The Names of the Game

By Jeff Soo

Abbreviations used: blUe, Red, blacK, Yellow

Croquet talk is replete with jargon, both official (“ball-in-hand,” “roquet,” “wiring”) and unofficial (“rush,” “take-off,” “attack”). This can seem overwhelming, or at least a bit silly, to new players, but this shared vocabulary is important. Having simple names for various shots, plays and situations makes it much easier to discuss the game with others, especially our doubles partners. More than that, names can facilitate clear thinking. “Handle” is a synonym for name because a name serves as a mental handle that helps us to recall complex ideas. The subject of this article is rotation: the color order of turns in American Six Wicket Croquet. Striker ball and partner ball are official terms identifying the two balls of the striker’s side in the rotation. No official terms for the other two balls exist — the opponent’s balls. For the ball that follows the striker ball, two terms are commonly used: hot ball and danger ball. The other opponent ball is commonly called the spent ball (or, more rarely, cold ball). “Hot” and “danger” imply an immediate threat; “spent” suggests powerlessness. These names can be misleading.

Figure 1 shows a First Flight game. In the rotation leading up to this position, K had rushed U to 2 but then failed the wicket. Y then took off from R and used the opponent balls to score 2, but then broke down at 3. U, also for 3, shot at Y and missed, bouncing off the wicket. R played to the boundary a few yards from corner I and it is K to play. What would you do with K? (While this is a First Flight game, the same considerations will apply at most other skill levels.) As usual, think through some possible plays before reading on.

FIGURE 1: K to play. R and K are for 2, Y and U are for 3.

I got the idea for this article while perusing one of Stephen Custance Baker’s excellent books on Golf Croquet tactics. Every Shot is Tactical includes a section titled “Clearing the danger ball,” by which the author does not necessarily mean the ball that follows the striker ball. Sometimes the ball that just played represents the greater threat, and the same is true in American Six Wicket Croquet. In Figure 1, Y is the “hot” or “danger” ball, as Six Wicket players commonly use those terms, but Y offers no immediate threat whatsoever: it can’t run its wicket (or even play into the jaws), it is dead on both U and K, and U is much too close for Y to take position at 3.

If Y is no threat, is K safe to play to position at 2? When you’re partner-dead, you need to look for opportunities to take position at your wicket, and from here K has an excellent chance to get good position. What would you expect Y to do in response? Because it can’t roquet U or K, can’t run its wicket and can’t take position, what is left? Join partner, of course. R has no deadness and is for 2. If K plays to position at 2, and Y plays a reasonably good shot to join R (i.e., to the north of R and within a few feet of it), R has a laid three-ball break. So, the real “danger ball” in this situation is R, not Y.

Even if the “hot ball” is more of a threat, it is sometimes a mistake to think of it primarily as “dangerous.” Most of the time you should prioritize offense over defense. Three- and four-ball breaks are the best offense, and an opponent ball in the right place should be seen as an opportunity rather than a danger. “Creating a rush” (Croquet News 2024 Vol. 1) features such a case, where the best play is to rush the “hot ball” to your wicket, despite potentially dire consequences if the play fails.

Back to Figure 1, what are K’s other options? The obvious alternative to taking position at 2 is to join U, giving it a rush to 3. This is risky against a strong player because U may end up leaving K behind at 3. If Y has played a good shot to join R, R may be able to cut-rush Y to 2 and begin a three-ball break. (Again, note that R is the real threat here, despite being the “spent ball.”) But against players without that skill set, it is quite safe.

An alternative for K is to play to the boundary somewhere near 2, as shown in Figure 3. This looks vaguely threatening to any attempt by R to use Y to score 2 because K is close enough for a fair chance of hitting any ball that R leaves at the wicket. This might convince Y to play to the boundary somewhere near 3, planning to join up so Y can use R to score 3 and clear its deadness. And if Y does that, U will have a free shot at it. U can shoot gently, trying to roquet, or firmly, trying to cross the boundary directly behind Y. If U manages to roquet Y without knocking it out of bounds, U sends Y to K. If U goes out directly behind Y, U is placed almost touching Y. Depending on what R does next, this may give K a safe opportunity to take position at 2. That’s a lot of ifs, but with K’s partner-deadness UK is in a relatively weak position, and there’s no harm in trying to bluff RY into a tactical error.

FIGURE 2: Starting from the position shown in Figure 1, K has joined U; Y’s response is to join R, giving it a “line rush” to its wicket. If R is capable of that rush, U is under pressure to move K after scoring 3.

All in all, it would be better for Six Wicket players to retire the term “danger ball.” Stick to “hot ball” and “spent ball,” and think of these as tactically neutral terms referring merely to each ball’s position in the rotation of turns.

FIGURE 3: Alternatively, and again starting from the position shown in Figure 1, K has played to the boundary near 2. Y has played to the boundary north of 3, and U has shot out behind Y, placing it so the two balls nearly touch. R needs to play to where Y can safely join it (shown by red dotted lines).