Canterbury Croquet Club are gearing up for the biggest match in their comparatively short history.

The club face Buckinghamshire side High Wycombe in the final of the national Secretary’s Shield tournament on Sunday.

The final, consisting of six singles matches and one doubles, each with a time limit of 3.5 hours, will be played on the Medway Club’s lawns at Cobdown, Ditton, near Maidstone.

Canterbury qualified to play in this knockout competition by winning the South Eastern Croquet Federation’s Unlimited Handicap League last year.

On the way to the final, they beat West Midlands League side Kenilworth and Nottingham.

Canterbury captain Frank Hughes plans to field the same side that defeated Nottingham – Michael Poole, Paul Hill, Ted Salisbury and Jean Byers.

“If we play up to our potential we have every chance of winning,” Hughes said. “But win or lose, we have created club history because this is the first time we have reached a national final.”

Two years ago, the club reached the semi-finals of the Secretary’s Shield before being knocked out by Yorkshire side Beverley.