Short Croquet - Rules
These rules are taken from the main Association Croquet rules Courtesy Croquet England website.
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Appendix 6 Short croquet rules:
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Short croquet is a shortened version of the game, primarily intended for play on smaller courts. The laws of handicap singles play apply, subject to the following modifications.
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A6.1 THE COURT
A6.1.1 The standard court is either:
A6.1.1.1 a rectangle measuring 24 by 16 yards (21.9 by 14.6 metres). The four outer hoops are 4 yards from the adjacent boundaries and the two inner hoops are 6 yards north and south of the peg; or
A6.1.1.2 a rectangle measuring 28 by 17.5 yards (25.6 by 16.0 metres, which is exactly half a full-size court). The four outer hoops are 4 yards from the E/W boundaries and 5 yards from the N/S boundaries and the two inner hoops are 6 yards north and south of the peg.
A6.1.2 The appropriate organising body may approve other proportions and dimensions.
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A6.2 THE COURSE
The game is 14 points: 6 hoops and the peg (see Law 51.3).
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A6.3 THE HANDICAPPING SYSTEM
The short croquet handicap table, as published by the appropriate governing body from time to time, shall be consulted with reference to each player's Association Croquet handicap to determine whether the player is obliged to make one or more mandatory peels or entitled to receive one or more bisques. If both players are entitled to receive bisques, the principles of full bisque handicap play apply and each player receives the appropriate number of bisques indicated in the table.
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A6.4 MANDATORY PEELS
A6.4.1 EITHER BALL MAY BE PEELED A mandatory peel is scored when either ball of a side peels its partner ball.
A6.4.2 PLAYING WHEN NOT ENTITLED When the striker is in a position where the striker's number of mandatory peels outstanding is equal to the number of hoop points remaining to be scored by the striker's two balls, the striker's ball does not score a hoop point for itself by running its hoop in order. In these circumstances, if the striker continues to play after running the hoop as though the striker's ball had scored a hoop point for itself, Law 26 (playing when not entitled) applies.
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A6.5 PEELING AN OPPONENT'S BALL
An opponent's ball may be peeled without penalty, except that if the opponent has a number of mandatory peels outstanding equal to the number of hoop points remaining to be scored by the opponent's two balls, that number of mandatory peels outstanding is reduced by one for each peel made on either of the opponent's balls.
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A6.6 PEGGING OUT
A6.6.1 PEGGING OUT THE STRIKER'S BALL Law 43 restricts when the striker's ball may be pegged out.
A6.6.2 NO PEGOUT BEFORE COMPLETION OF MANDATORY PEELS The striker may not score the peg point in order for the striker's ball in a stroke unless, either before or during that stroke, the striker's last mandatory peel was completed. In such circumstances, if the striker removes the striker's ball from the court after it has hit the peg, Law 31 applies.
A6.6.3 CANCELLATION OF MANDATORY PEELS If the striker pegs out an opponent's ball when the opponent still has mandatory peels outstanding, those mandatory peels are cancelled.
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A6.7 WIRING LIFT
Law 16 applies but the first part of Law 16.1 is amended to read "At the start of a turn, if the opponent is responsible for the position of a ball of the striker's side which is not in contact with another ball and is wired from its partner ball, as defined in Law 16.3, or, if that ball has been pegged out, from all other balls, the striker may:".
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A6.8 TIME-LIMITED GAMES
In a time-limited game, the winner is determined in accordance with Law 61.1.7, with any uncompleted mandatory peels being ignored.
WHEN WIRED A ball ("the relevant ball") is wired from another ball ("the target ball") if:
16.3.1 any part of a hoop or the peg would impede the direct course of any part of the relevant ball towards any part of the target ball; or
16.3.2 the relevant ball would have to pass through a hoop to hit any part of the target ball; or
16.3.3 any part of a hoop or the peg would impede the swing of the mallet before its impact with the relevant ball; or
16.3.4 any part of the relevant ball lies within the jaws of a hoop.