How to Play Croquet

Croquet is a popular game both for leisure time relaxation and for competition. But while competitive players know the rules backwards and forwards, those of us with a casual interest in the game or those who have never played it before can use a little help when it comes to the actual rules of play.

Wickets and mallets and balls-oh my!

The equipment for a game of Croquet is fairly simple. You have a number of balls of different colors (six-ball Croquet is the most popular variation of the game). These balls are hit along the ground with a mallet, traditionally made of wood. The ball is struck with the end of the mallet always-never the side.

The object of the game is to hit your ball through a series of wickets. A wicket is a rounded piece of thick wire which has its two ends driven into the ground. Think of it as a little doorway to victory.

Along with these objects, a Croquet set should come with a stake, usually made of wood. This stake is driven into the ground just past the last wicket.

The courts, of course

A Croquet (or course or field) can be set up in any number of ways. The configuration of the court often depends on the space you have available. But a traditional court is a rectangle measuring eighty-four feet by one hundred and five feet. For beginning players (or for a court with longer grass) a smaller court of fifty by forty feet is recommended.

The wickets are set up in a course. It is easiest to think of the court as a map with north, south, east, and west directions. The stake is set up in the middle of the court and two wickets are set up north and south, halfway between the stake and the edge of the court. The other four wickets are set up close to the east and west edges of the court, two to each side. These are closer to the north and south edges of the courts.

For nine wicket Croquet, the course is set up as two adjoining diamond shapes (north and south).

Moving in the right direction

Every player must follow the same agreed upon course and no player may pass a wicket with having gotten her ball through it.

To win the game you must not only be the first to pass through the last wicket, you must also strike the stake with your ball.

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