CROQUET

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12250, 23 September 1925, Page 4

CROQUET

OPENING DAY POSTPONED CROQUET UP-TO-DATE INTERESTING SHOTS (By “Roquet.") Ygry few local croquet clubs will be opening on the dates arranged for, owing to the continual rainy weather. Hardly a day passes, in which it does not rain, during some part of it, consequently the greenkeepers on the various lawns are much in a near with the necessary preparations for the coming season, and the work is piling up, awaiting the advent of dry weather. It is very probable, therefore, that the opening date of the inter-club matches wul have to be postponed for a week or so. MUNICIPAL LAWNS Intimation has been received from the Wellington City Council, by the clubs occupying municipal lawns, that tfce word "Municipal" is to be incorporated in their titles in the future. The clubs affected are the Hataitai, Island Bay, Karon, Kelburn, Wellington, and Mount Victoria .*• CROQUET UP-TO-DATE Croquet matters in England are advancing with the times, a fifteen minutes talk on croquet by Lieut.-Col. H. J. Whittle being broadcasted recently. The qolonel gave an excellent address, and commanded the attention of a large audience. VARIATION IN TOURNAMENTS An endeavour is being made <n England to encourage triple and double (reels, and this innovation was tried last month in the first division of the challenge cup games. It had been played previously in two other tournaments, but did not meet with much approval. It will be interesting to hear what the croquet experts at Rdehampton have to say about it. A well-known expert player has devised another method for the encouragement of triple peels. This is as follows s—Where any player finishes any turn with a ball which has advanced beyond 4-back, the opponent hna the option of having all the balls nlayed out in turn from the baulks with the right, either to play first himself or to put his adversary in. BALL SENT OFF THE COURT An inquiry sent to the editor of the English "Crbauct Gazette" is'interesting, and is as follows;—"The player at the commencement of a turn roquets blue with red, in taking croquet, he rpproaebes a 'hoop in order, fails to get position, and is wired from yellow, whieti is quite near; he then drives blue off the court with red, hitting yellow in the same stroke; blue, having been set off the court, does the turn cease, or can the player proceed to take croquet from yellow/ The answer is—“ The turn proceeds without penalty." A somewhat peculiar technical foul occurred twice at tournaments recently hold in England, says the "Croquet Gazette." As the correct decision in this case is not covered by the actual laws, but forms a special case for the instruction of referees, it appears not to be generally understood, and may therefore

be profitably explained. Blue drives yellow up the court, but inadvertently picks up black instead of blue, with the intention of taking croquet. Blue must here be placed in contact with yellow by the adversary, who proceeds to play. A ball in hand has no recognised position on the court, other than in contact witn the roqueted ball. The foregoing incident provoked further discussion by a player inquiring what happened to The ©lack ball which had been picked up in error. The instruction to referees and umpires is as follows r —"lf a player makes a roquet, and moves or picks up a ball other than that with which he made the roquet, with the intention of adjusting such ball for the croquet stroke, he commits a foul. Such ball must be replaced, and the ball which made the roquet shall be placed in contact with the roqueted ball, in such position as the adversary may require and the laws permit." CROQUET IN NORWAY An interesting account of a recent visit to Norway is given by an English player, and ttie style of play described savours of the game of 50 years ago. The old double hoop in the centre is retained, and they play with a small mallet somewhat like a hammer, as one of the rules is that the player may only use one hand, the idea of this being to prevent forward (otherwise the pendulum) stroke, as the lady players cannot play that stroke. The hoops are 12in wide, and the balls —which are made of wood —are about 2in in diameter. The hoops are made from very thin wire and are semi-circu-lar, and under ordinary circumstances would be easily run, but the ground is more like a ploughed field than anything else, ana a roquet at two yards is a good shot, and generally more or less a fluke. A court is laid out practically anywhere, as the surface does not count. It might be in a street, and the ruts made by wheels do not trouble them. Occasionally they have eight players in the same game, and sometimes five games on the same court. Truly, croquet under these conditions must bo a fantastic game, and one would need to be most enthusiastic to enjoy a game under the foregoing circumstances. Mrs B. McKenzie, hon secretary of the Wellington Croquet Association, left for the Wairarapa on Tuesday to attend a meeting of the hon. secretaries of the Wairarapa clubs.