A simple introduction
“Association” Croquet, is a longer, more complex game than Golf Croquet, involving a greater variety of shots. It involves building breaks of successive shots, much like snooker. It is played with four balls, Blue and Black versus Red and Yellow. Each side has to guide both their balls through a circuit of hoops. The winner is the side which scores all 12 hoops for both balls, and then hits them against the centre peg.
If a ball scores its hoop, it earns another shot; if it hits one of the other three balls, it earns another two shots.
The first of those two extra shots is called a “croquet”. For this, you pick up your ball, place it touching the other ball, and hit it, so that both balls move. Play this right, and you can send your ball close enough to earn more bonus shots, and the other ball somewhere useful. Skilful players can string together a series of bonus shots, and score several hoops in one turn.
Handicaps
The handicap system is based on extra turns, called “bisques”. Weaker players receive a number of these bisques, and can use them to score hoops or croquet the other balls.
Read More
For more detail, the Croquet England website has the Basic Laws of Association Croquet and the Full Laws.
For coaching advice, visit Oxford Croquet which gives wealth of information on the skills and tactics of Association Croquet from beginner level to advanced play. Or come along and try it!
See also our page about Golf Croquet.