Maui Croquet Club Coaching

CROQUET COACHING: Standard Opening

3 August 2003
by Wendy Davidson

The standard opening as described below has developed over 100 plus years. Variations of the standard opening and other openings come in and out of fashion, but for the average player the standard opening still has its advantages. The object of the opening is to be the in-player when all balls are on the court.

For beginners, in their first few games consider starting off in hoop 1, as for Aussie Croquet. For the next few games consider hitting out to a border and shooting the partner ball at that ball. As the beginners start to play among those who have been playing for some time, they need a session or two on the standard opening.

1st Turn	Shoot to east yardline just south of hoop 4. The object is to put the ball in a position where you can shoot at it in the 3rd turn without giving a double (two balls very close together) if you miss it. You want to give yourself the shortest shot in your second turn. The compromise position (shortest shot for your second ball without giving a double if you miss) is on the east yardline just south of hoop 4.
2nd Turn	Shoot at the enemy ball. If the ball misses, measure it in. If it roquets, roll both balls out towards the peg, and wire the balls around the peg. It is important to get the wiring so the 1st player cannot rely on a roquet with their centre ball in the 5th turn. This 2nd turn shot is usually only taken by low handicappers. The object is to give the 3rd player the longest shot possible without being able to hit hard. If they hit hard and miss, the ball ends up on or near B baulk, so giving the 4th player a simpler shot.		Set a tice. The tice can be set on the west (usual) or east (from B baulk) yardlines. It is meant to entice the opponent to shoot at it. It should be placed in a position where the 4th player has a high (say 70%) chance of roqueting it. For high handicappers this might be five or six paces north of the corner 1 spot. If it does not entice the 3rd player to shoot at it it is not a successful tice. If the 3rd player is not enticed, and the 4th player does not roquet it then it may have been too far from corner 1! To set a tice, hit from the midpoint of A baulk or further to the east to ensure it does not go too far north.
3rd Turn	Shoot at your partner ball. If the ball misses, measure it in. If it roquets, take off to the opponent ball, roquet, do a thick take off sending the opponent off the border and a little further north (but not up to hoop 2 thereby giving the opponent a shorter shot from B baulk). The striker’s ball should get close enough to the partner ball so as to be able to set an accurate rush to the opponent ball in the last stroke of the turn. Do not attempt to make hoop 1. You lose the innings if you play a croquet stroke that inhibits your return to partner ball, or you miss running the hoop. Remember that the object of this opening is to have the innings when all four balls are on court.	Shoot at a ball near peg. If the 2nd player has roqueted and rolled both balls to the peg and wired them, the tactical response is to go to corner 1 and shoot gently at the ball to the east of the peg. The object (if a roquet is not made) is to stay close enough to ensure a roquet in the 5th turn, but not close enough to give the 4th player a double to shoot at from anywhere along the A baulk. If a roquet is made, start to play a 3-ball break. If not up to getting a break going, if your partner ball is roqueted. equal roll the two balls to a yardline and set a rush. If you roqueted the opponent ball, take off and get a rush on partner ball to a border (usually the east border) and set the rush back to the opponent ball near the peg).	Shoot at the enemy tice. If enticed, the 3rd ball shoots at the tice from corner 1, firmly enough to go to the north boundary if it misses. A rule of thumb for intermediate level players is ‘if the 4th player is likely to roquet the tice then you should shoot at it’. If the tice is roqueted, do a thick take off as per 3.1, going to partner ball on the east boundary. Either set a rush for partner ball to the tice, or roquet the partner ball, equal roll the two balls further north and just off the border, and set the (now shorter) rush to the tice ball (this gives the opponent a longer shot in the 4th turn).
4th Turn	Shoot at enemy balls on yardline. If the ball misses, measure it in. If it hits, and no cannon can be formed, in the first croquet shot get a rush to just south of the tice on the second ball. (You should ask the opponent or a referee to watch the two balls before you shoot to ascertain exactly where the roqueted ball goes out in case a cannon is obtained.) In a split shot (or thick take off if the rush ends up north of the tice) promote the ball towards the next hoop, concentrating on getting the rush on the tice to hoop 1.		Shoot at your partner tice. If the ball misses, measure it in (it should be in corner 2 or on the north border). If it hits, you now start laying out a break on the way to hoop 1. Do a thick take off, sending the croqueted ball towards hoop 2 while getting within striking distance of the balls near hoop 4. This is an important stroke to practise, as a gentle take off usually minimises the chances of making more than one hoop in the turn. Use the first of the two balls to get a rush on the second ball. Do a split shot, getting the roqueted ball at least a pace off the yardline, and not a take off so you can access this ball easier after making hoop 1. Rush to hoop 1. Before approaching hoop 1 see if you can put the reception ball into a position where it can be rushed towards corner 4 or the south border, and driven to hoop 3 while pivoting off the ball left near the east yardline near hoop 4. This allows two croquet strokes where you only have to concentrate on getting a good position with one ball – the pioneer at hoop 3 in the first croquet stroke, the rush on partner ball (which is a wayward pioneer for hoop 2) in the second croquet stroke. Always try and use all the balls between hoops, more strokes between hoops allows for more ‘ordinary’ stokes, and more chances of continuing your turn.
5th Turn	Rush towards or to B baulk. The assumption is that so far no roquet has been made. The striker’s balls are close together on the yardline near hoop 4, and the opponent balls are in the tice position and corner 2. Leave (send in the croquet stroke) your partner ball in a position where you can shoot out over the border and be within roqueting distance of it if you do not get a break started. Take off to the ball in corner 2. Roquet, and do a thick take off sending it several yards into the court while trying to get a rush on the tice (another stroke to practise). Roquet/rush the tice towards hoop 1. Make the hoop if you can, if not then hit out over the border near your partner ball, with a rush towards the ball near corner 2 if possible.