BEECHWORTH croquet competitors will be well equipped to tackle the best players in the region, following a two–day elite coaching workshop led by Croquet Victoria earlier this month.

Some 16 players from Beechworth, Wangaratta, Kew, Howlong and Wodonga gathered at Beechworth Croquet Club over the weekend of February 4 and 5, to learn from state coaching coordinator, Maurice Cevaal–Hewitt, Beechworth coach Allan Holt and Albury's Sarina Cevaal–Hewitt.

As part of the program, base–level performance metrics were taken on day one, and were subsequently compared to their accuracy, placement and mallet technique in the wake of day two.

The sun greeted participants on day two, and more advanced techniques, such as stop shots, cut shots, bombards and promotional shots were explored in order to add depth and situational awareness to the players' repertoire.

Beechworth Croquet Club president, Maria Harvey, said the Beechworth program had been designed for players in the handicap range of 10–14 who have an interest in entering competitions.

Local players, such as Wendy Kelly, Paula Dorrington, Herman Knopers, Chris Ireland, David Box and Margaret and John Barwood all saw increased accuracy up to around 10 metres, while also improving their hoop–making abilities from more acute angles.

A further two weekends of coaching will be undertaken later this year, providing the group the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of strategy and specialty mallet strokes.