Prize fund confirmed for Golf Croquet Open Championship

An initiative to attract partners and distribute prize money at the Golf Croquet Open Championship is being supported by Croquet England. The first prize fund was collected and awarded as a private initiative for the same championship in 2025, attracting players wearing the colours of seven different countries.

This year the winners prize fund will be a maximum of £2,000, with a runners-up prize of up to £1,000. For an amateur sport, this is an exciting new development for Croquet and its players. Not only will this event carry the prestige of other Championships around the world, but it will assist in attracting the highest calibre of players to our courts and serve to inspire the next generation of players.

The funds have so far been raised by supporters and followers of Croquet, where any additional funds raised will be retained to reimburse the host club of the event, and to support the development work of Croquet England. By using our most prestigious Golf Croquet tournament of the season to showcase the sport to the public and potential partners, we will be building awareness of our sport.

Although Croquet is predominantly run by volunteers, where we all work hard to keep costs to a minimum, there will always be expenses associated with the running of tournaments, and the upkeep of our courts. It is intended that by supporting and learning from this initiative, players can benefit and Croquet England can develop its approaches to supporting clubs, generating income and distributing funds across all levels of the sport.

The Golf Croquet Open Championships, which includes both a doubles event and singles, will this year be held at Budleigh Salterton Croquet Club, 23-28 June 2026. Last year’s winner Reg Bamford has already placed his entry to defend the title and of course will be the clear favourite to win again. However, the next generation are following closely behind, with England’s latest pick for the Association Croquet World Team, Jack Good, being another early entry to the tournament.

Budleigh will be welcoming spectators and supporters, so please take a visit to the beautiful south to watch these world class players competing to become our Golf Croquet Open Champion and secure their cash prize.

Thank you to all those who have already contributed. If you would like to join the funding support for the event, please support the GoFundMe campaign.