How TO
PLAY LAWN GAMES

These traditional pastimes never go out of style. Learn the playbook for marshaling some matches on your home turf.

Croquet

Don’t let this sport’s heritage as a court game fool you—croquet can get downright competitive. It’s also easy for all ages and perfect for team play at a party.

EQUIPMENT

Nine wickets, two stakes, and four or more colored balls (blue, red, black, and yellow; some sets have green and orange, too), plus one mallet per player (or teams can share).

Object Of the Game

In nine-wicket croquet, two sides (single players or teams of two) play through a course of arched metal-wire wickets and a pair of stakes. The first side to finish the course in the correct order wins.

Court Setup

A standard court is 50 by 100 feet, but the size can be scaled to fit your yard. Wickets are placed in two diamonds, with an extra wicket and a stake at each end. Backyard players can set up the court to work around trees and other fixed objects.

Basic Play

These are the basic rules; variations can be found online at croquetamerica.com/croquet/rules.

• The winner of a coin toss chooses his colors: either blue and black, or red and yellow. In singles, one person plays two balls; in doubles, it’s one player per ball.
• The balls are played in the sequence of blue, red, black, yellow. Players take turns striking the appropriate-color ball (the “striker ball”) with a mallet.
• One strike counts as a turn, unless the ball passes cleanly through a wicket, which earns the player one bonus stroke, or hits another ball (a “roquet”), which earns the player two bonus strokes.
• In the case of a roquet, the player can pick up the striker ball, move it next to the ball that was roqueted, and hit the striker ball again (a “croquet shot”); after this, the roqueted ball is out of play until a wicket is run or the next turn begins.

tips and techniques

There is no wrong way to hold a mallet; you just have to swing at the ball instead of pushing it. The classic between-the-legs swing offers the most accuracy. The side stroke, similar to a golf swing, packs more power.

Scoring

The first team to maneuver both balls through the entire course (running all wickets and hitting both stakes) wins. When a ball finishes the course, it is removed; the game continues to be played without it.

Martha Must

Croquet is one of my favorite pastimes. At my home in Bedford, I dedicated a regulation-size portion of the lawn just for croquet or badminton.