It is said that the game was invented back in the Middle Ages by French shepherds, who entertained themselves by driving balls with their staffs into gates made of bent branches. However, croquet matured and formed in the XVII century in Ireland, from which it spread throughout the British kingdom.
Initially, croquet was a game of aristocrats, later it involved the third estate, which is the main army of dacha owners, and in the early twentieth century, the game migrated to the urban yards, becoming a favorite pastime barefoot boys.
Not surprisingly, croquet is so firmly entrenched in the leisurely respectable life of the XIX century. This game does not require any special efforts and high skill, it does not require serious athletic training, it can be played alone or with the whole family and neighbors. It does not interfere with refined toilets, and unhurried conversation. Croquet can be accompanied by tea, and is excellent entertainment for both the players and spectators.
Rise and Fall
Croquet has long been considered the sport of kings: you can play with dignity and look your best, without losing the excitement of the sport, and discuss the latest news or business with your partner on the way. Neither tennis, nor polo, not even golf allow to spend leisure time with such an outward effect. All aristocratic society was fond of croquet. Croquet courts were firmly embedded in the landscapes of estates, and later became an obligatory decoration of country gardens.
Young people also took to the game – gymnasium and college students competed in agility and accuracy. Holidays at resorts and fashionable trips to the water did not do without the game of croquet. Ladies and gentlemen also enjoyed picking up wooden mallets and taking to the courts. A game of croquet was the perfect excuse for a date and innocent flirtation.
Croquet (English and French croquet, from the French “crochet” – “hook”) was originally played not with hammers, but with clubs, or rather curved sticks.
Hitting the ball.
Croquet is a competitive game, it must involve an even number of players. The task is to spend the shortest time to his balls through the gates, placed on the site in a certain order. Play can be two opponents or two teams. Each side plays with balls of a particular color: black and blue against red and yellow or green and brown against pink and white.
The balls are directed to the target with wooden hammers, hitting only the front and never sideways. Players take turns hitting only stationary balls. The ball gets a point by going through the gate in the right direction. The winner is the one who is first to route their balls through all the gates and hit the peg.
A player at the beginning of his turn has only one shot, and if he does not pass the gate or does not hit another ball, his turn ends. When a player hits his ball through the gate, he gets a point and the right for an extra shot.
The ball chosen by the player to play in the course is called a striker ball (from the English “strike” – “to strike”). Striking a strike ball at another ball is called rolling or crossing. A ball that can be castled is called a “live” ball. A castled ball after a croquet hit is called a “dead” ball. The name “robber” is given to a ball that passes all gates and does not hit its peg. “In the oil” is a ball that has stopped in the gate leaf, it is taken out of the gate by hitting it backwards in the next turn or by an extra strike (if there is one).
When a striker-ball strikes another, “live” ball, he gets the right to a croquet kick. To make a croquet strike, the striker ball is taken with the hand and placed close to the castled ball. The player then performs a croquet blow on his ball, which should result in both balls in motion.
After the croquet strike, the striker takes an extra strike, unless his turn ends as a result of the ball leaving the field of play or for some other reason. The striker must not take a croquet from a “dead” ball, if he violates this rule, his turn ends. At the beginning of a new turn and each time after the striker-ball passes the gate all balls become “live”. Thus, by making a series of strikes, a striker can score several points in one turn, several strikes in one turn are called “play a series”.
The game of croquet can become a complex tactical struggle in which the winner is not only the most skillful, but also the most resourceful player.
Here we have outlined the most basic principles of the game. There are several variations of croquet with its own rules, schemes of the arrangement of the gate and the routes of their passage.