Association Croquet

Thanks to the rise of clubs, newcomers to croquet come from many different social and age groups. The top world players are in their twenties or thirties.

Traditionally the type of croquet that has been played most at international level is 'Association croquet', in which hitting another ball gives two free shots.

A break can thus be constructed as in snooker, with the sort of thinking-ahead that is found in chess.

The player uses the shots to pilot his or her ball round the circuit of hoops.

A key factor is that the first of the two free shots (the 'croquet shot') is taken by placing the striker's ball in contact with the one it has just hit. This means effectively dispatching two balls at once to desired positions: a delicate business.