Gateball News 7-7-07

Quick facts about Gateball

• Gateball is a mallet sport, like croquet, but played with two teams on a court about the size of a tennis court. Each player is assigned one ball identified with a number. Gateball is a team sport that requires many of the same skills as Croquet.
• The game is played between two teams each of five players: the red team and the white team. The red team wears tags numbered 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and the white team wears tags 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. These numbers match the players’ ball number. Players in turn attempt to pass their ball through 3 gates or hoops then hit a goal-pole in the centre of the court. The game lasts for 30 minutes.
• The winner is the team that scores the most points: one point is scored for each gate and two points for hitting the goal-pole.
• In 2006, ten NSW Croquet members represented Australia at the World Gateball Championships in South Korea. NSW Gateball players have represented Australia at every World Gateball Championships since 1998.

Gateball in NSW/ACT

Gateball is only played by a handful of regular players in NSW and the ACT. However, it would be great if awareness of this sport was increased throughout the State. I aim to set up a distribution list to keep all NSW Gateball players updated on information about the sport and upcoming events. To assist me in increasing awareness and setting up the distribution list, I would be grateful if you could me if your club has any Gateball equipment or members who play the sport.

How you can get involved

On 28-29 July, a team of eight Canberra Gateball players are travelling to the Wagga Wagga Croquet Club to introduce them to the game of Gateball. On Saturday 29, the Canberra players will teach the basics of the game and will then pair up with keen beginners to battle for the Wagga Wagga Gateball Trophy the following day.

If any other club in NSW is interested in starting up Gateball, the Canberra team would be more than happy to visit on a weekend and give a helping hand. Please me if you would like to learn more.

Upcoming events

I have brochures for two upcoming Gateball competitions. These competitions are:

• the Queensland Championships which will be held on 11-13 August at Ipswich (approximately 44km west of Brisbane); and
• the Australian Gateball Championships to be held in Melbourne from 23-25 November. The last Australian Championships were hosted by Mossman and was a successful event which was enjoyed by all participants.

I encourage you all to support both Queensland and Victoria and consider entering a team into these competitions.

Where to find more information

There are a number of websites which contain useful information about Gateball. In particular, the following two Australian websites (which are updated regularly):

• www.gateball.com.au - this website provides information on Gateball, upcoming events and past results, details on how you can get involved, and useful downloads; and
• www.croquet-australia.com.au/Gateball/Gateball.html - these pages have been developed by the National Director of Gateball, Keith McLeod to provide information for people currently playing Gateball or those interested in getting involved. This website also contains useful tips on understanding the game and improving your skills.

Alternatively, you can contact me on (02) 6161 4742 or me. If any members of your club don’t have access to the internet but are still interested in being updated on Gateball in Australia, please send me their contact details and I will keep them informed.

Kind regards
Kimberlee Trent
NSW Gateball Committee

Telephone: (02) 6161 4742
E-mail: