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Enjoyed by kings and queens, Alice in Wonderland, the toffs of Downton Abbey and even MP John Prescott – it doesn’t get more English than a game of croquet.

But one in 20 adults have never heard of the genteel lawn game, while 40% do not know how to play.

A Heathrow Airport study found we are 16 times more likely to know how to play fictional quidditch from the Harry Potter books.

Retail chief Kim Gray said: “Despite being a classic summer pastime, croquet is in desperate need of a revival.

“We hope to raise awareness of this dying British sport and encourage a younger audience to give it a go.”

Now, the airport has set up an Alice-inspired Crazy Croquet course at its Terminal 2.

The heroine of Lewis Carroll's classic playing a bizarre game in which a hedgehog was used as the ball, a flamingo as the mallet and soldiers were bent double to create hoops.

First played here 164 years ago, the game has been enjoyed by stars from rapper P Diddy and socialite Paris Hilton to Labour’s former deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Buy numbers playing it have plummeted by 26% in the under 50 age group in the last five years.

And if the traditional lawn game fails to attract more players, the Croquet Association has warned it will be extinct within 25 years.

Miranda Garrett from London club Croquet East said: “Many perceive croquet as an outdated game - this needs to change.

“In reality, it’s a marvellously social outdoor sport combining fierce strategy with gentle exercise.

(Image: PA)

“It’s also one of the only sports where indulging in a tipple or two is actively encouraged.

“We really hope the fabulous Crazy Croquet course encourages passengers to pick up their mallets this summer and keep the game alive.”

Said to have come to England from Ireland in 1851, the All England Croquet Club was founded in 1868 as a governing body to lay down the rules.

It set up in four acres in Wimbledon, south west London and shared the lawns with tennis when the new game sparked a racquet craze in 1875. The two clubs merged to form what is now the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.