Let’s Play
CROQUET
How To Play
Setup
Object of the Game: Played by two sides with black/blue and red/yellow balls.
Advance balls around the lawn, scoring a point for each hoop made in order.
Winning side scores 6 hoop points and one peg point for each ball, totaling 14 points.
Lawn or Court Setting: Diagram for setup.
Place peg, four equidistant hoops, and two additional hoops.
Lawn boundary defined by flags or markers.
Starting the Game: Toss a coin to decide who plays first or second.
Winner chooses playing order, loser chooses ball pair.
Play starts from a point a meter in from the boundary in front of the first hoop.
Gameplay
Players and Turns: Sides: Singles or doubles (one or two players per side).
Players take turns, one shot per turn.
Extra shots earned by scoring hoops or hitting other balls.
Sequence of Hoops: Follow the order and direction as shown in the diagram.
First Four Turns: All four balls must be played into the game in the first four turns.
After the First Four Turns: Choose which ball to play at the beginning of each turn.
Earn extra shots by hitting other balls.
What to Do with Two Extra Shots:
Croquet shot: First extra shot, taken in contact with the hit ball.
Continuation shot: Second extra shot, played from where the striker's ball lies.
Ball Off the Lawn: Replace off-lawn ball a meter in from the edge with no penalty.
Striking the Ball with the Mallet: Strike the ball with either end face of the mallet.
No moving hoops or peg for shots.
No putting foot on the ball.
Scoring
Scoring a Hoop Point:
Hoop point scored when the entire ball passes beyond the wire of the hoop.
Finishing and Winning the Game:
Win by scoring 6 hoop points for each ball and hitting the peg with both balls.
Doubles: Partners own specific balls, both involved in each turn.
History
Like many games, Croquet has an unclear origin, with a couple of locations claiming creation. A similar game can be traced back to the 1200s when peasants played the game in fields using willow branches as hoops. Documented versions of similar games begin with versions of ground billiards. The Italian game Trucco, the French Game Pall-Mall, and the English Game Trucks were all ground billiards games played in a similar manner as Croquet with a mallet and a ball. Not wanting to miss out on the credit, Ireland also claims to have been Croquet's creator, saying it derived from the game Cluiche. What is known for sure is humans have enjoyed knocking balls around with mallets for a long time.
Croquet as an official game was first documented in 1856, with the official rules recorded by Issac Spratt. The game soared in popularity in the 1860s, with croquet clubs opening up in England. It didn't take long for the game to hop across the pond, with the first croquet clubs being created in the United States in late 1867. By 1882, the American Croquet Association was formed. Croquet became an Olympic sport in the 1900 Olympics but was only featured in that one summer games.
The game that was once reserved for the elite can now be found in yards all over the globe, with many American households having a set stashed away in the closet for the next backyard gathering.
