Croquet
Get a ball through nine wickets. Sounds simple but victory requires cunning, skill and ruthlessness. It’s called the “Queen of Games” for a reason.
Equipment
- 7 wickets
- 6 balls
- 6 mallets
- 2 stakes
Setup
- Wickets are placed in double diamond pattern with a stake at each end
- Play 1 to 6 players per game
- Each player takes a mallet and ball of matching color
Objective
- Be the first to navigate your ball through the course
House Rules
Start
- Player with blue mallet begins; order then follows descending mallet colors
Play
- Players must hit their ball through each wicket in the designated order
- Players get one shot each turn, but extra shots can be earned as follows:
- Clear a wicket: 2 bonus shots
- Hit an opponent’s ball: 1 bonus shot
- Max bonus shots at any time: 2
- Bonus shots are not awarded for hitting the same opponent’s ball twice in the same turn
- At the turn stake, players must hit the stake; when the stake is hit, they get another shot
- First player to navigate the course and hit the final stake wins the game
Wicket Rules
- Balls must go through the wicket in the correct direction to be counted as through
- Balls must be completely through a wicket to be counted as through
- If a wicket is knocked over, reset it and move any balls affected back to previous position
- If player A pushes player B’s ball through a wicket, player B is considered through that wicket. Player B does not get another shot.