Croquet

Croquet is a sport that involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops embedded in a grass playing court. 

The game is typically played outdoors on a flat lawn.  The objective is to score points by successfully navigating the ball through a series of hoops in a specific order, and finally hitting a center peg.

Croquet can be played as a casual backyard game or as a more competitive sport.

Basic components and rules of croquet:

1. Equipment:

   • Balls: Usually four balls of different colors.
   • Mallets: Each player has a mallet used to hit their ball.
   • Hoops (Wickets): A set of hoops or wickets that players must pass their balls through.
   • Peg: A central peg located at the center of the court.

2. Setup:

   • The hoops are set up in a double-diamond pattern on the lawn.
   • The central peg is placed in the middle of the court.
   • Players take turns hitting their balls through the hoops in a specific sequence and then aiming to strike the peg.

3. Objective:

   • The basic objective is to score points by successfully completing a circuit through the hoops and hitting the peg.
   • The order in which the hoops must be navigated is predetermined.

4. Turns:

   • Players take turns, and each turn consists of one shot.
   • A player may choose to strategically "roquet" (hit) an opponent's ball during their turn, gaining extra shots.

5. Scoring:

   • Points are scored by going through the hoops in the correct order and by hitting the peg.
   • The first player or team to complete the course and hit the peg wins.