Gateball: Lithgow competition

February 11-12 will see teams of Gateball players from across NSW coming to Lithgow for a competition. Gateball, a mallet sport recently introduced to the Lithgow Croquet Club, is gaining popularity in New South Wales. Although relatively new in Australia, it is played by millions of people throughout Asia and South America. It is a sport for all ages and has everything to recommend it: teamwork, skills, strategy and speed. Each game lasts only thirty minutes and the pressure is on to play each shot within ten seconds. “It’s the T20 Cricket of the Croquet world,” said John Park, the Australian Coordinator of Gateball, also a member of the Lithgow Croquet Club. John recently returned from a trip playing in Korea.  “It’s huge in Asia and growing in Australia.”