No 149: Chris Shilling makes world top 10 (1998)
It sounds like one of those sports better suited to retired folk keen on a gentle stroll on a Sunday afternoon.
But croquet is for all ages, and Chris Shilling was only 34 when he became the first Otago player to compete at the world championships.
Shilling, from the Punga club, belied his relative inexperience to finish ninth equal in the world at a California winery.
He reached the top four in his section to qualify for the final 16 and was beaten by Wellington's Toby Garrison in the second round of post-section play.
"There is a big difference in the skill level between myself and the top three. It has given me something to aim for," Shilling said on his return.
Shilling's career later stuttered when he suffered from arthritis and a wrist injury and had to take a break. He gave up the sport when he lived in Australia but picked up the mallet again when he returned to Dunedin a few years ago.
Dunedin composer Anthony Ritchie followed in Shilling's footsteps and competed at the world championships in Florida two years ago.
