Game On!

Praise the sports of the land
And water, each one -
The bath by the beach, or the yacht on the sea.
But of all the sweet pleasures
Known under the sun
A good game of Croquet's
The sweetest to me.

- Thomas Mayne Reid

"It is no game for the soft of sinew and the gentle of spirit. The higher and dirtier croquet player can use the guile of a cobra and the inhumanity of a boa constrictor."

- Alexander Humphreys Woollcott

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Queen of Hearts: Now, where do you come from?
Alice: Well, I'm trying to find my way home...
Queen of Hearts: Your way? All ways here are my ways!
Alice: Yes, I know, but I was just thinking...
Queen of Hearts: Curtsy while you're thinking. It saves time.
Alice: [curtsying] Your Majesty, but I just wanted to ask you..
Queen of Hearts: I'll ask the questions! Do you play croquet?
Alice: Why, yes, Your Majesty.

Queen of Hearts: Then let the game begin!

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cro·quet (krō kā′) noun

1. an outdoor game in which the players use mallets to drive a wooden ball through a series of hoops placed in the ground
2. the act of croqueting

Etymology: Fr, dial. form of crochet: see crotchet
transitive verb, intransitive verb croqueted -·queted′ (-kād′), croqueting -·quet′·ingin croquet, to drive away (an opponent's ball) by hitting one's own which has been placed in contact with it

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A canon of American croquet has always been, to quote Archie Peck, 'A better tactician will always beat a better shooter.'
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Croquet Time!
Ya think?!

That's enough of the clues; now here's the down-low...
(but I just wanna know - who the heck is Archie Peck?!)

The Museum at Campbell River summer interns - wait for it - Tye, Tyson, and Taryn (truly!) are raring to show all a good time with Croquet & Tea on the Lawn at HBH. Sundays will be the day to play, or picnic as you watch your playmates swinging about the yard, aiming mallets and hoping for straight-through-the-wicket shots.

It's obvious to me that my knowledge of the game is sorely lacking, so I set out to learn something regarding the rules. It was quickly apparent that there are quite a few to choose from!
See for yourself...

• "North American Six Wicket Rules, as used by Croquet Canada and developed by the U.S. Croquet Association."
• or, if you're from across the pond, perhaps "Association Rules from The Croquet Association (England)"
• or maybe you're a golfer! Even better, as there's now a game called, "Golf Croquet... with rules, as used by Croquet Canada and USCA..."
• And I hasten to add the "Nine Wicket Rules: Backyard Variety, as used by Croquet Canada", though that could not be for professionals! It simply wouldn't be cricket!
• And lastly, don't let me forget the "U.S. Croquet Association: Rules of Several Forms".

So, if someone challenges your way of playing the game, may I suggest you offer them a litany of choices and then leg wrestle for the outcome. That might be the only rule you'll both be familiar with.
And while you're at it, visit these websites, in case you have a hankering for the pro circuit.
www.croquet.ca
www.croquetworld.com

Sandra