Pilot and Two Pioneers in Short Croquet

The compact lawn dimensions of Short Croquet lend themselves to setting up advance pioneers - a helpful strategy since the journey to peg is shorter.

Pilot and two pioneers can work at any point of the break, but makes an attractive and straightforward alternative for the last three hoops. As you emerge from hoop 2 and send the reception ball down to hoop 4, nudge the ball in the middle towards hoop 6 as an advance pioneer.

Much depends on exactly where the fourth ball lies. Ideal is somewhere a little south of hoop 6 and not too far to the east of it. This, then, is a good position to try and nudge the pivot into earlier in the break, as you emerge from hoop 2.

After running hoop 3, send the reception ball down to hoop 5 as usual, and land your own ball so as to rush or nudge the pivot ball the short distance needed for it to do duty as a good pioneer at hoop 6. If the pivot doesn't land close enough to your ideal hoop 6 pioneer position, you can immediately nudge it a second time with a thick take-off to edge it into an improved position.

The rest of the break from here is easy, playing only simple shots to run hoops 4, 5 and 6 in turn.

If your partner ball is on peg, and you're looking to peg out both balls in this turn, it's important to run hoop 6 with the help of an opposition ball. Winding backwards, therefore, if your pivot ball happens to be your partner ball, you'll want to keep it there as a pivot, by continuing the four-ball break in the conventional way and making sure before you run hoop 6 that your pivot, your partner ball, is conveniently placed for the peg-out. This may mean reserving the 'pilot and two pioneers' option for when the pivot is an opposition ball - or swapping the pivot.