MANNER OF PLAYING THE GAME.
The game of croquet may be played by any number of players up to eight.
If eight enter the game, each player must be provided with a mallet, and
each will play one ball. If a less number of persons play, eight balls
may still be used, one or more of the players playing two balls. In all
cases there should be two sides, or parties, each of course having the
same number of balls; and the balls, whether played by the same or
different persons, having their turns always in the same prescribed
order. An eight-ball or even a six-ball game is apt to be tedious, and
skilful players invariably give the preference to the four-ball game,
which may therefore be considered croquet _par eminence_. With more than
four balls the element of chance enters too largely, and the
combinations become too intricate, to be foreseen with any degree of
certainty. The true lover of croquet will no more be tempted into an
eight-ball game than a scientific chess-player will indulge in that
abnormal monstrosity "four-handed chess." Played with two balls only,
the game degenerates into a mere race. The four-ball game with two
players is preferred by many, though lacking the sociality which is one
of the charms of croquet. As the rules are the same in all cases, I
shall hereafter, for convenience of illustration, take it for granted
that there are four balls and four players. If the sides are not
otherwise made up, two of the players are selected as chiefs. They
strike for the first choice, (see definition); the one who wins it
chooses a friend, then the other, and so on till the sides are made up.
The winning chief plays first if he chooses, or, if not, the other chief
leads, and the winning chief plays second; then one of the friends of
the first player, and so on, the members of the two sides playing
alternately. The first player uses the ball the color of which is
highest on the stake, and the next takes the color immediately below. It
is usual to have the rings on the stake alternately some light and dark
color, so that the light colors form one side and the dark the other.
After leading, the function of the chief ceases, except in match games,
when he is allowed to direct the play of his side. At the commencement
of the game the first player places his ball upon the spot, and strikes
it with his mallet in the direction of the first bridge. If it run the
bridge--that is, pass completely through it, he has the right to another
blow; if not it is called a booby, and he must wait till the others have
played and his turn comes round again. Suppose, however, that he has run
the first bridge, and on his second blow runs the second bridge, he thus
takes another step on the "grand round," or makes another point, which
entitles him to still another blow. As it is generally impossible to run
the third bridge on the third blow, he now tries to get "position" for
his ball in front of the third bridge; but as he does not make a point
on this last blow, he is not entitled to continuance of tour. He
therefore stops, and the first player of the other side begins by
placing his ball upon the spot and attempting to run the first bridge.
If he runs it he has a little more latitude in his play, for he may now
make a point in two ways--either by hitting the other ball, provided it
is not a booby, or running his next bridge. Suppose he chooses to play
for the second bridge, and, having run it, plays at the other ball
already in position for the third bridge. If he succeeds in hitting it,
he is said to have roqueted it, and having thus made a point, may play
again and attempt the third bridge. But he has still another privilege;
he may take his ball up, place it by the side of the other ball, and
croquet it; after which he proceeds to play his ball from the position
in which he placed it, having retained it there by his foot during the
croquet. He will probably be in position for the third bridge. If he
runs it his tour still continues, and he may play for the next bridge,
or roquet the other ball again, which he may previously have croqueted,
into the proper position. His tour continues till he fails to make a
point, when the next player on the other side begins. After running the
first bridge, he acquires, of course, the right of roqueting the other
two balls. If he roquets an enemy's ball, he croquets it, if he wishes,
into a disadvantageous position. If he roquets a friend, he croquets his
ball into better position, or perhaps through its proper bridge. This
will constitute a step on the grand round for the friend's ball, and
will advance it as much as if it were driven through the bridge by the
mallet of its proper player. After roqueting a ball, however, a player
cannot roquet the same ball again until his own ball has made a step on
the grand round. He may drive his own ball against it, and perhaps
displace it by the concussion; but the hit does not constitute a roquet,
does not entitle to croquet, or to continuance of tour. After making a
step on the grand round, however, all his privileges are revived. After
all the players have had their tours in the order of the colors on the
stake, the first player takes his second tour, and so on. At the
beginning of each new tour the grand round is taken up again, and the
ball may make a point by making the "proper step on the round"--that is,
the one next in order to that last made--whether made by a stroke of the
mallet, by "concussion," or by croquet. Or it may make a point by
roqueting any of the other balls. In the last case it may play again,
either from the spot to which it has rolled or from the side of the
roqueted ball; or it may croquet it and then play, attempting the proper
step on the round, or roqueting another ball. If it has roqueted all the
balls, it can make a point only by running its bridge, or tolling the
stake, whichever may be the proper step; after which, as said before,
all its privileges are renewed.
Thus the game continues until one of the balls completes the grand
round, as explained in the diagrams. The last step is running the first
bridge in the reverse direction. The player making this takes up his
ball, unless he has been so unfortunate as to strike out on the same
blow; and places it on the spot whence he continues his tour as a rover,
namely, that of croqueting without the foot, or roquet-croqueting after
making a roquet. By this means he not only drives off the roqueted ball
but follows it with his own, or forces them in divergent directions. If
he is skillful, he may leave his own ball near one of the other balls,
which he may then proceed to roquet, and succeeding in this, to croquet,
or to roquet-croquet, whichever may be most advantageous. As he has no
bridges to run he can never re-roquet, and hence after he has roqueted
and croqueted all the other balls his tour terminates at the next blow.
As soon as a rover touches the starting stake it becomes a dead ball and
must be removed from the field. It makes no difference whether it
strike out by its own act, or is struck out by its partner, or by one of
the enemy. The latter catastrophe will be of frequent occurrence unless
perpetually guarded against, for the partner or partners are thereby
left to fight against superior numbers. When all the balls of a side
succeed in striking the stake the game is over, and the side has won the
victory.
With this brief outline of the game, the reader is referred for details
to the chapter on the rules.