Rules for Croquet

These are the  Rules for Croquet

Pictured above is a very early version of croquet being played.

Starting a game of Croquet with the rules of Croquet

The game starts with the toss of a coin. The winner of the toss decides wether they will take the choice of lead, i.e. which side plays first or second, or which pair of balls (Blue & Black or Red & Yellow) they will play with. If they take the choice of balls their adversary has the choice of who plays first and vice versa.

At the start of a game, the player entitled to play first plays either of their balls into the court from any point on either baulk-line (see diagram). At the end of that turn their adversary does likewise. In the third and fourth turns the remaining two balls are similarly played into the game.

Pictured above are the early Jaques Rules to Croquet

As soon as a ball is played on to the court it can immediately score points and make roquets. Once all four balls have been played on to the court the striker can start any subsequent turn with either of their balls.

At the end of each Croquet stroke any ball in the yard-line area other than the striker's ball, which is played from where it lies, is brought back onto the yard-line nearest to its position. If at the end of a turn the striker's ball lies within the yard-line it is brought back onto the yard-line. Any ball which has left the lawn is brought back onto the yard-line unless it is the striker's ball due to take croquet.

A ball goes off the Croquet court as soon as any part of it crosses a straight edge raised vertically from the inside of the boundary. If a ball cannot be exactly replaced on the yard-line because of the presence of other yard-line balls, it is replaced on the yard-line in contact with those balls.

These are the Basic Rules for Croquet.