Fun factor Croquet is a familiar and fun outdoor game for everyone. A stylish, low-impact sport to be played with friends, taking breaks only for a sip of champagne and a nibble of hors d'oevers. With this game there are no wallflowers, everyone is quickly out hitting a blue, red, black or yellow ball clockwise through the a series of six wickets. It is known as a game of spirit, style and strategy.History
The origins of croquet are a little cloudy. Many believe that
this ancestral game was introduced
to Britain from France during the reign of Charles II of England,
and was played under the name of paille-maille or pall mall, derived
ultimately from Latin words for "ball and mallet".
In his 1810 book "The Sports and Pastimes of the People of
England", Joseph Strutt describes the way pall mall was played in England
in the early 17th century: "Pale-maille is a game wherein a round box ball
is struck with a mallet through a high arch of iron, which he that can do
at the fewest blows, or at the number agreed upon, wins. It is to be observed,
that there are two of these arches, that is one at either end of the alley.
The game of mall was a fashionable amusement in the reign of Charles the
Second, and the walk in Saint James's Park, now called the Mall, received
its name from having been appropriated to the purpose of playing at mall,
where Charles himself and his courtiers frequently exercised themselves
in the practice of this pastime."
Game Setup and Rules
The game is played by two sides. One side has the black and blue balls and the
other side has the red and yellow balls. The object of the game is to advance
the balls around the lawn by hitting them with a mallet, scoring a point for each
hoop made in the correct order and direction. The winning side is the first to score
the 6 hoop points and then finish by scoring one peg point for each of its balls.
The six hoops are set up on a field of approx. 18 x 14 meters. The presented diagram
shows the official positioning, order and direction of scoring hoop
points. The winning side will
therefore score 14 points. Unofficially the hoops can be placed in
any order around the field (more fun).
The sides are made up of either one player per side (singles) or two players per side (doubles). The rules are the same for singles and doubles.The players take turns and only one plays at a time. At the beginning of a turn the player (called the "striker") has one shot. After that shot the turn ends, unless extra shots are earned. The turn ends when the striker has no more extra shots to play. Then it is the opponents turn to play. Extra shots can be earned (1) By scoring the next hoop in order, earning one extra shot, or (2) By striking your ball so that it hits one of the other three balls, earning two extra shots. Included in the Kit:
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