John Solomon has died at 82

John Solomon has died at 82

John Solomon, one of croquet’s all-time greats, died last week at 82. He will be remembered as the first croquet “superstar” who, as a young man, provided a desperately needed publicity boost to the game in the fifties when croquet could have shrunk almost to nothing. His international reputation in the sixties was instrumental in encouraging the first competitive croquet between England and the USA.

Despite his huge success in championship and international play, he was ambitious in playing terms, never content just to rely on what he knew would win matches. He is credited with the first ever three-ball triple and the first one-player doubles win at the British Open. Put simply, John Solomon was one of the greatest players ever to hold a mallet. The game owes him a very considerable debt.