It is with regret that we learned of the death of John Solomon, one of the greatest croquet players ever.

The obituary in The Telegraph will explain his significance to the game of croquet
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/11201931/John-Solomon-obitua…

The communication from the World Croquet Federation reads as follows:

Dear All,

It is with great regret that I have to inform you that John Solomon, one of croquet’s all-time greats, died last week at the age of 82.

The formal announcement is as follows:
John Solomon, former world croquet champion, Nomads actor, composer, musician, author, and Master of The Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders died 20 October, aged 82. A service will be held at 2:40pm on Tuesday 4 November at Worthing Crematorium, Horsham Road, Findon, West Sussex, BN14 0RQ. Family flowers only. Donations to the British Heart Foundation. For enquiries - or if you would like to share your memories, thoughts or condolences please email johnsolomonfuneral@gregsolo.com or call Greg Solomon on 07771 533 758

John was 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 huge amount.

Kind regards,

Stephen Mulliner
Secretary-General
World Croquet Federation
Tel: 01428 643504