Luxembourg’s mayor kindly allowed a jovial band of croqueteers to gather once again on the lawns of Parc Pescatore.

On this occasion, both Cambridge and Oxford alumni as well as current students, were joined on the croquet lawn by soon-to-be Freshers from both universities, many of whom were already known to us thanks to the mock interviews that the alumni societies had arranged for them in support of their university applications.

Despite a rather cold and wet spell earlier in the month, we were blessed once again this year with pleasantly warm late-September weather for our Sunday afternoon game of croquet.

The gentle chimes of the gothic chapel making the backdrop and the dancing fountains framing the lawn kept the rhythm once again. With the melodic clink of champagne flutes, a charming game of croquet was played with interventions from the young and slightly older alike. The rules were of course recapped for the novices, and to ensure that our Freshers were well-prepared for future games of croquet on the lawns of either University.

Between croquet rounds and the subsequent dinner, the event offered our soon-to-be Freshers - both undergraduate and graduate - the opportunity to meet each other and to discuss with alumni various topics about life as students: from college & academic life, to the various sporting societies & interest groups, to the mutual support that can be expected between fellow students.

Special thanks goes out once again to the Dedenbach family for bringing along the croquet gear, to Anne-France Catoir for bringing the Pimms, to Christina Finney (Robinson 1986) for bringing so many other nice treats, and to John Speed (Clare 1967) for the photos and for helping me with the event logistics and all the beverages.

It was particularly pleasant for us alumni to see our soon-to-be Freshers “gel” so well together prior to departing for their respective Colleges.