THE LAWS OF ASSOCIATION CROQUET

Copyright © 1989 The Croquet Association

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PART 2 - Ordinary Singles Play - A. An Outline of the Game

4. AN OUTLINE OF THE GAME

(a) SCOPE OF THIS LAW . This law gives a brief outline of the game and the laws of Association Croquet. Those provisions stated in general terms are subject to the detailed laws that follow.

(b) THE OBJECT OF THE GAME . The game is played between two players, of whom one plays the blue and black and the other the red and yellow balls (or green and brown versus pink and white). The object of the game is for each player to make both his balls score 12 hoop points and a peg point, a total of 26 points, before his adversary. A ball scores a hoop point (see Law 14) by passing through the correct hoop in the order 1,2,3,4,5,6, then 1-back, 2-back, 3-back, 4-back, penultimate and rover in the direction shown in Diagram 1. This is also known as running a hoop in order. A ball which has scored all 12 hoop points is known as a rover. It may then score a peg point by hitting the peg and is then said to be pegged out (see Law 15 and, for handicap play, Law 39). A ball that is pegged out is removed from the game.

(c) HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED . The game is played by striking a ball with a mallet (see Laws 31 and 32). The player whose turn it is (see (d) below) is known as the striker, the ball that he strikes as the striker's ball and his other ball as the partner ball. The striker must never strike an adversary's ball and he may strike only one of his two balls during a turn (see Law 28 and, for doubles play, Law 40). By striking the striker's ball the striker may cause any other ball to move and to score a hoop point (see Law 14(e)).When the striker's ball is a rover, it may cause another rover to score a peg point and thus be removed from the game (see Law 15 ).

(d) THE TURN .

(1) The players play alternate turns. A player may elect at the start of a turn to play that turn with either of his balls (see Law 8). He is initially entitled to play one stroke, after which the turn ends, unless in that stroke the striker's ball scores a hoop point for itself or hits another ball.
(2) If the striker's ball scores a hoop point for itself, the striker becomes entitled to play one extra stroke which is known as a continuation stroke (see Laws 4(g) and 21).
(3) If the striker's ball hits another ball, it is said to have roqueted that other ball and the striker becomes entitled to play two extra strokes. The first extra stroke is known as a croquet stroke (see Laws 4(f) and 20) and is played after placing the striker's ball in contact with the roqueted ball (see Law 19). In a croquet stroke the roqueted ball is known as the croqueted ball and the striker is said to take croquet from it. The second extra stroke is a continuation stroke (see Laws 4(g) and 21).
(4) At the start of a turn the striker's ball may roquet each of the other three balls once. However, every time the striker's ball scores a hoop point for itself it may roquet each of the other three balls again. It is therefore possible for the striker to become entitled to play a series of strokes in a turn in which he may cause the striker's ball to score one or more points for itself. (e) THE SCORE . The score is indicated by the correct position of the clips. At the start of every turn the hoop or peg next in order for each ball carries a clip of the same colour as the ball. When a ball runs such a hoop in order the striker must remove the clip and, at the end of the turn, place it on the appropriate hoop or the peg. For the first six hoops the clip is placed on the crown of the appropriate hoop and for the last six hoops on an upright. When a peg point is scored the clip is removed from the court.

(f) CROQUET STROKE. In a croquet stroke the striker must move or shake the croqueted ball. Failure to do so constitutes a fault (see Law 32) and the turn ends. The turn also ends in a croquet stroke if the croqueted ball is sent off the court, unless it is pegged out in the stroke, or if the striker's ball is sent off the court without making a roquet or scoring a hoop point for itself (see Law 20(c)).

(g) CONTINUATION STROKE. A continuation stroke is an ordinary stroke in which, for example, a further roquet may be made or a point may be scored. Continuation strokes may not be accumulated; thus

(1) if the striker's ball scores a hoop point for itself and then makes a roquet in the same stroke, the striker takes croquet immediately;
(2) if the striker's ball makes a roquet in a croquet stroke, the striker takes croquet immediately;
(3) if the striker's ball scores two hoop points for itself in the same stroke, the striker plays only one continuation stroke;
(4) if the striker's ball scores a hoop point for itself in a croquet stroke, the striker plays only one continuation stroke. (h) DOUBLE-BANKED GAMES. Two games may be played simultan-eously on the same court. The blue, black, red and yellow balls are used in one game and the green, brown, pink and white balls are used in the other game. The players and equipment of one game constitute outside agencies in relation to the other game. (See Law 34(b)(2), and Law 50(e) for tournament and match play).

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