He may have been their junior by several years, but Wellington's Josh Smith was not taking a back seat to anyone at the AC Invitation tournament (Tier 3) in Wanganui.
The 21-year-old was by far the youngest of the 14 players from around the country, but in five days of competition he had the tournament sewn up by the final game on Sunday, finishing well clear with 11 wins and just two defeats.
By comparison, Carterton's Terry Price was runnerup with nine wins and four losses, while Otago's Peter Westaway finished third with eight wins, five losses.
Local hope Steve Smith of Marton faded a little after a promising start on Wednesday, finishing fourth with eight wins from Westaway on net points.
For the visiting Smith, his win conjured up fond memories of taking out the Arthur Ross Memorial Trophy on the same Wanganui Croquet Club field in 2011, that national handicap event being his biggest win to date.
That same year he represented New Zealand on a tour to England, while also being a member of the 2011-12 New Zealand Youth senior squad.
Having started the sport in Palmerston North, Smith played at Wanganui many times while a member of the Marton club.
He said he enjoyed croquet compared to other sport because of its lower profile and the friendly nature among the players.
"It's definitely the challenge of association croquet, [but] it's not one of those stressful sports where you have to succeed all the time."
This AC Invitation tournament was his first and Smith said he would like to make Tier 2 next season.