Clem played at the Hastings club and was a member of the 1950/51 and 1956 MacRobertson teams. He played five matches in the former winning two but sadly suffered a heart attack early in the 1956 series and took no further part. In 1954 he became the first player to win all four titles at the NZ Championships, the Open, Mens, Doubles (with wife Rene) and the Handicap Singles, he played 26 games in total winning 24. Ashley Heenan writing in NZ Croquet World states, “ His (Watkins) performance embodies the perfect lesson, namely, practice, practice and yet more practice. To do this until execution of a break becomes almost second nature requires infinite patience, a quality of self-criticism and an inexhaustible enthusiasm.”
In addition to his 1954 success Clem was runner up in the Open in 1953, Men’s Champion in 1950, Doubles with Rene 1953 to 1955, Heenan Plate 1950, NZ Handicap Singles 1955, North Island Open 1955, 1956, Doubles with Rene 1955 and with Ashley Heenan 1956. He also won the South Island Men’s in 1956 and Doubles with Rene 1954 and the English Silver Medal in 1954.