Croquet is a game played on lawns using mallets, balls and hoops. The task is for a player to knock their ball through a sequence of hoops before the opponent can do so. The game involves 2 or 4 players – each player having a mallet. There are 4 balls, a series of hoops and a centre peg on a croquet court.
Golf Croquet (GC)
This format of the game offers a faster, interactive contest in which players take turns with alternate strokes, using tactics to be the first to pass through each hoop. The interactive and social aspect and makes it a popular game.
A game of Golf Croquet typically lasts an hour or less.
Association Croquet (AC)
AC has been characterised as a cross between the sports of Golf (a stick and ball game), Billiards (Croquet has strokes involving direction changes, cannons and shots of varying distances) and Chess. With the strategies involved, thinking and planning play a big part. AC is based on the concept of a ‘break’ in which the right may be earned to play a succession of extra strokes by roqueting another ball or running a hoop.
An Association game can last about two hours.
Ricochet Croquet (RC)
A player earns two extra turns, while running a hoop earns them one extra turn. It is like AC, but simpler, with no croquet shot played.
A Ricochet game can last about two hours.
The view that Croquet is only played by the elderly is not correct. It is also a game played by people from school age to late retirement as it is not a contact sport, yet poses both physical and mental challenges. It is a game of strategy as players try to prevent opponent balls from getting ahead while advancing the balls of their own side.
All forms of the game are great fun and suit all ages.