October 4, 2025
Hosted by Jud Chapin
Rain Date is October 11, 2025
It would be my great pleasure to host the First (and maybe last) Annual FBCC Croquet Tournament. As many of you know, that place where the Wimbledon tennis games are played was originally called “The All England Croquet Club.” Tennis was a later addition. Well, I’ve tried tennis and (1) it’s too hot to play tennis, (2) I don’t have a tennis court and (3) I’m really lousy at tennis. I am, however, a fair hand at croquet.
I have brought to my attention that many of you may not be aware that the October FBCC meeting will be held during the Halftime festivities at the FBCC Croquet Tournament at my Brown Building on October 4, 2025***. The Tournament starts at 10am. Halftime will be around 2pm.
*** The inclement weather date for both the Tournament and the October meeting is October 24.
For those of you who haven’t been here before, I have attached a map and directions to the Brown Building. The Brown Building is located on Highway 14 twelve miles north of the intersection is US 29 and Highway 14 in Greer and 1.9 miles south of the intersection of Highway 11 and Highway 14 in Gowensville. For those of you addicted to GPS and Google, entering 5101 N. Highway 14, Landrum, SC, 29356 will get you here.
There are three entrances to the property. The southern and northern driveways will be marked with an FBCC sign. These driveways are for spectator parking. The southern parking lot is most convenient to the Croquet Courts so we will reserve the northern lot for overflow if necessary.
The middle (Green Gate) driveway is reserved for competitors. This will also be marked with an FBCC sign and a sign indicating “Competitor’s Entrance.”
This will be a “Bring your own Food, Bring your own Beverage, Bring your own Chairs” picnic event. FBCC will provide a port-a-potty on site for your convenience. I have limited shade on site so, if you want to bring a pop-up tent that would be welcome.
Here’s my plan:
(1) With some help in the form of a couple of you finding your old, almost abandoned croquet sets lost in your attic/basement/garage or wherever, I will set up four semi-regulation courts at the Brown Building.
(2) I’ll want eight two-person teams to compete in the first round.
(3) The tournament will be single elimination.
(4) Semis will be played simultaneously on two courts and the finals will be played on the best court with the most shade.
(5) The winning team will receive a stick-on FBCC badge and the applause and adoration of the multitude of fans.
(6) Players and fans must bring their own munchies, beverages and chairs.
(7) I will be both a competitor and the arbiter of any rules issues (Hey, somebody has to do it).
(8) Between now and the tournament I will apply as much fire-ant poison as I can afford but players and fans are responsible for spotting and avoiding the nasty creatures.
Field Croquet Rules
Croquet is a lawn game where players hit balls through hoops, otherwise known as wickets. A wooden mallet is used to shoot these balls. You can play this game on any flat surface, be it in your backyard or on a professional court.
The game’s primary objective is maneuvering your balls across the lawn and through the nine strategically placed wickets. The balls need to go through the wickets in the correct sequence and direction.
Different croquet versions have unique rules. The Nine-wicket croquet version is the ideal recreational game for friends and families, and that is what I am discussing in this article. It’s the simplest form of croquet, best suited for backyard play.
Field Setup
You have to know how to set up the playing court when mastering how to play croquet for beginners.
You can play this game anywhere, provided the surface is flat and the grass is short. The court’s surface must also be soft enough to install the wickets.
You will need nine wickets and two stakes. Optional items such as chalks, flags, and strings are also helpful.
A standard nine-wicket court measures 100 feet in length and 50 feet in width. Of course, the lawn doesn’t have to be that long, but whatever measurements you choose, ensure that all sides are scaled down in proportion. The settings below are for a 100 x 50 feet lawn.
Once you mark the boundaries of the playing court, the next step is setting up the stakes, followed by the wickets:
- Install the stakes along the centerline. Each stake should be 6 feet from either end of the court.
- Measure a distance of 6 feet from the stake and install the first wicket.
- Install the second wicket 6 feet away from the first and in line with the stake.
- The next step is installing two wickets on either side of the court. They have to be 16 feet away from the second wicket.
- The fifth wicket is placed in the center of the court, 32 feet away from the second.
These are the settings for one half of the lawn; follow the same process when fixing the remaining wickets on the other half.
Game Objective
The objective of nine-wicket croquet is to be the first player to score 14 wickets and 2 stakes in the correct order.
Before playing, you will need to determine the number of players and which player to go first. Each player will get one mallet plus a ball of the same color.
The order of play is determined by the colored markings on the stake. The player with the color that is highest starts the game by placing the ball between the starting stake and the first wicket. From there, the first player must try and shoot the ball through the first wicket, followed by the second wicket, and so on.
Once a player hits the stake at the other end of the field (after completing the first 7 wickets), they turn to complete the remaining 7 wickets, after which they need to hit the starting stake to end the game.
The game starts by placing the ball between the starting stake and the first wicket. From there, the first player must try and shoot the ball through the first wicket, followed by the second wicket, and so on.
Once a player hits the stake at the other end of the field (after completing the first 7 wickets), they turn to complete the remaining 7 wickets, after which they need to hit the starting stake to end the game. But see Rover below.
Game Rules
Now that we’ve discussed the field setup and objective of the game, let’s dive a little deeper into the rules of croquet.
Turns and Bonus Shots
Each player gets one shot per turn. However, bonus shots can be earned when one of the following happens:
- Scoring a wicket (1 bonus shot)
- Hitting the stake (1 bonus shot)
- Hitting an another ball (= roquet) (2 bonus shots)
- Scoring a double wicket through 1+2 or 6+7 or 8+9 or 13+14 or 7+stake (2 bonus shots)
A wicket only counts if the ball has gone entirely through the wicket and in the right direction.
When hitting another ball (roquet), the first of two bonus shots can be done in 1 of 4 ways:
- Mallet-head shot:
When your ball is in contact with another ball, place your ball a mallet-head distance or less away from the other’s ball, and shoot.
- Foot or hand-held shot:
When your ball is in contact with another ball, shoot with your foot placed on your ball or with one hand holding your ball to keep your ball in position and tactically remove the other’s ball.
- Croquet shot:
When your ball is in contact with another ball, shoot your ball so that both balls move. You can vary the angle of hitting your ball so that your ball goes one direction and the other ball goes in another direction.
The second bonus shot is called a continuation shot, and is a normal shot.
A player, other than a Rover, may not hit another ball for bonus shots but once until the player has gone through another wicket. This is called “being dead on X.” A player may hit another ball, take the bonus shots, go through a wicket and then hit the same other ball for bonus shots.
When hitting another ball and then scoring a wicket in the same shot, the player must choose between counting the wicket or hitting the other ball. The player may not count both the wicket and hitting the other ball.
The maximum number of bonus shots a player can earn in one shot is two. When scoring a wicket, any remaining bonus shots are forfeited. In theory, a player can complete and win a game in just one turn.
Play Direction
Players earn a wicket only if they strike the ball through the wicket in the correct direction.
Hitting the ball through the wicket in the wrong direction is allowed but won’t earn you anything.
Ball out of Play
If you’re playing with boundaries around the court, and a ball goes out of play, bring the ball back into play, place the ball one mallet’s length (or 1 meter) from the boundaries into the field where the ball exited the field.
Rover
A player who has run all the wickets may elect to NOT hit the stake. That player remains in the game is a Rover. This is done so that the player my help a lagging teammate and hinder threatening opponents. A Rover may hit each other ball for bonus shots only once during each go but the Rover is “Live” on all balls at the beginning of each go. A rover ball that is dead on at least one (1) ball clears itself of its deadness by shooting through any wicket in either direction and thus earning a continuation shot).