Wynnum buys four new ball sets with Bendigo Bank grant

Bendigo Bank grant funds four new ball sets

Thanks to a generous community grant from Bendigo Bank, the club has been able to purchase four brand-new sets of croquet balls to be used in competitions.

A big thank you to Liz, our dedicated ball measurer, who patiently and meticulously checked every ball. Her attention to detail means our new sets are competition-ready. Much appreciated, Liz, and thank you again to Bendigo Bank for helping keep our club rolling smoothly.

How Wynnum measures and assigns competition balls

Information from our ball measurer, Liz

When clubs receive new competition balls, they are inspected for compliance with the WCF Approval Specifications. The process starts with a visual inspection, looking at colour variation, checking for knocks or chips, and making sure both hemispheres line up well.

I use both a long-legged vernier calliper and a pressure gauge made by Atkins (of Atkins Hoop fame). This indicates the size in millimetres to 100th of a millimetre. The pressure gauge has the added bonus of indicating where the 'largest spot' on each ball is. Knowing that is of little consequence, however, as referees must rotate any ball which is claimed to be contacting both uprights and not merely rely on 'knowing the large spot'.

Once the size is known, all balls are placed into sets, each with the closest measurements to each other as possible. The balls may be marked, usually on the maker's step, to indicate the assigned court. Regardless of any marking, each set is then stored in its assigned position and remains as assigned at all times.

It is important that Tournament Managers and Tournament Referees know which is the largest ball assigned to any court for hoop setting and checking purposes during an event.