CROQUET COACHING:  Sextuple Peel Leave

Robert Fulford, Great Britain team captain, setting his new sextuple leave (for red) in the 2003 MacRobertson Shield. Note both opponent clips (black and blue) on his pocket.

To set up for a sextuple peel with all other clips on hoop #1, striker stops at hoop #1-back, and sets a sextuple peel leave. Since no lift is given, a sextuple peel leave does not have to avoid the baulk lines.

The usual sextuple peel leave has been to cross wire enemy balls at hoop #1, and set a trap in NE corner. This leaves the opponent with a 100-foot roquet to hit in. If the opponent misses, it's easy for striker to roquet enemy ball in that corner, croquet that ball to hoop #2 as an escape ball, rush partner ball to hoop #2 as peelee, take off to enemy ball at hoop #1 as receiver, and start the sextuple peel.

But this leave was not good enough for Robert Fulford (top ranked player in the world) of England, UK. At the 2003 MacRobertson Shield, held at the National Croquet Center in Florida, USA, he introduced a new and improved sextuple peel leave. The new leave avoids giving his opponent an easy break in the unlikely event of a hit in.

If an opponent hits in on the usual sextuple peel leave, it's easy (especially if the furthest ball is roqueted) to croquet an enemy ball to pivot at the peg, rush an enemy ball to pioneer at hoop #2, take off to partner ball at hoop #1, and start a four-ball break.

Fulford's new leave requires that both enemy balls (with clips on hoop #1) be peeled through hoop #1 while striker is running the first six hoops. When striker stops at hoop #1-back (as usual to avoid giving a lift), enemy balls are cross wired at hoop #1 (as usual), partner ball is set one yard north of hoop #3 (close to where it would be for the usual trap in NE corner), and striker ball is jawsed in hoop #3!

His opponent has only the usual 100-foot roquet to hit in, but now only one one ball. And if his opponent does hit in on this leave, there is no easy break -- the ball at hoop #1 is not a receiver, and the jawsed ball cannot be rushed to hoop #2 as a receiver!

If his opponent misses, Fulford roquets enemy ball in that corner, croquets that ball to hoop #2 as an escape ball, rushes partner ball out of hoop #3, splits partner ball to hoop #2 as peelee while going to enemy ball at hoop #1 as receiver, and starts the sextuple peel.