By Brian Macgregor
Are you tired of scrolling aimlessly through your phone during your downtime? Then it’s time to break that habit and get flicking! No, not on your phone screen, but on the circular wooden surface of a Crokinole board! It’s the tactile, sociable pastime that’s sweeping Melbourne and Footscray is proud to have arguably the southern hemisphere’s most popular Crokinole club!
Emerging in the frozen tundras of 19th-century Canada, Crokinole (pronounced crow-kin-ole) is a hybrid game that borrows the best from marbles, carrom, and table shuffleboard. It’s a riveting contest of dexterity and strategy that tests both your aiming accuracy and your opponent’s nerve.
The game’s objective? Simple. Flick your disc into the innermost circle of the board while deftly knocking away your adversary’s pieces. It’s like pool, but with an added layer of cunning. It’s all fun and games until your last disc gets knocked into oblivion!
The Footscray Flickers, later named the Footscray Flickers Crokinole Club, was established in late 2020 by comrades Derek Atkinson and Alex Baldie. The club exists right here in Melbourne’s inner-west and is the perfect place to join the international resurgence of this classic pastime.
The FFCC is a hub of laughter, friendly competition, and the satisfying clink of wooden discs hitting each other on the board.
The club caters for both complete novices and seasoned ‘flicksters’. Never played before? No worries! They absolutely love introducing newcomers to the sheer joy of this game and the best part is, it’s free!
In today’s digital world, it’s all too easy to forget the simple pleasure of face-to-face interaction over a game that requires finesse rather than furious thumb tapping. Crokinole is refreshingly analog, delightfully social, and will hook you faster than a ‘very addictive’ app.
Remember, in Crokinole, it’s not just about the winning. It’s about having a great time and creating memories. But, between us, there’s a special thrill in sending your opponent’s disc skidding off into the stratosphere. So, dust off your aim, sharpen your tactics, and join in the fun at one of the Footscray Flickers Crokinole Club’s monthly events held at Domenico’s Pizza and Pastaria (one Wednesday a month). You’ll never look back after experiencing the flicking good fun that is Crokinole!
Check out the Footscray Flickers Crokinole Club online to find out more about their next event:
Facebook: @footscrayflickers
Instagram: @footscrayflickerscrokinoleclub
