Rules of Backyard Croquet

The United States Croquet Association has created this special edition of the Rules of 9 Wicket Croquet for newcomers to the game or for anyone, young or old, who wants to play the traditional backyard sport Americans have enjoyed for over 125 years.

The game of croquet (pronounced “crow-KAY”) is a tradition of backyard recreation in America, as well as a sport that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Whether you are a novice who plays the occasional friendly game or a determined competitor who gives opponents no quarter, you need to know the rules and have them handy for reference during a game. This special edition of the rules was prepared by the sport’s governing body, the United States Croquet Association, as a guide for informal backyard play. More detailed tournament rules for the American six-wicket game can be ordered from the USCA headquarters and are sent free to all USCA six-wicket members.

What you need to play the game

The Court
A backyard croquet court doesn't have to be a perfectly manicured lawn, but short grass provides the best playing surface. If you have room, a full-size court is a rectangle, 100 feet long by 50 feet wide. You can adjust the size and shape of the court to fit the available space. Use string to mark definite boundaries, or just mark the corners with flags or stakes.

The nine wickets and two stakes are arranged in a double-diamond pattern as shown in Figure 1. If you are playing on a smaller court, the distances shown should be scaled down in proportion to the length and width of the court. The wickets should be firmly planted in the ground, and the width of the wickets should be uniform throughout the court.

The Balls
For a two- or four-player, two-sided game, you need four balls. The colors usually used are blue, red, black, and yellow. One side (with one or two players) plays with blue and black, and the other with red and yellow. For a six-player team game, you need six balls. In team play, one side plays blue, black, and green, and the other side plays red, yellow, and orange. In “one-ball” games, you need one ball per player.

The Mallets
Each player uses a mallet. Only the striking (end) face may be used to strike a ball, unless the players have agreed to allow the use of “side” shots or other shot-making variations.

Optional Accessories
You can use colored clips or clothespins to mark the next wicket your ball must go through. The clip is picked up when a wicket is scored, then placed on the ball’s next wicket at the end of the turn.

Object of the game
The object of the game is to advance the balls through the course by hitting them with a mallet, scoring a point for each wicket and stake made in the correct order and direction. The winner is the first side to score the 14 wicket points and 2 stake points for each of its balls.

The players take turns, and only one plays at a time. At the beginning of a turn the player (called the “striker”) has one shot. After that shot the turn ends, unless a bonus shot is earned by scoring a wicket or stake or by hitting another ball. The turn ends when the player has no more bonus shots to play or has finished the course by scoring the finishing stake. The striker may directly hit with the mallet only the ball he or she is playing in that turn (the “striker ball”).

Order of play and starting the game
Starting point:
All balls are played into the game from a spot halfway between the finishing stake and wicket #1.

When four balls are played by two sides (singles—two players competing against each other playing two balls each; or doubles—two sides of two players each):
The sides should toss a coin to determine the order of play. The side winning the coin toss has the choice of playing first and third with blue/black or second and fourth with red/yellow. The order of play throughout the game is blue, red, black, yellow.

Six balls played by two teams of three players:
The side winning the coin toss has the choice of playing first, third, and fifth with blue/black/green or second, fourth, and sixth with red/yellow/orange. The order of play throughout the game is blue, red, black, yellow, green, orange.

Six balls played by three teams of two players:
The start of the game is determined by a player from each of the three sides shooting to a predetermined target such as a wicket or stake, with the closest to the target choosing which colors to play. The second closest chooses next, with the third place playing the remaining balls. The sides consist of blue/yellow, red/green, and black/orange. The order of play is blue, red, black, yellow, green, and orange.

Order of Play
After all balls have started the game, play continues in the same order until a ball is staked out. When a ball is out of the game, the remaining balls continue in the same order, skipping the ball that has finished the course.

“One-ball” Game
Many croquet players like to play singles with only one ball per side, the winner being the player who advances his or her ball around the court first. This popular variation is played with the same rules as regular singles or doubles croquet, but any number of players from two to six can play. The colors may be drawn by lot to determine the order of play.

Out of Turn
If a player plays out of turn, there is no penalty. Any ball moved during the out-of-turn play is replaced to its position prior to the error and play recommences properly.

Scoring wicket and stake points
Each ball can score wicket and stake points for its side only by going through a wicket or hitting a stake in the proper order and direction. Going through a wicket out of order or in the wrong direction is not counted as a point gained or lost. A ball caused to score its wicket or stake during another ball’s turn earns the point for its side, but no bonus shot is earned as a result.

A ball scores a wicket point only if it comes to rest clear of the playing side of the wicket. If a ball passes through a wicket but rolls back, it has not scored the wicket.

Bonus shots
The striker earns one bonus shot if the striker ball scores a wicket or hits the turning stake. The striker earns two bonus shots if the striker ball hits another ball (a “roquet”) (but see the Exceptions below).

The first of these two shots may be taken in any of four ways:

1. From a mallet-head distance or less away from the ball that was hit (“taking a mallet-head”
2. From a position in contact with the ball that was hit, with the striker ball held steady by the striker's foot or hand (a “foot shot” or “hand shot”)
3. From a position in contact with the ball that was hit, with the striker ball not held by foot or hand (a “croquet shot”)
4. From where the striker ball stopped after the roquet.

