Croquet Info

Croquet is a game played both as a recreational pastime and competitive sport it involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing arena.

The game was invented in Ireland in the 1830s and taken to the UK as a pastime of the aristocracy in the 1850s, and by 1870 to its colonies. It may have evolved from the earlier mallet and ball game pall mall. Croquet made its way to Canada, the U S, Australia, and France, and continues to maintain a following.

Croquet terms
Backward ball : The ball of a side that has scored fewer hoops.
Ball in hand : term when striker can pick up ball to changes its position, for example:
(i) any ball when it leaves court has to be replaced on yard line
(ii) striker’s ball after making a roquet must be placed in contact with roqueted ball
(iii) striker’s ball when striker is entitled to a lift.
Ball in play : ball after it has been played into game, which is not a ball in hand or pegged out.
Booby : A ball which has not scored first wicket. In American USCA rules, a popular strategy employs the use of one or more boobys and is referred to as the out game
Bisque, bisque is a free turn in a handicap match.

half bisque : is a restricted handicap turn in which no point may be scored.
Breakdown: To end a turn by making a mistake.
Continuation stroke: Either (i) bonus stroke played after running a hoop in order or (ii) second bonus stroke played after making a roquet.
Croquet: (Second syllable rhymes with play) The croquet is the first bonus shot played after making a roquet. The striker croquets by placing his ball in contact with the roqueted ball and striking his ball so that both balls move.
Double banking :Playing two games on one croquet lawn at once.
Double tap: fault in which the mallet makes more than one audible sound when it strikes the ball.
Forward ball : The ball of a side that has scored more hoops (compare with backward ball).
Hoop : Metal U-shaped gate pushed into ground. (Called wicket in the US).
Object ball : ball which is going to be rushed.
Peg out: cause a rover ball to strike the peg and conclude its active involvement in the game.
Peel : send a ball other than the striker’s ball through its target hoop.
Primary colours or First colours :main croquet ball colours used which are blue, red, black and yellow (in order of play). Blue and black, and red and yellow, are played by the same player or pair.
Push A: fault when mallet pushes the striker’s ball, rather than making a clean strike.
Roquet : (Second syllable rhymes with play) When striker’s ball hits a ball that he is entitled to then take a croquet shot with. At the start of a turn, the striker is entitled to roquet all the other three balls once. Once the striker's ball goes through its target hoop, it is again entitled to roquet the other balls once.
Rover ball : A ball that has run all twelve hoops and can be pegged out.
Rover hoop : The last hoop, indicated by a red top bar. The first hoop has a blue top.
Run a hoop : To send the striker’s ball through a hoop. If the hoop is the hoop in order for the striker’s ball, the striker earns a bonus stroke.
Rush : roquet when the roqueted ball is sent to a specific position on the court, such as the next hoop for the striker’s ball or close to a ball that the striker wishes to roquet next.
Scatter shot : continuation stroke used to hit a ball which may not be roqueted in order to send it to a less dangerous position.
Secondary colours or second colours (Also known : Alternate colours) : colours of the balls used in the second game played on the same court in double-banking, green, brown, pink and white (in order of play). Green and pink, and brown and white, are played by the same player or pair.
Tice : ball sent to a boundary to entice an opponent to shoot at it but miss.
Wicket : US term for hoop (UK).
Wired : When a hoop or the peg impedes the path of a strike ball, or the swing of the mallet.

Croquet was an event in a 1900 Summer Olympics and Roque, a variation on croquet, an event at the 1904 Summer Olympics. One of the best known croquet clubs is the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, originally the All England Croquet Club, which hosts the annual Wimbledon tennis championships.

There are several variations of croquet currently played, differing in scoring systems, order of shots, and layout (particularly in social games where play must be adapted to smaller-than-standard playing courts). Two forms of the game, Association Croquet and Golf Croquet, have rules agreed internationally and are played in many countries around the world. More unusual variations of the game include Mondo Croquet, eXtreme Croquet, and Bicycle Croquet.

As well as club level games, there are regular world championships and international matches between croquet playing countries. The sport has strong followings in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia. Many other countries also play.

Some people consider croquet to be viciously competitive. However, the ability in versions other than Golf Croquet to gain extra strokes favour players who position balls with more care, rather than simply as far away from everything else as possible. At championship standard Association Croquet, players can often make all 26 points (13 for each ball) in two turns.

http://www.croquetamerica.com/ United States Croquet Association

http://www.croquet.org.uk/ Croquet Association