Members of the national champion Woodlawn Croquet Club team include (from left) Tim McCormick, Charles Alexander, Randall McAndrews, Larry Stettner, Pery Mattson, U.S. Croquet Association President Richard Curtis and, kneeling with a victory cigar, Ben Rothman.—PHOTO COURTESY OF LARRY STETTNER, SOUTHWEST HARBOR

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — How good is the level of croquet here in Hancock County?

Good enough to win a national championship.

Competing last week in the U.S. Croquet Association Club Team Championships at the National Croquet Center, the Woodlawn Croquet Club took top honors in the medium-sized club division.

Competition took place from Tuesday through Sunday, and all three of Woodlawn’s two-man teams picked up awards in their divisions as well — six players, six trophies.

Ben Rothman and Larry Stettner, both of Southwest Harbor, placed third in the championship flight.

And on Sunday, the duos of Charlie Alexander and Tim McCormick, both of Ellsworth, and Perry Mattson of Surry and Randall McAndrews of Seal Harbor scored wins to take first places in each of their divisions.

The tournament drew 82 players from around the country, participating in five flights.

Over the past couple of years, the sport of croquet has made great strides in Hancock County.

In addition to Claremont Croquet Classic held annually for more than three decades at the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor, new courts have bloomed in Sorrento, thanks to the Sorrento Village Improvement Association, and at Woodlawn Museum — the historic Black House — in Ellsworth.

Last summer, Woodlawn hosted the first Maine/New Hampshire State Croquet Championships, with Mattson taking top honors in that event.

Woodlawn also offered a host of weekly croquet events — both instruction and competition — through the summer.