Indoor Croquet

Indoor Croquet is a short form version of Association Croquet played on a mat in Aldham Village Hall. Each game takes up to 20 minutes, 10 minutes per side in total. It is played only in the winter. Members (incl. Winter only at £40) can play by contacting Keith Saunders. Sessions are currently £5 for a morning or afternoon and £10 for a full day.

A basic understanding of AC strategy is necessary, as the games are fast-paced and there’s little time for training. However, if you can quickly follow instructions from your teammate, you’ll have the chance to discuss your decisions at the end of your turn and understand why certain moves were recommended.

Be ready for lively banter and plenty of friendly sledging – it’s all part of the fun!

Rules of Indoor Croquet

Unless otherwise stated below, or agreed before the start of the game, all games shall be played under the CA laws for association croquet handicap games. Where there is a conflict between this and the following statements, the following statements take precedence.

The Game

All games are to be played as half games.

The Court

The ‘yard line’ is actually 10” from the inner edge of the white line which defines the edge of the court.

Start of Game

Each team shall have 10 minutes at the start of the game.

The game starts when the first ball of the game is struck.

The A baulk is Corner 1 and the B baulk is from Corner 3 to a position on the North boundary level with the centre of Hoop 3.

Special Case

If, when playing a shot, a player’s mallet catches the edge of the carpet, that player may replay the shot.

Timing

A turn ends and the other team’s turn starts when

  1. both members of the team have left the court.
  2. all balls have stopped moving.
  3. all balls which lie outside the yard line have been placed on the yard line.
  4. all clips are on the correct hoops.

If the opposing team comes onto the court before all of the above conditions have been met, the timer for the playing team stops and the new team’s time starts.

When a team runs out of time they shall be able to play only a single shot in any one turn. They shall play their shot within 10 seconds.

Both clocks shall be stopped if a player needs to retrieve a ball which has left the court and rolls under furniture.

Each team is responsible for being aware of the time that they have left. The timekeeper should warn each team when they have about two minutes left but failure to do so shall not affect the point at which a team’s time ends or the result of the game.

When time for either team is called, the current player is allowed one more stroke before his/her turn ends.

The timekeeper shall be the final arbiter of when clocks start and stop. If he/she makes a mistake when operating the clocks it is up to him/her to correct the error during subsequent turns in the game having told the teams of the mistake and how he/she plans to correct it.

Wiring Lifts

There are no wiring lifts in this game.

Handicaps and Peels

Each player is given a handicap which specifies how many hoop-points he/she may score for his/her side in the current turn.

As soon as the appropriate number of hoop-points are scored, the player must stop playing.
If in scoring the last allowed hoop-point the player’s ball hits another live ball, a roquet is not
deemed to have been made and, therefore, no balls may be moved.

If one side goes to peg, the other side‘s handicaps are no longer in effect. That is to say there are no limits to the number of hoops they may run,

Note that one side may peel one of their opponent’s balls through Hoop 6 in order to remove their own handicaps.

A player may peel an opponent‘s ball without affecting his/her hoop-point score.

Peg-Outs


Neither team may peg out an opponent‘s ball.

A player may not peg out either of their balls until both of their side‘s clips are on the peg.

Note: There is a special case where the current player runs Hoop 6 and, in doing so, reaches the hoop-points for their handicap. In this case, if their partner ball is already on peg, the current player may continue play, but only if they attempt to peg out both of their balls. They may not just set up a rush for the next turn.

Care of Carpets

To avoid stone, mud, and leaves getting on the carpets, only clean indoor shoes shall be worn so please change into the indoor shoes that you have brought with you before stepping on the carpet.

Please do not pull on the edges of the carpets as the underlay is becoming damaged.

Keith Saunders
5 November 2021
This document is a modified version of Peter Kenward’s original version of 13 October 2013.