croquet
We break down world champion Reg Bamford's 16 perfect shots to reveal how a simple, repeatable routine builds legendary consistency.
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Every great athletic journey starts with a single moment of inspiration. For Mary McMahon, that moment came from across the lawn as she watched croquet legend Peter Nicholson play. It wasn't just his skill that captivated her; it was the effortless confidence with which he commanded the game.
"He'd see a hoop, he'd just go for it, you know, and through it would go sailing," she recalls, the memory still vivid. "And I made a commitment to myself then. I wanna get that good. I wanna be able to do what he can do."
It was an ambitious goal for a player who, not long before, didn't even know tournaments existed. But that single, powerful thought became her competitive motivation. It fuelled the years of relentless practice, the thousands of balls hit over and over, and the courage to break down her technique and rebuild it from scratch. It was the "why" behind every early morning and every gruelling drill.
That commitment, made years ago on a Queensland lawn, has now echoed onto the world stage.
The dedication paid off. Mary battled through plateaus to achieve a handicap of minus one and earned selection for the World Over 50s championship in Western Australia. Most recently, her skill and tenacity were recognised with a personal invitation to compete in the prestigious Egyptian Open, a tournament featuring the world's elite.
"The top 50 players in the world, the top 38 of those are Egyptian," she notes with a healthy respect for the challenge. "So my philosophy? If you see a hoop, go for it. I'll be doing that, I can assure you, 'cause I'll never see it again."
Mary's journey from an inspired club player to an international competitor is a powerful reminder of what is possible. Her advice to those who want to follow a similar path is simple but profound: don't hide from a challenge.
"Challenge yourself," she urges. "What's the point of playing people you know you can beat? You play people that you know are going to challenge you. That's how you improve."
Find Your Competitive Pathway
Mary's story proves that a local passion can lead to the highest levels of the sport. If you have the drive to test your skills and see how far you can go, Croquet Queensland has the pathway.
Explore our high-performance programs, tournament schedules, and development squads to start your own journey from the club lawn to the world stage.
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