The second bonus shot after a roquet is an ordinary shot played from where the striker ball came to rest, called a “continuation shot”. Bonus shots may not be accumulated. Upon earning a bonus shot by scoring a wicket, hitting the turning stake, or roqueting another ball, any bonus shot previously earned is forfeited. If a ball roquets a ball and in that same stroke the striker ball hits another ball, the second ball hit is not a roquet and remains where it comes to rest (with no deadness incurred on that ball).

EXCEPTIONS: Two extra shots are earned when the striker ball scores two wickets in one shot. If the ball also hits the turning stake after scoring two wickets, two strokes are earned—not three. Hitting the turning stake only gives one bonus stroke. After the striker ball roquets another ball, it does not earn any extra shots for hitting it again in the same turn before scoring the next wicket in order. However, there is no penalty for hitting the ball again (unless you are using Challenging Option #1, below).

Wicket and Roquet
When the striker ball scores a wicket and then in the same shot hits another ball, only the wicket counts and the striker has earned only the one extra shot for scoring the wicket. The striker may then roquet any ball to earn two extra shots. When the striker ball roquets another ball and then goes through a wicket, the wicket has not been scored but the striker earns two extra shots for the roquet.

The Boundaries
Whenever any part of a ball crosses a boundary, it is brought inbounds and placed one mallet length (or 36 inches) into the court. (Exception: When the striker ball has just roqueted (hit) another ball, the striker may choose to place it in contact with or up to a mallet-head from the ball that was roqueted.) Balls are also immediately brought in a mallet length from the boundary when they are less than that distance from the boundary, except for the striker ball when the striker has an extra shot.

On a smaller court, you may reduce the distance from the boundary for placing balls in to as little as a mallet-head (about nine inches), but whatever the distance chosen, balls must be brought in the full distance from the boundary.

Rover balls
After a ball scores all of the wickets in the course, its player may choose to keep it in the game as a “rover” to help advance that side’s remaining ball or balls and to prevent the opposing side from advancing. During this ball’s turn, it may hit any other ball only once per turn, gaining extra shots accordingly, but it does not earn any extra shots or wicket points for running a wicket.

Any player may put a rover out of the game by causing it to hit the finishing stake with a roquet shot or a croquet or foot shot. The rover’s side earns the point for the stake, and the order of play continues without the staked-out ball.

Time limit game
If time does not permit a game to be played to the stake, a time limit may be set beforehand. A kitchen timer works well to alert players to the end of the time limit. When the time limit is reached, the ball in play is in its last turn, and the remaining balls in the game are entitled to one turn each. If neither side has won by staking out both balls at the end of this final round of turns, the winner is the side having scored the most points. In case of a tie, play continues in full rotations, beginning with the ball that was in play at the end of the time limit, until one side stakes out or has more points at the end of a full round of turns. If time does not permit to have last turns for each ball, the game can end with no ball having a last turn. This is know has “Sudden Stop”. If the score is tied in this format, the ball closest to its contested wicket gets an extra point for the win. In a time limit game, players should try to play expeditiously and teams should not take excessive amounts of time in discussions.

Challenging Options
All players in the game must consent to these options before the start of the game. Any combination of options (none to all) may be chosen

Option 1. Using Deadness.
Deadness occurs after a roquet is made and the striker is unable to score his/her wicket. The consequences are that the striker is not allowed to roquet the ball(s) again until scoring the wicket. Once the wicket is scored, the striker becomes “alive” and is able to roquet the ball(s) again. If a striker roquets a ball he/she is dead on, all balls are replaced to their positions before the shot, and the turn is over. Deadness carries over from turn to turn.

Option 1a. Special relief of deadness.
A side may clear one its balls of deadness when the opponent makes the first wicket after the turning stake (the 8th wicket) so long as that side is behind in points (not tied).
Option 2. Out of Bounds Play.

A) If a striker croquets any ball (including the striker’s) over the boundary, the turn ends with the boundary balls measured in bounds. Other balls remain where they come to rest on the court.

B) If a striker roquets a ball out of bounds, the turn is over with no deadness incurred (if Option 1 is in effect).

Option 3. Measuring Balls in from the Boundary.
The striker shall measure all balls in from the boundary a mallet-head length instead of a full mallet length.

Option 4. Restriction from Roqueting your Partner Ball for Bonus Strokes.
With this option, the striker is not allowed to roquet his/her partner ball to gain bonus strokes.

Option 5. Removal of Sequence of Play (Blue, Red, Black, and Yellow).
Here the striker may choose to play any of his/her side’s balls at the beginning of the turn, but must continue play with that ball for the duration of the turn. For instance, blue could be played in consecutive turns. However, the players (in doubles and triples) must play in order (i.e. Mary, John, Mary, John, etc.).

Option 6. Poison
A version of the game allowing “poison” balls is popular. A poison ball is one that has scored all the wickets but hasn't hit the finishing stake. A poison ball may hit any opponent ball and have it removed from the game. Conversely, if an opponent ball hits a poison ball, the poison ball is removed from the game. If a poison ball fully passes through any wicket in any direction, it is removed from the game.

A poison ball does not earn bonus shots for hitting other balls.

Option 7 Rover Play.
A rover may hit all balls once per turn however once the rover is dead on a ball(s), it must go through any wicket in any direction to clear its deadness on that ball(s). The rover does not get an addtional (bonus) shot after going through this clearing wicket.